Prologue - The Dreaming

The boy huddles in a corner crying. Bandaged wrists hug knobby knees. The white room is empty except for a chair, a bed, and a window made of unbreakable glass. As he looks up, the walls begin to darken, going through various shades of gray, and a young puma appears in front of him. The boy stops crying as the large kitten sniffs at him. “Puk.” He smiles, and reaches for the soft black fur.

Hearing a gasp, the boy scrambles to his feet. His mother is in the doorway, standing behind a man he doesn't recognize. Startled, the boy turns to the puma. “You need to go home,” he yells at the cat, his heart racing. The animal disappears, and the walls of the room become black.

In the blink of an eye, the boy becomes a man. He sits in a comfy chair in an office. The walls are painted ivory and the carpet is a soft gray. A mahogany desk sits against one wall, and a matching bookshelf sits against another. The door opens and the man's doctor enters.

“Gary.” The doctor smiles at him. “Good afternoon.”

Nodding, Gary bounces his knees in agitation and clasps his hands in his lap. “Well?”

The doctor holds up a folder and shakes his head. “You're not schizophrenic.”

Gary glares at him. “Your carpet has blue spots and the bookshelf is lime green.” Even as he says it, blue spots form on the floor and the bookshelf changes color. “Want to meet Puk?”

The doctor tosses the folder on his desk. “I'm not saying the medication doesn't help.” He hands Gary a slip of paper. “I'm just saying you're not schizophrenic.”

Taking the paper, Gary stands. As he turns for the door, the room changes. They are back in the black hospital room from his childhood.

The doctor transforms into a man he doesn't know. The stranger flashes a discomfiting smile, a look of hunger in his eyes. In a voice like silk he says, “Men would kill for the gift you suppress.”

Feeling suddenly dirty, Gary frowns at the man. “Who are you?”

The man laughs and in the surreal quality of dream, he grows with his laugh, his grotesque smile encompassing the room. Gary cowers away from it, afraid it may swallow him, and then it is gone.