“Pointillism”

“As he had, often throughout his life, Skylar noticed the shimmering of the minute, silvery-white points of light or energy (he never knew exactly what they were) that filled the atmosphere all around him. There were thousands, millions, no doubt billions of these dancing particles. He could only ever see them if he became very quiet inside, surrendering himself to nature, sort of floating his consciousness on the waters of creation; then they became visible, clear as any other percept, floating about without constraint, pulsing and twinkling, far more subtle than motes of dust—and they filled the air, wherever he looked there were an apparently limitless number of these heavenly confetti bits. The spring air smelled so full of life that Skylar wondered whether these refulgent pin points all ashimmer related in some way to that liveliness. No wonder, he thought, that spring was the season for new love: one only had to breathe in to understand the reason. Vernal air intoxicated the soul. Young people ought not be allowed to breathe fresh air during the months of April and May. By inhaling this dangerous substance, they put themselves and society at the risk of their behaving exuberantly, irrationally, and delightfully. For spring air was heady stuff indeed. It was suffused with the potency of creativity, gave one the feeling of being an all-puissant magician able to perform tricks of unfathomable complexity, and opened the glorious jewel case of the world, making it one’s personal toy box.”