It all started with a phone call.
There was a golden phone on the nightstand, an old-fashioned model with a dial on the face. Taking a chance, I dialed "O" for operator and ended up with a person on the line. I asked if she could put me through to Byzantine, which she wouldn't do, but she did connect me to my next choice, the one I thought might be able to help me.
"Hello?" Lillian's voice was a hoarse croak on the other end of the line. I could tell she'd been awakened from the deepest of deep sleeps.
"I need your help," I told her. "It's a matter of life and death."
She sighed loudly. "We're already dead, Stag."
Not so much, I thought. "You know what I mean. It's really important. Heavenwood movie-making important."
Lillian was silent for a long moment. "You called me abo
