Chapter One
It was definitely a tiring week for the twenty-four year old physicist Patrick Strauss. He had just finished his final examination that he had been preparing for months. The result came with a surprise. Patrick passed, and his name was included in the Top 20 of the leaderboard, getting an average of ninety. He felt amazed by how the universe worked, knowing that he was not fine when he took the test. Everyone was happy for him especially his mother, Debbie.
Patrick did not want to be in the field of quantum science. It was far from what Patrick really loved
to do. He had an immeasurable passion for painting since he was a kid. He grew up admiring Picasso, Van Gogh, and Monet, rather than Newton, Einstein, and Hawking. At a young age, his parents would often see him alone in his room, facing a canvas, holding a painting tray and a brush. None of them had prophesied that Patrick would fully embrace physics.
Strausses had a deep connection with science, which could be traced back to Patrick's great great grandfather, George Strauss. He was very popular in Munich during his time. He became a professor at Karlsfeld University for almost twenty-four years. He had so many works about parallel universes, where most of his colleagues believed that if only he had lived longer, he could have been proven the his theories.
Patrick chose to follow the path of his forefathers, though his blood had a different desire. He did not like to disappoint his ancestors especially his father, Jared. When he was a child, Jacob
would often tell him, "You'll be a great scientist. Your name will be listed next to Newton. And you'll win a noble prize someday," with a smile and a tap on his shoulder, unconsciously shaping him up. Whenever he remembered it, his eyes went blurry.
Anyway, Patrick Strauss had a long, unlucky, hard year. On January, Patrick lost his father due to a vehicular accident, never had the chance to see him earning the title. Two months later, another horrific tragedy came. Alice, his longtime girlfriend, was found dead in her apartment, covered in her own pool of blood. She was known to be socially-active, who liked interacting with people. She treated everyone as a friend, and her enemy list was zero. Patrick was absolutely clueless about the identity of the suspect. He could only visualize how Alice screamed and begged for mercy that night.
Meanwhile, Debbie was somehow bothered about Patrick after the misfortune. Patrick began painting
horrendous images that was hung on the walls of his room. Debbie could not endure to look at those. Even a quick glance would terrorize her psychologically. One painting left her in huge discomfort. A disfigured portrait of a nun with thick eyebrows, laughing widely in a strange manner.
She swore to herself she would never visit Patrick's room again, unless those paintings will be removed. He could have his artworks at the attic, she offered. Patrick understood the reaction of his mother. Still, he disagreed through a peaceful discussion. There, he explained that Debbie had nothing to fear. Those odd paintings were actually what he had seen in his recurring nightmares.
He liked to have collections of those. Moreover,
to bring solace to his mother, Patrick agreed to see a psychologist. They had been consulted numerous doctors over the town. All of them had the same judgement on him. They could not diagnose him of any mental disorder. Debbie also took him to a priest, regardless of her incredulity in supernatural beings. The priest could not see any sign of demonic possession. Because of this, Debbie convinced herself that everything she thought about Patrick was only a product of her weakness and imagination.
It was a cold, silent evening. Patrick arrived home exactly eight o'clock from Brightwood University, where he waited two long hours for the verdict.
Luckily, he was finally hired as a science professor.
He went back home not thinking of any big celebration. All he wanted to do, was to rest his exhausted body. As the car stopped, he noticed that the house looked empty. Mom should be here now, he thought. He came out quite uneasy, while the cold wind kept on blowing his unprotected skin.
It made him remember the night Alice was killed.
His heart beat faster as he approached the gate. After he saw the lock was undisturbed, he felt relieved. He was on the verge of unlocking the entrance when he suddenly heard a clang. It sounded like a metallic stuff had fallen from the kitchen. This made him anxious again, realizing they have no pets in their house. He carefully opened the gate in the most silent way he could. Like an amateur trespasser in his own backyard.
As he reached the door, he keenly scanned the street. He did not see any suspicious activity around the house. He then placed his hand on the knob, hoping that it still remained untouched. He could feel the flow of pressure circling his hand, as he twisted the knob. A great surprise emerged from his face as the door opened. He had never been into any fights before, but this time, he prepared himself. Armed with faith, he stepped in where his eyes met nothing but pure darkness.
The first he did was to turn the flash on his phone.
