Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 THE CURSE

   By KATZMAREK(C)

   Chapter Eight.

   ---------------------------------------------------

   Michelle opened with a single 'G' note played through 24 bars at 4/4
time.  For the last eight, Karen accompanied on the shakers and Mick came
in right at the last as Karen cracked a double rim shot on her big floor
toms.  The intro to their first number had been revised, improvised and
distorted out of recognition.  It was all a suitable fanfare for the entry
of the star, Anna Kuznetsova, in an outfit that looked sprayed on.

   The spot hit her as she clacked onto the stage with authority.  She wore
high heeled black boots, violet long socks rolled up to her knees, achingly
tight tights, a long unbuttoned black coat over a brief violet top.  A good
six inches of midriff was laid bare to the delight of the fans and a fake
jewel sparkled from her navel.

   A succession of large shows had honed the band's act to near perfection.
They'd figured out what delighted the crowds and blatantly played to the
lowest common denominator.

   But Anna was the star and whom the crowds had turned out to see.  From
the underground fringe of the music scene, The Curse had crashed the
mainstream with a vengeance.  For the crowds that turned out for the Town
Hall concerts weren't just the trendies and students, but the office
workers and the panelbeaters - the people Mick had always insisted they
needed to reach.

   Publicity had pretty much taken care of itself.  The tour had been
widely reported in the media with wild scenes, typically exaggerrated, of
frenzied fans storming the stage.  Their second single had hit number one
in the charts inside a week and the CD was going out the door as fast as
the shops could order more in.  It was set to go gold and possibly platinum
inside a month.

   In Mick's opinion, all this was happening way too fast for anybody's
good.  The band had all but exploded onto the scene in the space of two
months.  The pressure was liable to distort their careful planning.  It
threatened to be a rags to riches nightmare and none of them would be the
same again.

   Mick had seen artists crack under the pressure to become addicts,
alcoholics and, eventually, pathetic destitutes.  He thought Anna was the
most vulnerable with, perhaps Karen, ironically the youngest, best able to
deal with it all with a career through the other side.  Absolutely no-one
could have predicted this.  It was a freak and he hoped it was a short term
one.

   During 'Darkside' the band could have left the stage and gone home.  The
crowd sang along so loudly the band stopped and listened - the audience
carrying the tune till the last bar.  'Indigo' followed and another, a new
one called 'Minds of Children', which was one of the stronger songs off the
CD.  Two encores barely satisfied the crowd and the promoter had to go on
stage to urge everyone to leave.

   Anna was, indeed, starting to show the strain with increasingly wild
mood swings and bouts of bad temper.  She could be haughty and arrogant one
minute then the life of the party the next.  Terry worried about her
constantly lest she lose the plot completely.

   After the final hometown gig, however, she was in good spirits.  The
Caltex Lounge was a functions centre not far from the Town Hall.  There,
Flyblown, and the local promoter, had laid on a buffet and drinks for the
band and crew.  Security barred the entrances and the invited were ushered
in through a back exit.  Even Karen couldn't slip out unnoticed.  Fans were
still outside and liable to pounce on anyone leaving.

   The Curse T-shirts were in abundance, as anyone who had any role to play
acquired themselves one.  A local had run them off to his own design,
blatantly ripping off the band's name.  Mick realised he had to seal up the
merchandising deals or more of this was liable to happen.  A lucrative
revenue stream for the band was going into the pockets of people who had no
connection with The Curse.

   The Curse held court in a well protected corner of the lounge.  There
was Junior at one end, with his arm around Karen, who looked nervous. 
Freddie sat between her and Anna, looking stern and unapproachable.  Terry
guarded Anna on the other side, then there was Michelle and lastly Mick. 
Flyblown sidekicks ensured their privacy, protecting the perimeter, while
invited newshounds phoned their copy in on mobiles.  The crew sat in a knot
on the other side playing drinking games with the seemingly inexhaustable
supply of liquor.  Someone started the traditional food fight and soon
sausage rolls and cream cakes were winging backwards and forwards between
two warring factions.

   The band felt good tonight.  Partly it was relief they could now finally
take a break.  Also, they felt close, that only a kind of siege could
induce.  The band gathered around to protect Anna and she almost wept with
the emotion of it all.  The Curse had done good, tonight, and they were
justifiably proud of their performance.

   Security saw them out the back exit into waiting cabs and back to
Freddie's for the night.  Everyone felt the same - they wanted to remain
together for this last night.

   It was another six months before Karen made the move out of her
sleep-out.  A business acquaintance of her parents was selling out and
moving to the Gold Coast of Australia.  They had a nice house in the
Eastern Harbour overlooking the beach and they offered it to her at a very
good price.

