How did I become who I am? Many have asked this, probing the vast expanse of the mind. Barry, a streetwise criminal from Columbus, Ohio, never asked. At age twenty, he knew who he was and how to get what he wanted. It was like that until he was on the business end of Eds .357 revolver. Ed knew who he was and had what he wanted, until he found himself stripped of everything important. Shirley struggled as a single mom of two teens, following the loss of her husband eight years ago. She longed for companionship once more. Ed and Shirley understood the loss of family. Barry never had one. The three were strangers but share a common bondthey had been robbed of the affections of a complete family. Individually, Ed, Shirley, or Barry could not envision a pathway to overcome their misfortune. Collectively, they possessed ample skills to move their lives in a wholly new, exhilarating direction. When Ed makes a questionable moral choice that will profoundly affect Barrys life, Shirley acquiesces. It ultimately affects the future of all three. An unlikely trio at the beginning, they initiated a daring adventure. The mind is magical. It can change people. Utopia can become reality, but only if they permit it.

Auszug. � Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Megamorphosis

By Donald G. Brooks

AuthorHouse

Dedication, vii, 
Prologue, ix, 
1 Used Up, But Still Breathing, 1, 
2 Searching for Normal, 19, 
3 Getting Away, 43, 
4 Developing a Strategy, 67, 
5 Looking at Oregon, 83, 
6 The Great Escape, 93, 
7 New Man – New Life, 117, 
8 Returning to Normal, 137, 
9 Ghosts, 143, 
10 Vanishing Point, 155,

CHAPTER 1

Used Up, But Still Breathing

Edward Brighton was a retired neurosurgeon. The Ohio Health Riverside Hospital had let him go at age 64. That was two years ago. More accurately he was forced out. He lived alone in his home in Urbana, Ohio, 20 miles from the hospital. Evelyn, his wife of 36 years, had died three years ago of liver cancer. They had no children but their son, Wesley.

This evening was quiet. Ed stayed up longer than usual in hopes he would sleep better when he eventually went to bed. The boredom and emptiness of his existence wore on him. The hospital had been his life, and with no other involvement, he struggled to find anything meaningful. He had reached the place where he didn't want to be with people, which was what he needed most. He wouldn't have admitted it, but he suffered from depression.

At a quarter till two in the morning Ed awoke. He lay there unable to sleep; events from the past four years raced through his mind along with unanswerable questions. His wife's side of the bed was empty, and it still plagued him. His son whom he had worshipped was gone.

Even though he wanted to continue at Ohio Health Riverside, the board had insisted he leave the group and "enjoy life." He had "earned it," they told him. He had never felt so alone and worthless.

In an effort to return to sleep, he rolled over repositioning himself in the huge bed. Sleep wouldn't come.

He was about to get up when he heard downstairs a crack or a pop. He couldn't decide which. He tried to imagine what it might have been. Nothing made sense. Unable to sleep, he determined to go down and look around. Then he heard a bump that sounded like something striking a piece of furniture or colliding with a wall. At that he sat straight up in bed. Someone was down there.

The evening before he had left his safe in the bottom drawer of the desk unlocked. The safe held $27,000 in cash as well as a few pieces of Evelyn's jewelry. That added to his deepening concern.

Adrenalin surged. Wide awake, barefoot, and in his pajamas he quietly stepped to the dresser across the darkened room. Reaching into the top drawer and feeling around his hand found the barrel of his gun. Gripping its handle in his right hand, he carefully and silently moved out his door and down the hall. More muffled sounds were coming up the stairs. The stairs of his older home had a history of squeaky treads which worried him. To prevent the noise, he stayed to the far left of each tread, hoping to avoid discovery.

It worked. Within two minutes he stood at the door of his library watching a shadowy figure rummaging through his desk.

A man with an LED penlight, emitting a bluish color, methodically searched through each drawer. Following one more drawer, the man would find the unlocked safe.

Ed continued, closing the distance between the doorframe and the intruder. He pulled the hammer back on his Smith & Wesson .357. The sound was so piercing it startled him as well as the intruder.

Tensions peaked; the man turned to Ed, shining the intense light into his eyes. The moment of decision was now. Ed, not able to see clearly, held off firing hoping this moment wouldn't come. For fear he could wait no longer, he began to squeeze the trigger.

The ensuing shot's resonance was like a bomb in the otherwise silent house. The flash of the muzzle was bright, enough so that he saw the assailant's face for a millisecond. Once more darkness swallowed the room, followed by the crash of an overturning chair as the intruder tumbled to the floor. Out of the shadows came the sound of soft moaning and an occasional childlike whimper.

Ed struggled to adjust to the frightening reality of what he had just done. He had no idea if the man was armed. Still blinded by the flash, he reached back toward the wall searching for the switch to the ceiling light. With his gun re-cocked and pointed into the darkness, he turned on the light.

At first he didn't see the man who had fallen to the floor just beyond the desk. Six feet or so to the right rested a small handgun.

Convinced the burglar was disarmed, he quickly stepped forward. He laid his own gun on the desk, far enough away that it was out of reach.

He could see clearly now. It was a young man. He was folded up on his right side, writhing in pain. He looked seriously injured from the gunshot. A tremendous amount of blood oozed onto the carpet from between the man's fingers.

Ed was overcome with terror. He had been badly startled by this stranger, but even more startled by what he had just done.

Trembling, Ed bent over the man. His facial features surprised Ed. They were similar enough he could have passed for a twin of his deceased son, Wesley, right down to the Romanesque nose. His hair as well was the same in length and black and shiny as anthracite coal. Around his neck he wore a heavy chain connected to a gold medallion about the size of a half dollar. Ed imagined him to be a street gang member from the tattered, ill-fitting clothing he wore.

