Backstage In her dressing room zlata stood looking at the mirror, admiring and studying her body, and getting her mind ready for the upcoming show. Things had had to change over recent years as life changes occurred, business changes happened and she had to find newer, more inventive ways to sell herself, and to use her flexibility. She slowly changed into tights and sports bra and proceeded to get her body warmed up for the show with the magician. Tonight was more a trial show, to see if there was a market for contortion and magic, and hopefully Zlatas favourite – contortion, magic and bondage. Zlata lost herself in the stretch and warmup and pleasant thoughts and memories as she stretched. She looked up at one point and found herself tucked up neatly in forward bend and feet tucked neatly behind her head. One of her favourite positions. She then slowly curled around and into a back arch and walked around the room several times in back arch to make sure everything was ready for the show. She was told she would be doing a box type act, but wasn’t really told anymore than that. She stood and looked at the outfit once again, and realized it covered most things, but left absolutely nothing to the imagination. It was a beautiful Navy blue in colour, and covered in amazing swirls in white, nude and silver glitter stripes. It was one of her favourite things – a lycra bodysuit that covered everything from the neck down, and this one also had a hood that covered everything except her face. She sighed and looked at the clock – time. She stripped off her warmup clothes and slipped into the body suit and matching ballet pointe shoes, zipped up and then standing looking in the mirror, did a standing split, leg into oversplit and tapped herself on the head. She winked at her reflection and walked out to the backstage area, ready to go on stage. “Ladies and Gentleman, May I introduce the most flexible lady in the world! The amazing, the talented, the increbily beautiful, and of course the astounding blonde bombshell all the way from Russia! ZZZZZLLLLLLAAAAAATTTTTAAAAA!!!!” Zlata strode out on to stage and looked amazing in the stage lights as the Navy Blue tended to blend with the dark stage and made the glitter and swirls really stand out. “Zlata, they tell me you are incredibly flexible?” “Yes, ever since I was a little girl” “Well we want to do some magic with you, but first, can you demonstrate for our lovely audience just how flexible you are by climbing in this box?” A clear cube, 2 feet square was wheeled out onto stage. The top was resting against the side of the cube, and it was mounted on a platform just clear of the stage so it could easily be wheeled on or off stage. “Sure” Her favourite piece of music started playing, and she slowly moved around the cube, and then slowly stood and into a standing split and then sank gracefully into the box, squashing and bending until she completely filled the box. The magician quickly secured the top on the cube, and then rolled the cube to the front of the stage and slowly twirled it around to show the audience, that while a tight fit, there was still some room for zlata to move in her clear prison. “Let’s make the fit a bit tighter for her, shall we?” The audience roared it’s approval as the magician slowly moved the cube back to it’s original spot. He then proceeded to push on the top of the cube and then the sides until it had shrunk down to 18 inches square. Again he wheeled it to the front, and showed the audience that it was a bit tighter but zlata was still smiling and happy. He then moved ti back and leant and pushed the cube again, this time the cube was down to a 12 inches square. He moved the cube to stage center and showed the audience again. Meanwhile Zlata was feeling a bit tight, but ok, she wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, as every time the magician pushed on the box she felt something happen, and everything tighten somehow, but she could still feel everything normal (if being folded into a small box on a regular basis could be considered normal). The suti felt very comfortable and almost like it was merging in on itself. The cube was once again back in its original position and then he looked at the audience “One more time?” The audience roared out “YES” This time he leant really hard on the sides and top. Zlata felt a bit squished this time, and then she could see why. 5 minutes before hand she was a full sized woman in a 2 foot clear cube. Now she was a full size woman somehow shrunk down along with the cube to no more than 4 inches square! The Magician picked up zlata and her cube and showed her to the audience and balanced her on one hand. One face of the cube had zlata’s face pressed to it, the rest of the cube was filled with the glittery stripes and sparkles of her costume. The crowd loved the act, their favourite flexy lady, contorted in a cube and then shrunk down to almost a doll size. “Ladies and Gentleman, it’s now time for intermission, I will leave Zlata here on the stage for you to come and have a look at, touch, but please do not tap on the glass, she is alive, comfortable and a normal human, not a specimen in a zoo!” With a flourish he disappeared and left Zlata on a stand at the front of the stage as the audience looked on, not quite believing the last few minutes. To be continued.