   CD sales had garnered the band a tidy, if not a massive, profit, but,
the shows in Japan had handed them a windfall.  Extensive airplay of
'Darkside' and its follow-up had ensured simply astronomic crowd
attendances.

   There was never any discussion that Junior would move in with her.  He'd
become a fixture in her life and the house wouldn't have been complete
without his loping presence.

   There was a lot of Freddie in Junior, Karen decided.  He was quiet and
dependable, with a practical sense that catered for her emotional needs as
well.  First, he could fix just about anything.  If he didn't know how
something worked he'd pull it apart until he figured it out.  Often he'd
then set about redesigning it.  He'd bring her roses or other little gifts
on appropriate occasions and could remember everyone's birthday.  Junior
was the stereotypical support person and Karen could wish for little more
as a partner.

   Did she love Junior, she'd asked herself many times?  She'd been raised
in a family where such pronouncements of affection were considered
pointless.  Her parents were reserved and if they'd ever uttered such words
she'd never heard them.  She figured Junior sort of assumed because he'd
never bothered to ask.

   He was a touchy-feely kind of person, who'd sneak a kiss now and again.
If she'd appear in any way minus items of clothing, Junior couldn't resist
copping a feel.  Mostly, Karen didn't mind being molested in that way
unless she was preoccupied and he imposed onto her thoughts.

   Sex wasn't something that had preoccupied her.  Perhaps she'd been in
denial, but intimacy was always likely to happen one day with her chosen
partner and would pretty much take care of itself.  As she grew closer to
her bandmates, Michelle and Anna, their apparent comfort with the subject
had unsettled her.  They'd tease and joke in a way that Karen found mildly
obsessive.

   Not that she considered herself prudish or subscribed to the whole 'sex
only within marriage,' thing.  To her it had always been a private matter -
something you kept to yourself.  But to be idolised and desired by Junior
took some getting used to and required a whole new revision of her
attitude.

   She needed to relax, she'd told herself, and accept the gift Junior was
prepared to give.  Poor self image around her physical desirablity was
still there, even though it didn't seem to bother Junior.

   Her breasts were too small, her shoulders too wide and arms muscled. 
Karen was too short and hips too wide.  She didn't have long slender legs
like Anna nor a pretty, mischievous face like Michelle.  Whereas her
bandmates were outgoing and confident, she tended towards introversion and
shyness.  All of the above was something Junior accepted in her, of course,
even though she'd often wondered why.

   Junior was gangly - as if he'd reached for the sky forgetting to fill
out.  Karen either had to get used to looking at his chest or risk neck
pains trying to look into his eyes.  His body was hard and stringy and
there was scarcely an ounce of fat anywhere.  She'd few doubts about his
stamina, she thought with a smile.

   Whereas she'd successfully avoided the subject, Junior obviously hadn't.
There'd been too many 'boys' talks' and ogling smutty magazines, she'd
concluded.  Some of his ideas were a little fanciful, but others were a lot
of fun.  That Junior had brought joy into her life was something she'd
always feel grateful to him for.

   Junior was never insistant or demanding when it came to bedtimes.  Okay,
he could be 'persuasive' when he was in the mood, which was a good deal of
the time, but if all she wanted was to cuddle, Junior was respectful.

   They played around for a few weeks doing most things possible short of
full intercourse.  Karen could see, however, where this was likely to end
up and put herself on the pill.  Only when she felt safely protected from
the unexpected did she feel confident enough to allow Junior to go further.

   That had been one night after a gig.  She'd often arrive home still
pumping and it took a couple of hours before she could sleep.  It had been
a wild show and they were both bouyant and happy.

   She remembered that she'd needed to change out of her stage clothes and,
perhaps, shower.  Afterwards, she sat by the dresser wearing just a towel
as she scrubbed the last of the black eyeshadow off they'd all lately taken
to wearing.

   Junior had been in a frisky mood and wouldn't leave her alone. 
Eventually, he jammed himself into the stool behind her and put his arms
around her, head resting on her shoulder.  He kept whispering how sexy she
looked before his hands started to roam.

   After a bit of kidding around, he had the towel pushed down and was
playing with her nipples.  Karen could feel him stiff and erect and began
to feel a little horny herself.  At some point the mood turned serious and
they became locked in a real clincher.

   The next thing she remembered was being laid on her back on the bed. 
The towel had disappeared and Junior was throwing off his shirt.  At some
point he'd lost his pants and his balls were tickling her pussy.  She'd
then rolled on top and was grinding herself along his length when it
occurred to her there was little to stop her slipping his dick inside.

