Chapter Twenty Eight. Turning the corner

The bright three quarter moon beamed irrepressibly over bare trees in the dark morning sky. The dull pulse of the Earth tugged on the sinews of Derby's physiology to remind him that he too was alive, but something was missing. The usual snap of crisp morning electrons weren't popping with their normal vigor in some distant chain of attraction. The steady crack and rumble of invisible pressure which had pushed him along on other mornings was absent as he searched for the reason to move.

Surely his wife and daughter needed him. Some business or associate would require his input. Leaves hung nimbly on branches with no sign of falling. The light of daybreak fractured the stillness and blinding rays came crashing across the house ("roof" added later, retaining original for flavor until some soon future date) tops, invading the morning with relentless necessity.

No where to hide from the question with no answer to return, "Who are you Derby and why aren't you doing whatever it is you should be?"

A clock was ticking somewhere but there was no tick tock ticking. A river was running somewhere but there was no splish splash rippling. Birds were singing somewhere but there were no tweet tweets chirping. All there was was the mounting crush of desperation. The crippling agony of knowing things and seeing solutions but not finding a soul who was interested.

Slowly Derby stared back at his pathetic impression, having contributed so little to a world with such fantastic needs. He realized everything has added up to exactly what it should. All has been a series of choices and nothing matters except the moment.

"Come on dude. Get a grip," the muffled hum seemed to be cheered from the sidelines. "We're with you buddy. We need you more than you know," came the overture. "Now is the time. Right now. There is no other."