Mikael showed her the photographs taken the other day, and Crystal was overwhelmed. "I really blend in! Amazing! It looks as if my body breaks free from the stone!"

"Yes! I told you, it would be an intriguing experience!"

"But next time," she said teasingly, "I'm going to dip you in black paint as well!"

His face was totally serene. "We can do that. I'm going to set the camera on automatic." He took her hands and she felt that familiarity again as if they knew each other for a long time already. They did not move to set the thought into motion, though. After a while, Mikael said: "Would you like to work with me on a video performance?"

Crystal remembered the few videos she had watched at the library, and suddenly felt overwhelmed. "I don't think I can do this. I mean… I'm only … I'm not a model, you know."

Mikael smiled and still caressed her hands. "You are more than any of my models. Of course, I would not publish it. It will be … only for us. You have seen what you can do. And you can achieve much more."

She gave in, enchanted and excited by the prospect to reach this new level of experience. While Mikael prepared the camera installation, she undressed and wrapped herself in the almost transparent, shimmering fabric, he wanted to see draped around her. Her heart raced in anticipation when she stepped back into the studio, which was already plunged into the bluish light of the installation.

"Welcome my beautiful goddess," Mikael called out to her, appearing behind one of the cameras. "And – watch yourself!"

Crystal turned around and faced the monitors on the opposite wall. The high contrast light contoured the floating folds of her toga-like dress and the shape of her right arm, shoulder, and neck, while her face remained in the twilight. The image was also slightly doubled, as if another picture had been superimposed. It looked that unreal!

"I've installed two cameras," Mikael explained, "one recording your image in real-time and replaying it on the screens, and another one replaying it with a delay of ten seconds."

She moved curiously, like a child seeing itself in the mirror for the first time. "I know some figures from the Indian temple dance. You would like me to do that?"

"Yes! Just… make slow movements… and step a little more to the right, you are not clearly in focus."

Crystal felt freer and at peace and enjoying herself with every step. It was like in a dream, she was standing on a ledge and was ready to evolve into a bird and fly, fly high on wings of light! She startled when she sensed Mikael's arms enclosing her and realized that he was naked. "Mikael –"

"Feel me," he whispered. A moment later, his right hand loosened the light knot holding her dress in place. With a short, sizzling sound it fell down on her feet. "Feel what we could be together…"

Her mind started to spin in a mixture of fear and joy.

"Don't be afraid," he breathed into her ear. "Open your senses; open your eyes! Watch!"

His hand gently cupped her face and thus forced her to see the image the cameras took of them both and multiplied in a tapestry of light on the screens. "Lust is the prime artist of nature. The creator re-shaping our bodies into one…"

Crystal awoke from the gentle touch of Mikael's lips, wandering down her spine. Slowly, she turned around to face him. The room was dark if not for the soft light of two half-pipe shaped lamps at the wall, whose shine made their skin look pale as white marble. After their love in the studio, they had planned to have something to eat and drink, but they never made it into the kitchen… In the past hours, they had not only bared their bodies but their souls to each other.

"I have never felt, what I feel for you, Crystal," Mikael said, and the sound of his voice alone let the heat of desire rush through her again. "Never before..." He dragged her up. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered when they embraced and kissed again. Every doubt she had had about his sincerity was gone. And there a glimpse at the watch catapulted Crystal back into reality.

"Oh my God!" She freed herself and jumped up. "It's four in the morning! Norman will be crazy because of worries!" He had been gone to an animal rehab center with the turtle and promised he would be back around midnight.

Mikael's features changed as if someone had put a dark veil over a radiant light. "Forget him."

Hastily, she picked her clothes from the ground, when he suddenly stood behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders."He has never loved you. He never will. You know that."

"Mikael, I have to hurry home! Please, I-"

"Your home is here, with me! Think of all the things, all the wonders we still have to explore, all the dreams, your dreams, we have to make a reality!" The prospect she might leave made him almost panicking. He was afraid, very afraid, without knowing why suddenly.

"I think of it, Mikael. But I have to sort out other things, first. I can't simply… vanish and let Norman… let him…" She got stuck in the sentence, as she got stuck in between her conflicting emotions. Taking a deep breath, she tried to find her balance again but failed.

He put his arms around her and held her head tightly to his chest, so she could hear his heartbeat. She was too overwhelmed at the moment to think clearly. All those years with the one and only aim to be a good and honest wife at Norman's side - she couldn't just sweep them away like nothing! This would not be fair!

"You're going to tell him about us?"

"Of course I will!" Crystal answered, even though she had no idea at the moment how to manage it.

"Shall I accompany you?"

She shook her head. "Norman won't hurt me. He isn't that kind of man."

Mikael looked not very reassured.

"I'll be fine." In reality, she wanted to avoid being seen together with him by Norman. She just wanted to procrastinate everything. A bit! And get a clear mind… somehow!

Arriving at home some minutes later, Crystal discovered that Norman wasn't there. However, the telephone responder informed her that he would 'be late, but have some great news in his backpack' – whatever that meant! Crystal was relieved to have yet won a little time to think and come up with something reliable!

