www.sereninspired.com

"Art is harmony. Harmony is the analogy of the contrary and of similar

elements of tone, of colour, and of lone considered according to their

dominance and under the influence of light, in gay, calm or sad

combinations."

Georges Seurat

A technique branching from Impressionism, pointillism involves the

purposeful placing of dots, in a pattern, to create an image. The term

pointillism was originally used in the 1880s by critics to ridicule the

work of its exponents. Georges Seurat and later Paul Signac are

credited with creating and developing the technique.

Georges Seurat, created his first major work "Bathers at Asniere", only

to have the pioneering piece rejected by the Paris Salon. The Paris

Salon established in1725 was the biggest art exhibition of its time in

the world. Seurat decided to start his own art establishment and so the

Societe des Artistes Independants was created.

It was through this group

of artists that he met

Paul Signac. Seurat

shared his idea of

pointillism with Signac,

who embraced it as an art

form, developing the

technique further after

Seurat's untimely death

at 31.

In 1884 Seurat began work on his piece "A Sunday Afternoon on the

Island of La Grand Jatte”. An oil on canvas painting, it took two

years to complete. It was Seurat's belief that this form of painting

which at the time was called divisionism but is now known as

pointillism, would create a more vivid visual experience for the

viewer.

Seurat's last ambitious piece "The Circus" remains unfinished.

I have always loved James Dean, though he had died by the time I was

born. Pictures and poster of him adorn my walls and I have drawn and

dotted him many times. My latest pointillist picture of him was a

long process with very fine nibbed markers. I sat watching his films

as I used the small dots to trace and contour across the paper

creating his likeness.

I am lucky to have been able to indulge my love for James Dean in my

travels. I first went to the Griffith Observatory where James Dean filmed

“Rebel Without a Cause”.

I have walked down the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" in New York and

even went to the place James Dean died. The intersection has a sign

and the Jack Ranch, where his body was taken has a memorial built by

a Japanese fan. I found the road so sad and desolate, filled with

the feeling of tragedy and unfulfilled possibilities.

James Dean will always remain an inspiration.

Seren shuffled through her

morning mail, sorting

quickly through the letters

before taking a sip of tea. In

the pile of letters she found

a buff coloured envelope

larger than the others. She

opened it knowing it was

from Sebastian.

It was Sebastian that had told her about Night. She sat for a moment thinking about the last

time she had seen her sister Night. They had met for coffee at a small cafe and Night had told her

that she was excited about something she was working on. Something she called the CDer,

which she explained was short for Chronological Disorder. It was a piece of technology that

allowed the user to travel between time and realities.

Night had used the CDer, a tool she hoped would alter and fix things in time and realities that

caused danger or harm. Her technology had been discovered by a group called Mastin, who had

broken into the Chronos Labs. They had interrupted the transfer. Night had plummeted

helplessly into some unknown place in time and reality

When Seren had demanded to help

find her sister, Sebastian had hired

her as part of the Chronos group.

She now spent her time being

transported back and forth between

times and realities in a quest to

right wrongs and in the everlasting

hope of finding Night.

The letter from Sebastian was in regards

to a mansion in the city that had been

deserted for over 80 years. The owners

wanted to sell it but no matter how hard

they tried over the years the house just

didn't seem to want a new owner.

Tales of unexplained disturbances and

frightening occurrences had culminated

a week ago in one of the elderly owners

being violently pushed down a set of

stairs. Sebastian wanted Seren to go

back and try and discover what was

haunting the Stryker mansion.

Since Nights disappearance the Cder had a few new fail safe components and the apparatus was

portable and in the form of a small metal disk with a clock face and a screen. Seren slipped the

CDer into her pocket and packed a small bag. She got into the Reaper, a car that Chronos had

equipped with a few special features.

She drove to the Stryker Mansion and found it to be a rather ominous looking building. Taking a

torch with her, Seren explored the derelict mansion, orientating herself with the floor plan.

The furniture had just been left

in place and as she walked from

room to room she saw nothing

but cobwebs and decay.

Returning to the Reaper she changed her clothes, wearing something more fitting to the time she

was travelling to and headed back to the house. She pushed open the large metal gates and using

the pad of her thumb activated the Cder. The only physical effects of the Cder to a traveller, was a

slight tingling feeling throughout their body and a rushing feeling against the skin. Once the

sensation ceased and the traveller orientated they had arrived in the designated time and reality.

Seren blinked her eyes and

looked up at the Stryker

mansion, noticing

immediately that it was now

a well-kept building, a warm

light coming from the

inside.

She walked up to the door and knocked three times. A

rather cheerful looking woman opened the door and

inquired as to who she was. Chronos always gave a

traveller an identity and equipped them with what they

required to be able to blend into the fabric of the time

or reality they had travelled too. Seren was a long lost

cousin, in town for a few weeks and had come to visit.

