Enclosed is a story.

(Mr.) Hoskins

Dear Contributor:

We at CMHTCM pride ourselves in giving the most careful attention to every manuscript that comes in. Your entry, "Beauty Revised," has possibilities, but there will have to be some rewriting. As you know, we pay an extra penny a word if you do the revision yourself.

First, your title is inappropriate; it should express the horror of sin and agony, not beauty.

What we need are good, solid, realistic stories of human experience. Our handbook on effective plotting is enclosed. You should forget about miscegenation and concentrate on basic human values. Put yourself in your story—first-person viewpoint is an absolute must—and give us your most immediate feelings. You are a man (we do accept some male viewpoint pieces); you meet a typical American girl, not too pretty but compulsively attractive to you; what are your very first, real-life impressions?

Next time you submit fiction here, please accompany it with the signed warranty-of-accuracy form (enclosed) for our files.

Encouragingly,