Only a moment later, she realized what she had been thinking at all. 'Come up with something'? What the heck was that?! She didn't want to come up with something! What for?! So she could continue her nonexistent life with Norman?! She let herself fall onto her bed and stared at the wall. She did not want to lie – but she didn't know how to decently come about with the truth either!

Shortly, she mused about calling her friend Kate. However, on the other hand, she already knew what her answer to her problem would be: 'You have met a gorgeous rich guy who loves you, and you love him? Just grab your stuff and move in with him, girl! You aren't even married to Norman; let him chew on this himself. You are a free woman, follow your feelings, and don't get chained to some ridiculous old fashioned moral beliefs!' She sighed. Kate's view of the world was that simple…

Crystal hadn't found any sleep yet, when the key turned in the front door, announcing Norman. After a short hesitation, if she should just pretend to sleep and win herself more time, she went down to greet him, nonetheless. Norman didn't leave her any opportunity to fumble for words. He just swept her from her feet and embraced her, laughing.

"I have great news, Darling! – Remember Jordan Pelletier, the chairman of the Whale-Rescue-Fond? I met him at the meeting yesterday, and he has offered me a job in his office in Hilo! Isn't that terrific? I won't earn that much, but it's a great opportunity, and Jordan is a heck of a nice guy! You will like him too! Ah, yes, we're going to participate in a protest march tomorrow afternoon, in Hilo, against the airport!"

She was too tired and full of her own worries to process every detail of his agitated account. Thankfully, he was that preoccupied with himself - he didn't notice her lack of enthusiasm at all. At one point, she felt that dizzy, she had to lean against the cupboard in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I… I couldn't sleep and…" She searched for an excuse when Norman stopped with a concerned look.

"I'm sorry," he said now. "I was that busy with the news. I forgot the time! My poor Darling! Now, let's hurry and finally get some sleep!"

As usual, Norman managed to doze off like a child. Crystal fought for sleep until the break of day when she finally fell into an exhausted slumber.

The next day came all too soon. When she opened her eyes, the pressing worries were back, and she felt immediately a bit sick. During breakfast, she desperately searched for the right moment to talk, but couldn't spot one. This was partly Norman's fault because he was speaking constantly and let her no breach to step in at all. Nonetheless, a part of Crystal was content it was that way, and she had not to open her mind. She wanted to phone Mikael, postponed it further and further until she sat in the bus direction anti-airport-protest. Am I a coward, she wondered, and this thought did not make her feel any better!

Mikael woke up with a nagging pain in his back and neck. He discovered he had been sleeping on his video cutting table. In front of him, on the screen, was still the last scene he had been working on. Crystal's and his intertwined bodies looked like a strange flower bud. Not yet fully awake, he traced the silhouettes on the screen, diving back into his memory and savoring their love once again.

Only after a while, he stood up, planning to take a shower and then prepare something to eat. It was early afternoon, and maybe Crystal would show up very soon! Perhaps she had already tried to reach him – a thought that let him finish his usual cleaning ritual very fast and hurry to the phone. The answering machine, though, had only two notices from a gallery owner in London. He didn't bother answering. With a little frustration settling in, he went into the kitchen.

He was busy with fruit salad and sandwich, without having much appetite for this sort of enjoyment right now when the doorbell rang. Reluctantly, he opened and was shocked to see Detective Hoover and four other police officers.

"I told you I don't know anything about these things!" He repeated once again, with all his effort keeping the emotional barricade up. Why his nightmare did come to life again? Why didn't they stop asking him these questions? What was going on in their perverted minds?! The very next moment, a neatly sealed search warrant was shoved under his nose. Instigated by some barked orders from Hoover, the little task force deployed in the house.

He followed the officers into his studio, but could not do much more than just watching. Of course, the police didn't overthrow or even destroy things. However, it was enough for him to see these dumb creatures file through his sketches, pat onto sculptures, and making comments revealing their absolute misunderstanding of everything that could be misunderstood.

"You know," one of the officers just said to his colleague. "I made a hot photo of one of my girlfriends. I should publish it and make a bunch of bucks! Obviously, you can make big money with this kinda stuff – look at this, dude!"

He lifted the photographs of Crystal and the statue and grinned. "But I smear her with shoeshine first!" His colleague agreed with a juicy joke, and both laughed.

Mikael felt physically violated. "What do you hope to find here?"

"Evidence of your …. Hobbies." Detective Hoover grabbed one of the stored videotapes from the board. "Where have you been the night from the 20th to the 21st? And what did you do around 7 A.M.?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. This is harassment."

"Mind if I take these with me?" Hoover placed the tapes into his bag without waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question. Then he bent down to the images on the screen of the cutting table. "Seems you have been busy lately." He tried to discern if the features of the woman in this video were the ones of Alexa Finley, but this did not seem the case.

"All the women in my creations worked for me voluntarily. I did not force anyone. I paid all my models. I did neither injure nor rape them."

Hoover glanced at him, his mien clearly stating that he did not believe anything and that he would not stop until he had the truth. "It's not my business what you do with your girlfriends, Mr. Gant. You can film them and fuck them as long as you like. BUT if they show up mutilated or dead ON MY DESK, it is MY JOB! And I want precise answers to my precise questions NOW, Mr. Gant! What did you do 21st 7 P.M.?"