He kept seeing only half of his body whenever he glimpsed a shadow of himself. And it wasn’t sliced by length or width—he would look and see a collection of scattered parts.

After he lost her, he said and said that it felt like he had lost a part of himself. This feeling of loss undermined his ability to function in the basic daily things he always did. It was more than he was ever prepared to consider and be able to figure out a way through. The experiences that had made up his world were no longer possible. His world was severed.

He asked himself what he could possibly do to put himself back together again. After a few months of trying to answer this when he barely fed himself, rarely washed and stumbled to the few places he actually did go, he found what he thought was a solution. He decided to live entirely in the dark.

Immediately, he moved to a house in a rural area and covered all the windows so no light could get in. He took out all the light bulbs. He bought sunglasses that covered his eyes and the areas around them completely, applying duct tape over the complete surface of them; wearing them always, except when he washed his face—but, as he did that, he kept his eyes shut hard. He learned to do everything without seeing and never left his house, having his groceries delivered. He tried to see himself only in the way where he still was what used to be, telling himself that his shadow needed to be removed.

In the past ten years, Dwight Peters has battered his body up and down the American West—living in Portland, LA, Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and several other spots along the way. Recently, he also spent a few months with an alligator in a Florida swampland less than a mile from the salty warmth of the Atlantic ocean. He is is now back in his homeland of Northern California living in a small city bordered by rolling hills of grapes.

Copyright © 2011 by Dwight Peters

You can read more of Dwight Peters at these exciting inter-web-places!

Secret Stories by Dwight peters

36 Musical Colors

The Dwight Peters Page

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Also check out William James’ blogger page Pen Head Press. Submit “2-Lines” or “6-Words” and he’ll write you a silly poem or strange short story!