The !**(% pen tool, yet again....

CS4
(Ultimately, I want to have a shape with curves that I can use to create slices.)
I've drawn two parallel lines with the pen tool. I want to create a shape that has a series of parallel curved lines which have end points that intersect the two parallel lines. (You could imagine maybe a step ladder where the steps are all bowed downward by the same amount.)
Drawing the path segments are no problem. Here's what I can't do...
Get the independent path segments to intersect as one path. How do I do that?
If I draw the parallel curves so that they extend beyond the two parallel sides, I can combine the paths, but there are no anchor points created at the intersections. Therefore, the intersect shape button does not work (I guess that's why.)
Or If I draw the two sides, then add anchors along the parallel lines, then the pen tool will not create a path segment from one new anchor to another new anchor on the opposite side.  Why or how?
Or as a third approach I've tried, I've drawn all the "step" paths. Now, how can I get them to intersect with the two sides?
Let me add one twist. What if the two parallel sides were actually a rectangle. Then of course, this is a closed path already. Then the problem seems to be different for the way the pen tool would work.
TIA,
Karl

I'm sitting here thinking about this and not relishing the idea of trying to learn more about Illustrator in order to solve this one problem.
So let me restate my original post in a simpler way.
Is this not possible with the Photoshop pen tool, and if so, how do I do it.
I want to create a square and then I want to divide it into thirds. This should become one path, not a collection of path segments.
TIA.

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