It was not enough to lighten up the whole room, but it helped him to see the floor well. He could now make his way to the switch and locate where he
keep his baseball bat. He continued marching few steps from the entrance until he reached the switch. As he pressed it on, the light scattered across the whole room. A loud voice greeted him from the back.
HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
He quickly turned his head, not believing what he had seen. Four familiar people stood, smiling at him. It was her mother Debbie, Marcus, Ellen, Peter and Sonia. He froze for a moment.
It took him seconds to recover.
"Oh my goodness!" Patrick smiled, still in a great shock.
" Sorry if we scared your ass off!" Marcus grinned, as he hugged Patrick, tapping his back.
Patrick laughed, and said,
" You're the one behind this, huh?"
Ellen joined the conversation.
" Well, it's everyone's plan!"
Patrick glanced at his mother and gave her a sweet smile. " It's everyone's plan, yes it is," Debbie stated.
" What are we waiting for?"
Peter diverted his eyes to the table, and Patrick followed his gaze. A trace of disbelief appeared on his face. It looked as if there was a feast in their house.He was impressed with the dinning table decorations. It was covered with a newly-bought red mantle. In the middle, sat a huge twelve-inch cake. It was filled with white cream, and in the center a red candle was attached. There was also a large bottle of french wine. Six wine glasses surrounded the table, one for each of them. Two
large boxes of pizzas and a whole steak on each plate completed the scene.The beast in his stomach growled as they gathered to the table.
" Who made this pizzas?" Patrick asked, as he took a slice. If there was only one food that would make him crazy, it was surely pizza.
" I made it... please forgive me for the taste," Sonia responded jokingly.
" When did you start baking pizzas then?" Marcus interrogated.
" Uhm..." Sonia paused, looking like she's trying to recall the exact date and time. She continued,
, " Well, I just started today."
Everyone laughed at her answer. Debbie was watching quietly from the corner. She might not be smiling, yet deep inside her heart were da
" You never changed, Sonia," Patrick reacted, smiling.
" So, how's my pizza?" Sonia asked, wanting
a favorable judgement.
" Let me taste it first," Peter replied in a naughty tone.
They bursted out of laughter. As the noise faded, Patrick became emotional. Marcus was the first person to detect it.
" Are you okay?" he asked, seeming a little bit worried.
All eyes turned to Patrick. The smile on their faces disappeared like a bubble being pricked. Patrick wanted to say, " Yes, I am," but his countenance was not ready to lie.
" I just suddenly remember my dad and Alice," Patrick explained, forcing a fake smile.
" This is my first time celebrating my birthday without them," he added.
They felt the sadness in Patrick's words. Ellen broke the silence, as she talked.
" Always keep in mind... I'm sure Alice is happy wherever she is now... He's with your father... I'm sure of that." Ellen said, smiling.
Debbie heard the conversation. She quickly marched to the lavatory. As the door closed, she fell down to her knees, releasing the burden that she had been keeping for months.
Anyway, the drama did not last longer. Patrick poured the wine into the glass, toasted it up and said, " CHEEEEEEEEERS." Everyone followed. The glasses produced a silvery tone as they touched each other. Debbie seemed
" One more," Marcus requested.
Another one. And, another one. None of them
felt that passing of time. They carried on until the last shot was taken by Patrick.
" Can you believe that?" Peter exclaimed, quite tipsy. Patrick shook his head, smiling .
" Who wants more?" Ellen asked, looking over her friends.
" Honestly guys, I think I'm done," Patrick shyly responded, with his cheeks turned bit reddish.
Marcus looked at his watch.
" Wow... I didn't notice, it's already passed 10, " he said.
Suddenly, Sophia's phone rang. As she checked it,
the trace of happiness disappeared on her face.
" Uhmm...Sorry guys, I need to go home now," she stated as she frantically placed her phone in her bag.
" Well, I think the party is over..." Peter said, as he cleaned his mouth with a tissue.
Patrick knew that it was time to say goodbye. Part of him wanted to stop them, while the other part understood.
" Guys... listen... " he said. " You don't know how happy I am today. To all of you, thank you so much."
They exchanged friendly kisses as they said goodbye to each other. Everyone left the house satisfied. To Patrick, it was one of the best nights he had. He finished the day as he closed his eyes.
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