   She had to laugh at his surprise and delight when she held his knob at
the entrance to her vagina and rubbed herself with it.  Then he was in, up,
or whatever you call it.  It felt weird and exciting to be connected to
Junior by this prong of flesh.  He'd grabbed her butt and tried to get her
to bounce around, but she just wanted to lie for a while and enjoy the
sensation.  After a while she'd wriggled around a little, just to see what
it felt like.

   Junior pulled her down and kissed her passionately.  It was then she
realised how excited he was and how the delay was all but killing him.  She
decided she'd better work him to a climax before he passed out.  Only then
did she realise how hot she was.

   He'd grunted and filled her with warm, sticky liquid.  She's hadn't
quite reached there herself by Junior obliged with his fingers and her
spasms were at least as intense as any she remembered.

   Following that, they screwed practically every night.  Sometimes it
wasn't as good, but, on average, it kept getting better and better.  She
often thought it felt like he was the only other person in the world.

   With The Curse now in the charts and with successful tours under their
belt, they were starting to become hot property.  Already, Flyblown were
talking another CD, but there was not nearly enough material for a second
album at present.

   They'd desperately needed a manager, now the band's affairs were
becoming complicated.  It had to be someone they trusted, and Freddie was
the logical choice.  He knew the business as well as anybody and he had a
stake in their success.  Junior was moved up to permanent roadie on
condition that he undertake a correspondence course as a sound engineer. 
Terry became their tour manager so she could keep an eye on her family. 
With everything coming together, the band began to prepare for another tour
of Australia.

   From a fringe act playing to a cult crowd, the band was becoming wedged
in the mainstream.  There was bound to be some fallout from that -
accusations of 'sellout' - but none of them was particularly worried by the
label.  In any case, Michelle and Anna were growing tired of the dark
themes in their music and wanted to write something a little happier.

   'Minds of Children' was a branch out into a more political direction,
featuring Anna's recollection of the war in Chechnya.  It had been well
received at the concerts and Flyblown were considering it as a possible
third single.  Even so, Anna, in particular, wanted to lighten up and had
begun composing the lyrics to a love song.

   The next month, somewhere between Melbourne and Adelaide, Junior
announced to Terry that he and Karen were engaged.  Between Adelaide and
Perth, Mick told everybody that he and Michelle planned to buy a house
together in the Western Hill suburbs.  After the Perth gig, Michelle
finally admitted she was two months pregnant.  On the plane home, Flyblown
announced The Curse was going on tour to Japan the following month.  Anna
had little to announce except she hoped the band could hit America by the
Summer.

   By Japan the band was a well oiled and experienced machine.  Japanese
crowds were huge, the venues vast, and they loved The Curse.  By the time
they returned home for a much needed rest, and to prepare to go back to the
studio, the band was considerably wealthier.

   Mick was no closer to finding his daughter.  The 'answerphone' had not
called back and, despite calling at random times of the day, he still
hadn't spoken to a real person.

   He and Michelle bought a large house in the Western Hills.  It had its
own bush walk, a summer house and extensive views of the harbour.  They
constructed a small music studio and filled it with an ever growing number
of instruments.

   Mick acquired a Korg keyboard suite and a Collings acoustic guitar. 
Michelle had added a Gibson E3b, a rare 1959 sunburst Fender Precision and
a Les Paul.  A stack of Marshall Amps was the necessary finishing touch
plus a vintage Orange valve amplifier that he'd bought in a small store in
Melbourne.

   Freddie and Terry decided to remain where they were - Terry insisting
she was sick and tired of moving house.  But they built a swimming pool out
back and a conservatory, that Terry always wanted.

   Karen and Junior moved out of her sleep-out, bought a pair of pedigree
Boxers and exchanged the little Mazda for an Alfa-Romeo.

   Apart from that, little changed in their lives.

   Anna became almost a permanent fixture at Michelle's and Mick's.  She
had her own room, but she often shared their Emperor bed.  Mick even got
used to it, as well as the sight of her strolling around in just her
panties.  She was more excited about the baby than its parents, if such a
thing was possible, and Mick mused the poor kid was going to have two
mothers to nag the shit out of it.

   Generally Anna was restless when they were not working.  She seemed to
think that each minute of downtime was a minute wasted, where they could
get on with the business of being famous.  Fame, and all that came with it,
seemed, at times, to be Anna's sole ambition.

