Nancy Dows in 1993 ‘C’
20:46 (Washington Time)
Thursday, August 26, 1993 ‘C’
The Dows residence, 326 South Grove Street
Aurora Hills, Arlington, Virginia
Ingrid was working on a private design project on her computer, with the door of her private study closed, when light knocks on the door made her turn her head.
‘’Come in!’’
She smiled on seeing her daughter Nancy, still nine-years-old by a calendar but with the appearance of a stunningly beautiful teenager of about fifteen or sixteen with a very sexy body, enter the study and then close the door behind her.
‘’What’s up, Nancy?’’
‘’Uh, could I speak with you, Mother? I need your counsels.’’
‘’Of course! Take that chair!’’ replied Ingrid, saving her work on her computer and then swiveling her work chair to face the chair in which Nancy was going to sit. While Nancy did not appear to be in any kind of mental distress, Ingrid could see that what she wanted to speak about was a serious matter.
‘’So, what is bothering you, Nancy?’’
‘’Well, bothering would be a bit of a big word here, Mother. What I want to discuss with you is about myself, my nature and my future life.’’
‘’Ooh! Meaty subjects indeed!’’
‘’Indeed! First, about myself and my true nature. You know too well that I am not fully human, also being a half-Celestia, something that gave me many supernatural powers. It also basically makes me immortal: even if my physical shell is ever destroyed for good, then my Celestial essence will continue to exist and could then form at will a new physical shape for itself.’’
Ingrid nodded gravely at those words: she was very conscious of those facts and had been wondering for many years already about what that could do to their long-term relationship.
‘’I know, Nancy. I have thought about that many times in the past. What is your specific problem?’’
‘’My problem is about how to live as a Human on Earth while possessing powers and immortality, Mother. That in turn is bound to heavily impact what I will do with my life here. I am not like a normal girl, whose life turns around studying, getting a job or marrying a man in order to be able to have a home, eat properly, live in decent conditions and possibly having children and form a family of my own. My powers could allow me to become a true person of exception in this World, to become rich and famous and to become known and even venerated around the planet. However, I don’t want to become any of that. I want to live as normally as a Human girl would, while discretely helping others in need with my powers. My problem is how exactly to do that while avoiding to become some kind of venerated celebrity.’’
‘’That is a very good question indeed, Nancy. As the saying goes: power corrupts, while absolute power corrupts absolutely. However, your soul is of too good a nature for you to become some kind of self-centered megalomaniac. The simple answer would be to follow your heart and do what you feel to be good, but that would be way too simplistic as an answer in my opinion.’’
‘’I know, Mother. You also have superpowers and, while not truly immortal, you are bound to live much longer than a normal human being. However, by becoming a fighter pilot and then a high-level military leader, you were able to channel your powers and abilities towards defending and protecting the United States throughout the decades. In fact, with your actual position, you have basically become the ultimate military protector of this country, while your past actions have either prevented or shortened many wars, saving the lives of millions of people in the process. I envy you in that regard, truly. However, my talents are not geared towards the military. Rather, I may well become some kind of famous musical star or entertainer, in view of my taste for playing music, singing and dancing. The problem is that, if I look around at such famous artists who exist in the United States or around the World, too many of them are in reality nearly the puppets of big production companies, music or film industry moguls and impresarios. Emerging female artists in particular too often are abused by such moguls before they could break away on their own, if they ever do. Look at what happened to stars like Marilyn Monroe, who had to go at first on the ‘casting couch’ in order to get meaningful roles in cinema, or to too many aspiring singers whose songs were then seized by big record companies and who got only a portion of the royalties they deserved. On the other hand, I don’t want to center my life around the accumulation of money and to become rich simply to live in luxury. I want my life to be truly meaningful and to be used to help the others around me who deserve help. My dilemma is how to do that without corrupting my soul and becoming too centered on my own needs and wishes.’’
Ingrid’s expression was by now most sober, as Nancy’s dilemma was both very real and most weighty.
‘’Okay, Nancy, let’s peel this problem into its different aspects. Let’s start with what you like to do. Up to now, you obviously have both a talent and a taste for music, be it playing instruments or singing. You are also a highly talented dancer. You thus have everything to be able to become a great musical star. Am I correct so far?’’
‘’Yes, Mother! Playing music, singing and dancing truly makes me happy. I particularly enjoy playing music and performing with Lucy and with others like Sarah Weissman and Carmen Estrada.’’
‘’Do you like studying music and other performing arts?’’
‘’I do, but I also want to not be boxed in by the present trends, genres or cultures. I like it when I am free to innovate, make new music or new dance moves. Don’t laugh but I also have started to gain interest in fashion. Fashion is such a powerful way to express yourself while fulfilling a basic human need to protect and cover the body in varying climates, conditions and surroundings. Also, the potential for empowering one’s imagination via fashion design is truly huge, and I am not talking about becoming one of those pretty bimbos who call themselves ‘supermodels.’’
Ingrid couldn’t help smile in amusement at those last words.
‘’I do agree with you on that, although you could probably send those supermodels back to their changing rooms if you ever modeled your own creations.’’
‘’Well, many of those girls are now rich, but they are still on the whole simple puppets and catwalk accessories for the big fashion houses who employ them, like Dior and Victoria’s Secret. I don’t have only a sexy body: I have a mind, and a brilliant one at that! I want to use all my talents and skills, and this while helping others, and I certainly don’t want to become someone else’s puppet.’’
‘’Nancy, I can only agree to all that you just said. Your heart is in the right place and your wishes are most legitimate. I especially agree with you about not becoming someone’s puppet and to be your own master while thinking about the others around you. You already follow a school curriculum geared towards music, singing and performing arts at the Northern Virginia International High School, where you are soon due to start Tenth Grade, along with Lucy and Leonardo. I say, continue your studies in music and performing arts and improve on your skills there, alongside Lucy as a musician partner. Since your academic schedule will already be quite full, I suggest that you get books and magazines about fashion and clothes making that you could read at leisure on your own time. I can help you choose which books and magazines would help you the most while not putting a brake on your own imagination.’’
‘’And what about my superpowers and my immortality, Mother? They are bound to influence both the course of my life and the way others will perceive and react to me.’’
‘’That is true!’’ replied Ingrid, thoughtful. ‘’The best counsel I can give you now about that is to not flout your superpowers unless necessary and to live as normal a life as you can.’’
‘’Thank you for your counsels, Mother. They were very helpful.’’ said Nancy, who got up from her chair and quickly went to Ingrid to kiss her. She was about to leave the study when Ingrid spoke.
‘’You know, Nancy, you do have one human trait that I don’t have that would allow you to do something that I never will be able to do.’’
Nancy, intrigued, stopped where she was and turned around to look at her mother.
‘’Oh?! And what would that be, Mother?’’
‘’You are a natural-born American citizen, while I was born in Germany, then became a naturalized citizen. You could one day become President of the United States, while the Constitution stops me from ever becoming President.’’