She was welcomed

into the house

and was cordially

introduced to

May, her husband

John and their

daughter Sarah.

Also standing

beside Sarah was

Aubrey, her

fiancé.

Seren was taken to the dining room and made to sit and eat after her journey as she spoke to the

family. As the night got late, Seren was shown to a guest room. She could see nothing that was not

happy and prosperous about this house but she knew within a few days something was going to go

terribly wrong here. Something that would change the fate of the Stryker family and in fact the very

house in which they lived.

The following morning she was greeted

at breakfast by the Stryker family and

Aubrey who were already eating when

she took her seat. It was midway

through breakfast when there was a

knock at the door. May left the table

and returned rather silently with a

young man whose presence seemed to

make the young Aubrey bristle as the

family greeted the visitor. A chair was

pulled out and the dark haired young

man, whose name was Will, took a seat.

Seemingly he had been sweet on Sarah but she had chosen Aubrey. The meal continued in relative

harmony. Intuition told Seren that Will was something to do with the down fall of the Stryker family

and their beloved mansion but it was not yet obvious how.

Luncheon was taken on the terrace of the mansion. Aubrey stalked off halfway through and Sarah

made excuses leaving quickly. Will stood to take his leave waving as he walked back into the house

following behind Sarah. Seren watched the events play out and by the next day knew that that

moment had been a pivot point. Her worst fears confirmed the next day as Will was reported missing

and extensive searches of the area and last known sightings of him were to no avail.

Later in the day as she walked

through the garden, Seren

happened upon a scene

between Aubrey and Will.

Their voices were raised as

they argued. Aubrey ended the

confrontation by pushing Will

out the way and walking off.

Will’s attempt to leave was

thwarted by May who came

into the garden and linked her

arm in his leading him towards

the terrace.

Seren used the Cder to take her back to that luncheon and as she saw Will get up she discreetly

excused herself and unnoticed followed him into the house. She hid behind a door and she saw

Aubrey intersect Will's path. Aubrey was smiling and held his hand out in a friendly gesture. From

her hiding place Seren watched Will hesitate and then take the offered hand. Clapping him on the

back Aubrey looked towards the staircase.

Seren couldn't hear all the

conversation but Will followed

Aubrey up the stairs and Seren

still staying hidden form the two

followed them at a discreet

distance. She watched as

Aubrey encouraged Will to

climb the ladder that led to the

large attic above the Stryker

Mansion.

Seren made out the words

"something to show you"

as she watched, Will

stopped, shrugged a little

and then climbed the stairs

in front of Aubrey. She saw

Aubrey look around before

ascending the stairs after

Will.

Following them at a safe distance, Seren watched as a struggle broke out and Aubrey bashed Will

across the head with a bottle, gagging him, binding him and stuffing and locking his unconscious

body into a large wooden crate. Quietly she hid in the shadows and waited. As she had expected

only Aubrey came down. As he did he smoothed his hair and clothes, taking a deep breath and

closing and locking the attic door.

Seren waited until Aubrey

had gone down the main

staircase and then she quickly

went to the attic door. Using

a bobby pin from her hair she

picked at the simple lock. She

heard knocking and a very

muffled cry for help, coming

from the crate she had seen

Aubrey force Wills

unconscious form into. She

tugged at a at the brass lock

that had been closed on the

clasp. Looking around she

located a heavy book and

started smashing at the brass

lock with the spine of the

book. The old lock finally

gave way and fell to the

ground. Using both hands

Seren opened the crate and

found Will, a large lump on

his forehead. She untied him

and steadying him. He held

her in relief and she led him

from the attic.

The rest of the day went by

quickly with the police being

called and Aubrey being

taken away. Sarah suddenly

seeing the wound on her

former loves forehead took to

ministering to his injuries.

That evening Seren

bid the Stryker family

farewell. Will

clasping her in a hug

and whispering a

thank you in her ear.

Seren stood in a quiet part of the garden and using the pad of her thumb activated the Cder. Once the

tingling and rushing had past and the real world came into focus Seren had a moment of panic,

thinking for a moment that the Cder hadn’t worked. She found herself standing in a well-manicured

garden looking up at a tenderly cared for house. A warm glow was emanating from the curtained

windows.

She did not see the man come outside at first but he called to her and smiled asking if he could help her

and paused for just a moment saying she looked like someone he knew a long time ago.

A woman came out and hugged the man tenderly smiling and leading him back into the warmth of

the house. Seren smiled as she watched through the window as the elderly Will and Sarah took their

seats by the fire. Their mantelpiece full of pictures of smiling children and grandchildren.

THE END