Darkness Falls

Plot: Climax (DF)

Rally Witts permanently lost his sight 15 years ago, but in that amount of time, his spiritual eyes were opened. As a new creation in Christ Jesus, he married Jessie Fide, having been forgiven for the sinful life they were living, having been restored to new purity, making Jessie an honorable woman, and Rally an honorable man.

Rally still had a wealth of artistic painting skills and experience. Though blind, physically, his art was mentally vivid. Disability income provided for both of them, but not nearly to the level that Rally had become accustomed to in his former career. They had to "tighten their belts" for a few years, but the utilities and mortgage got paid. They even ate so well that Rally had to increase his mileage with Jessie as his running guide. He experimented with the various paint media, landing in the realm of acrylics mixed with gesso for a quicker-drying format, and oils for a longer-drying process. Gesso and Oils had the characteristic of being 3D to aid the placement of his hands and comprehension of the overall image, even though he could not see it himself. Still, he had to trust Jessie's eyes when tactile placement failed him.

The art of painting blind is probably the greatest success of this novel. Rally learned to rely on muscle memory regarding the application of paint on canvas. Seeing the image with his mind's eye, being aided by Jessie in the areas of auditory cues and hand-placement finesse, Rally learned how to create amazing paintings without ever seeing them himself. Though he had to give up on the idea that he could ever again be a painter of photographic realism, he did become one of the most sought-after impressionistic painters in the state of Texas, and the region of the Southwest.

All the while Jessie was being Rally's eyes in the process of Rally's paintings, she learned to paint through observation of his process and his actual lessons of how to paint. Jessie became a sought-after painter in her own right while collaborating with Rally to create a unique line of nearly real impressionism.

Darkness Falls is intended to be an allegory of relational trust and mutual benefit with the goal of honoring the Lord with all the heart, soul, and mind.