Transformation

Chapter 2

Jeremy Winters emerged from his brown, two-story house to step barefoot onto his massive, concrete patio in the backyard. He grasped a large, beige mug of black tea in his right hand. His canvas featuring his latest work stood half-finished several feet in front of him. He often immersed himself in his work for countless hours and sometimes forgot to eat all day as his paintings neared completion. His current project featured an underwater scene depicting dolphins with a bleeding effect in a corner that showed outer space and a ringed planet spilling into the ocean from below. Jeremy’s paintings often portrayed breathtaking beauty and realism with a touch of fantasy. His work was so popular that he’d earned enough money to live comfortably indefinitely without producing another piece; however, he was compelled to continue. It was a compulsion and he sometimes wondered why such a driving force existed within his mind.

His parents had both hypothesized that it stemmed from his dyslexia. They believed that like all dyslexics, Jeremy’s mind was wired differently. He’d always struggled with reading and writing but his ability to picture his surroundings in vivid detail and to translate it to paper had always surpassed his peers. By the time he’d reached high school, he’d taken various art classes at the persistent urging of his parents, his sister, and his best friend, Skylar. He discovered he enjoyed painting and had a knack for it. Thanks to help and encouragement of his sister, Emily, and Skylar, he’d managed to rent a space at an art show as well as to set up a very attractive, eye-popping display that attracted many buyers. Luckily, he’d created a small fan base with several influential buyers who spread the word about his artwork. That had been the launching point of his career.

Shortly after the smashing success of the art show, Emily had disappeared. The police had discovered her charred remains the next morning in an abandoned building that had mysteriously burned down. Emily’s body had been unrecognizable but luckily her purse had been found at the crime scene and dental records verified her identity. Jeremy’s father had died in a car accident a year before and his mother had decided to move from Seattle as there were too many bad memories plaguing her. She’d ended up relocating to Sacramento, California and Jeremy had been strongly tempted to go there as well. In the end, he chose to remain in the Seattle area rather than leave his best friend behind and somehow, he irrationally felt that to leave would be to abandon Emily. Jeremy wasn’t sure if he would have ever succeed with his career in painting if it hadn’t been for her.

Jeremy took a careful sip of his steaming, hot tea as he sank into one of his lawn chairs. His expansive backyard comprised about half an acre and contained a bunch of tall evergreen trees, a couple of maple trees, and several Chinese pear trees. A tall fence blockaded the view of his neighbors which helped to further seclude him. Jeremy didn’t welcome uninvited visits except from his closest friends and family. He preferred the solitude which enabled him to immerse himself in his work. Jeremy’s gaze gently drifted up to the overcast sky above. He could make out occasional flashes of light as debris from Reinard’s comet burned in the atmosphere. It provided a spectacular night show with tonight being the peak performance. After that, it would slowly taper off over a week’s time. Anyone who possessed even a minor interest in astronomy couldn’t pass up the opportunity to gaze at the night skies this evening.

Thunder unexpectedly rumbled and jagged lightning bolts ripped violently from the gray clouds. Bolt after bolt struck in rapid succession as Jeremy watched with stunned amazement. He quickly realized it would probably be a good idea to slip indoors to safety. His head pounded with building pressure as he clumsily made his way to the house and shut the door behind him. His headache quickly intensified until spears of agony tore through his entire body. Jeremy tripped as he emerged in the living room and fell flat on his face. His body convulsed uncontrollably as unbelievable pain continued to savagely rip through him. Soon, he lost consciousness. When he awakened, it felt as though he’d been sleeping for days and the power had gone out. His mouth was dry and he had a killer migraine. Nausea assailed his senses as he rose to his feet and stumbled into the bathroom for ibuprofen, aspirin, and feverfew. After popping a handful of pills into his mouth followed by plenty of water, he reclined on his bed. Soon, sleep claimed him and he awakened feeling a lot better.