Download - Seren Inspired
"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