‘It’s not behind us.’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘The worst is behind us,’ he repeated stubbornly.
‘How can you say the worst is behind us when we have no idea what’s coming next?’
‘Creation is an act of will,’ he said.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Before I create a painting, I conceive it in my mind. It exists from the instant it’s conceived, and all that’s needed to transform the conception into a tangible work of art are time and effort, paint and canvas.’
‘Are we in the same conversation?’ she wondered.
In the backseat, Shepherd sat in silence again, but now his brother spewed a prattle more disturbing than Shep’s. ‘Positive thinking. Mind over matter. If God created the heavens and the earth merely by thinking them into existence, the ultimate power in the universe is willpower.’
‘Evidently not, or otherwise I’d have my own hit sitcom and be partying in my Malibu mansion right now.’
‘Our creativity reflects divine creativity because we think new things into existence every day – new inventions, new architectures, new chemical compounds, new manufacturing processes, new works of art, new recipes for bread and pie and pot roast.’
‘I’m not going to risk eternal damnation by claiming I make a pot roast as good as God’s. I’m sure His would be tastier.’
Ignoring her interruption, Dylan said, ‘We don’t have godlike power, so we aren’t able to transform our thought energy directly into matter—’
‘God would whip up better side dishes than me, too, and I’m sure He’s a whiz at beautiful table settings.’
‘—but guided by thought and reason,’ Dylan continued patiently, ‘we can use other kinds of energy to transform existing matter into virtually anything we conceive. I mean, we spin thread to make cloth to sew into clothes. And we cut down trees to make lumber to build shelter. Our process of creation is a lot slower, clumsier, but it’s fundamentally just one step removed from God’s. Do you understand what I’m saying?’
‘If I ever do, I absolutely insist you have me committed.’
Gradually accelerating once more, he said, ‘Work with me here, okay? Can you make an effort?’
Jilly was irritated by his childlike earnestness and by his Pollyanna optimism in the shadow of the mortal danger that confronted them. Nevertheless, recalling how his eloquence had earlier humbled her, she felt a flush of warmth rise in her face, and for the moment she managed to put a lid on the sarcasm that a fire of frustration had set boiling. ‘Okay, all right, whatever. Go ahead.’
‘Assume we were made in God’s image.’
‘All right. Yeah? So?’
‘Then it’s also reasonable to assume that although we aren’t able to create matter out of nothing and although we can’t change existing matter solely by the application of thought, nevertheless even our less than godlike willpower might be able to influence the shape of things to come.’
‘The shape of things to come,’ she repeated.
‘That’s right.’
‘The shape of things to come.’
‘Exactly,’ he confirmed, nodding happily, glancing away from the interstate to smile at her.
‘The shape of things to come,’ she repeated yet again, and then she realized that in her frustration and bewilderment, she sounded disturbingly like Shepherd. ‘What things?’
‘Future events,’ he explained. ‘If we’re in God’s image, then maybe we possess a small measure – a tiny but still useful fraction – of the divine power to shape things. Not matter, in our case, but the future. Maybe with the exercise of willpower, maybe we can shape our destiny, in part if not entirely.’
‘What – I just imagine a future in which I’m a millionaire, then I’ll become one?’
‘You still have to make the right decisions and work hard… but, yeah, I believe all of us can shape our futures if we apply enough willpower.’
Still suppressing her frustration, keeping her tone light, she said, ‘Then why aren’t you a famous billionaire artist?’
‘I don’t want to be famous or rich.’
‘Everyone wants to be famous and rich.’
‘Not me. Life is complicated enough.’
‘Money simplifies.’
‘Money complicates,’ he disagreed, ‘and fame. I just want to paint well, and to paint better every day.’