A Place In The Universe

The bright moon cast a haunting shadow upon the water. The night air was filled with romance. Facing the dimly lit pier, peculiar objects twirled across the sky in a slow, circular motion as if romancing a loved one. Chasing, then retreating. Dancing around each other in delight. At least that was Mandy's interpretation.

She wasn't frightened. She was accustomed to seeing unusual objects. She just smiled at Garrick, then snuggled close under the think, white blanket. The cool blades of soft grass calmed her thoughts.

Darkness surrounded them as stars danced to the mathematical formulas waiting to burst forth in her mind.

Surrounded by thin brush only a few feet away, she could see the window from their lake house.

She knew her parents were keeping a close watch. But I'm a grown woman at eighteen, she thought, frowning. It's time for them to let go.

Lying next to her was the man who had captivated her heart. She'd only know him a short time, but the unexplained connect was ethereal. He was in the process of "getting his act together" so he could propose soon. A woman knows these sort of things. Of that, she was absolutely positive.

Nothing her parent thought mattered that night. However, if her plans didn't materialize, then they would just have to elope.

Why he thought he needed her parents' approval was baffling? He knew they'd never consent. A dreamer they called him with no concrete goals or aspirations to properly care for their daughter if they allowed him to take her away.

Suddenly, a dark blue capsule hoovered above. Its shadow covered the white blanket. Mandy looked toward the sky. The capsule felt close enough to touch. Glowing azure fireflies circled the unfamiliar object. Gigantic bubbles formed.

The most beautiful and alluring site she'd seen in several years.

Immediately, she pointed toward the object. "Garrick, look!"

He didn't respond, only pulled her closer. Placing his head on her shoulders, he finally murmured, "I see nothing but the beauty that is in your soul."

Mandy dismissed the object. What concerned her most was the fact that her parents wouldn't allow her any privacy.

A breeze, ushering in droplets from the light fog, forced them to pull the coverlet close around their necks. As a rhythm and blues song formulated, she struggled with a tune. He laughed and finished the song. His version was intoxicating, nothing like she'd heard before.

Light from the capsule illuminated Garrick's face. He shifted his position toward the brush.

"You know, every man has a place and space in this universe."

"That's an odd thing to say. What do you mean?" Mandy needed explanations. She required order in her life. She required proof of something more concrete.

"Listen to your parents. They know best and have your interests at heart. It's called love. I'm finding that out the time we've spent together."

"Don't let my dad intimidate you He respects you. He just doesn't want to show it."

"Mandy, you will go farther than you ever dreamed. One day, you'll ride the stars on the capsule you envision above. The universe will be your laboratory. Keep studying. Everything else can wait. The world needs you." Garrick removed his suit coat and placed it on the blanket.

"All I want and need is you. With you by my side, we will ride the stars. I'll create a capsule just for us."

Garrick smiled. He looked up at the cloud of blue mass in the sky, then looked down into her freckled face. He kissed her gently.

"You parents are worried. Go inside and assure them you're fine. Everything will be good with us. You'll always be in my heart. This isn't the last time we'll be together."

She hesitated, let her hands slip from his, then turned and ran into the house. The blinds quickly shut.

Five minutes later, she returned to the pier.

She looked up. The blue capsule appeared to dissolve as it hoovered for a few moments longer. She could detect a shadow in the interior as though the outline of a human was moving weightlessly through it, gazing down upon her.

Bronze, needle-like rods protruded from all four sides of the object.

Mandy immediately thought of navigational handles used to receive and transmit signals to guide the object on its path. Small blue mushroom puffs seemed to anchor the capsule.

From the abnormal objects she'd seen the past few years, she did not question. She merely documented it in her memory.

That Garrick was no longer standing near the pier waiting for her, she gave no thought. It didn't occur to her to be upset.

She reached down and gathered the white blanket, rolling his suit coat inside before returning to the lake house.

In preparing this current fractal art project, I wanted to portray a young girl who dreams of one day exploring the universe. The designs I created for this project consisted only of pure fractals that were to be used as different overlays to create combined image. I utilized Apophysis 7X, the advanced fractal generating program.

Three art projects were designed. Each project would progress until the complete capsule hovering in the sky was visible.

The primary pure fractal I wanted to highlight in this project would be used as the "handles" that would guide the capsule.

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Next, this pure fractal was the star of the project as it was the overlay used to create the capsule. Although I rendered the fractal on a transparent background, once I placed it on a black background, its exquisite beauty was apparent.

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Utilizing Canva, I was able to blend the remaining pure fractals into the three different projects.

Thanks for taking the time to view my post. I hope you like my fractal art project.