   For a week at a time, she would head downtown, by cab since she still
didn't drive, and be photographed at trendy nightclubs amid a cluster of
admirers.  Gossip rags continually paired her up with a bewildering number
of young male celebs, who seemed very obliging in speaking about it to the
press.  By the next week, she'd had enough and just wanted to hang with her
friends Mick and Michelle.  Anna claimed 'I was just doing my job keeping
The Curse in the news.' In that she was correct, but Michelle insisted she
needn't try so hard.

   The girls used the studio to compose.  Anna, being a passable piano
player, used Mick's Korg, and programmed the acceptable tunes into the
harddrive.  It was a fertile period for the songwriting team, having
finally a professional space and not having to worry about Uni commitments.
Mick often sat in on guitar.

   The Curse was beginning to sound like a stripped down Evanesence, or a
cross between that American band and Siouxie and The Banshees.  Mick didn't
like too much layering of the instruments, particularly guitar, preferring
a less engineered sound.  He figured folks could better imagine the
stripped down sound, as many kids liked to dream of being with the band. 
The simpler sound was easier to understand and reproduce live.

   The key to their hitherto success, however, was clearly the showcasing
of Anna's vocals and her image on stage.  To lose her would render the band
to just another hack outfit and condemn them to playing in pubs the rest of
their career.

   However, two weeks after their return from Japan, Freddie rang and
informed them they were going to the States in two months.

   Touring the US is difficult for 'foreign' acts.  First, there's getting
the working visas for the band members, no easy task, and it's always been
immensely problematic cracking the huge US market.

   The problem is, to get into the US market they needed 'something new to
sell.' The US is flush with hopefuls trying for that break.  An 'extreme'
group from out of the country was sure to find even more 'extreme' groups
in the US waiting for the same break.  Visa restrictions limited the time a
foreign band could work and bands needed time, and lots of backing, to get
anywhere near the big time.  But, the rewards were worth the effort for
those willing to try.  Flyblown thought they had a chance and it was worth
that effort.

   Mick was against the idea from the start.  He thought it was way too
ambitious at this point in their career.  He thought some dates in Canada,
possibly Toronto, and maybe a gig or two in New York to test the response.
Flyblown planned to take the band to Los Angeles, which he thought was
insane.  And what of Michelle?  How was she going to cope being well into
her pregnancy?

   LA was the golden chalice of all in the music business, but it was laden
with poison.  LA was a party town and he'd seen many an artist come to
grief there.  What would happen to Anna in LA, he reasoned, with the
extensive recreational drug scene and it's movie stars?  Mick thought you
went to LA already famous and you left it as soon as you could.

   Because of its draw, Mick knew he couldn't convince the girls.  They
were too mesmerised by the dream.  Anna, in particular, was probably
already dreaming of displacing Angeline Jolle from the arm of Brad Pitt.

   But Anna was still saving herself for Mr Right.  She was one half of the
future golden couple, waiting for that equally golden bookend to make the
set.  Her dreams were extravagant, as well as impractical, and Mick worried
she'd be left holding nothing but dust.

   The deal was modest and at least do-able.  They were to appear on the
bill as one of three bands in a reasonably sized venue.  Unfortunately they
came on second, the least memorable spot, and played to an audience that
was owned by popular local band Blue Rembrandt.

   The audience was wrong for The Curse, a mix of Art School and UCLA -
trendies The Curse had abandoned.  Folks moved around during the set and
got beer in anticipation of the entrance of Blue Rembrandt.  Even The
Curse's trump card, Anna, didn't have as bigger impact as they thought.  LA
was hardly short of tall, pretty blonds.

   After two weeks, Michelle wanted to go home, worried about being
pregnant so far from home.  The band was losing money just being there and
only Karen was willing to stick it out.  It took all of Mick's persuasive
powers to finally convince her - promising to come back at a better time
with better preparation.

   America was the first real set back for the band and a rude lesson in
the music business.  Popularity in the Asia Pacific region didn't give you
a free pass into America.  It had to be considered in isolation and bands
had to accept they needed to start off from the beginning all over again.
Without support from a major US recording company, the task was simply
impossible.

   They didn't lose Anna, this time.  Although pretty girls didn't need to
pay the cover charge, even Anna found the competition way too stiff.  For
the time being, the male half of the golden couple was still 'situations
vacant.'

   There was still a host of lucrative gigs in Japan and Australia.  A
Japanese TV crew wanted to film a special aimed at the tourist market and
shot them at various popular locations.  There was a charity gig for child
cancer and the recording of their second album.

   But, in the meantime, the band decided to take six months off.  There
was the impending birth of Mick and Michelle's baby and time was needed to
prepare material for the band's next release.

   -------------------------------------------------
   KATZMAREK(C)