Ed stood, finding himself growing faint. He reached for the corner of the cherry desk to stabilize himself. Following several seconds, he emerged from his stupor and realized he must call for an ambulance and get this man to the hospital.

Picking up the intruder's gun, he placed it on the desk near his own. Reaching for the phone he dialed 911.

"911, what is your emergency?" a woman's voice asked.

He seemed not to know how to begin.

Stuttering for a moment he replied, "A man's been shot at 713 Bon Air Drive. We need an ambulance.

"Are you in Urbana?" she questioned.

"Yes, that's right," Ed answered.

After a pause the voice continued, "An ambulance has been dispatched. Can you provide me any additional details such as the victim's condition?"

"Give me a moment," Ed replied. He knelt to examine the man's wound and condition. "Pulse is 160. Breathing is rapid." In more detail he added, "The bullet entered the right abdomen, likely damaging the kidney or liver, and perhaps the right renal artery."

"Without moving him, I can't be sure, but I believe it exited the back. Bleeding is profuse, but I've staunched it somewhat. His pulse is far too high. He is semi-conscious and likely to go into shock."

"The ambulance left about two minutes ago from Springfield, sir. It should arrive within five minutes. Can you stay on the line with me and explain what happened?"

By that time the Urbana police were responding. Their shrill sirens could be heard off in the quiet night air. It sounded like two or more cars.

"Yes," replied Ed. "I heard a noise downstairs. Taking my gun, I went down to find the man with a penlight rummaging through my desk. He turned toward me. I couldn't see because of his light and in panic I fired once. There may be more I can recall later, but I believe that covers the basics of what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir, that's helpful. I believe I hear sirens in the background. Am I correct?" she asked.

"Yes, that's right," he replied.

"Sir, will you stay on...

��ber diesen Titel� kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Anbieterinformationen

Hello! Ria Christie Collections is an online venture that was initially set up in 2012 to sell books. We do not have a physical high street store. We are professional online booksellers. We only sell brand new books in perfect condition that we source from various suppliers and the publishers. Primarily, our aim is to provide an excellent service to all our customers. We always work as a team to achieve this. Our other objectives are to: 1. Ensure that all our products reach their destination quickly in a safe and secure manner 2. Answer to all our customer queries within 24 hours 3. Ensure that our customers are happy with their purchases 4. Provide all the items at a competitive price 5. Always listen to our customers Ria Christie Collections is not a registered company. It is a Sole Trader venture. Other key information is shown below: Contact Person Name: Rakesh Luchmun (Mr) Storefront Name: Ria Christie Collections Place of Establishment Address: Suite B; ARUN House; ARUN Building Arundel Road Uxbridge UB8 2RR United Kingdom E-Mail Address: riachristie@hotmail.co.uk VAT Number: GB 160 5650 25 We always work hard and aim to comply with all of Abebooks Policies. If you have any issues, please do not hesitate to write to us whether before or after a purchase. We promise to reply to you promptly and, in any case, within 24 hours. Thank you kindly! Yours sincerely Mr Rakesh Luchmun (Founder) and the Ria Christie Collections Team

Zur Homepage des Verk�ufers

Unternehmensdaten des Verk�ufers

Ryefield Investments Limited
175 Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge, UB8 3NL, United Kingdom

Gesch�ftsbedingungen und Versandinformationen

Verkaufsbedingungen

All Returns and Refund are as per Abebooks policies.

Widerrufsrecht

Wenn Sie Verbraucher sind, k�nnen Sie gem�� den folgenden Bestimmungen vom Vertrag zur�cktreten. Verbraucher ist jede nat�rliche Person, die zu Zwecken handelt, die nicht ihrer kaufm�nnischen, gewerblichen, k�nstlerischen oder beruflichen T�tigkeit zugerechnet werden k�nnen.

Informationen zum Widerrufsrecht

Gesetzliches Widerrufsrecht

Sie haben das Recht, den Vertrag innerhalb von 14 Tagen ohne Angabe von Gr�nden zu widerrufen.

Die Widerrufsfrist betr�gt 14 Tage ab dem Tag, an dem Sie oder ein von Ihnen benannter Dritter, der nicht der Transporteur ist, die letzte Ware oder den letzten Posten oder das letzte Exemplar in Besitz genommen hat.

Um das Widerrufsrecht auszu�ben, f�llen Sie auf unserer Website unter „Meine Eink�ufe" in „Mein Nutzerkonto" eine eindeutige Erkl�rung elektronisch aus und senden Sie sie ab. Wir werden Ihnen unverz�glich eine Best�tigung �ber den Eingang eines solchen Widerrufs auf einem dauerhaften Datentr�ger (z. B. per E-Mail) �bermitteln.

Um die Widerrufsfrist einzuhalten, reicht es aus, dass Sie Ihre Mitteilung �ber die Aus�bung des Widerrufsrechts vor Ablauf der Widerrufsfrist absenden.

Auswirkungen des Widerrufs

Wenn Sie diesen Vertrag widerrufen, erstatten wir Ihnen alle Zahlungen, die wir von Ihnen erhalten haben, einschlie�lich der Lieferkosten (mit Ausnahme der zus�tzlichen Kosten, die entstehen, wenn Sie eine andere Art der Lieferung als die von uns angebotene g�nstigste Standardlieferung gew�hlt haben).

Wir k�nnen einen Abzug von der R�ckerstattung f�r den Wertverlust der gelieferten Waren vornehmen, wenn der Verlust auf eine unn�tige Behandlung durch Sie zur�ckzuf�hren ist.

Wir werden die R�ckerstattung unverz�glich und nicht sp�ter als 14 Tage nach dem Tag vornehmen, an dem wir �ber Ihre Entscheidung, diesen Vertrag zu widerrufen, informiert wurden.

F�r die R�ckerstattung verwenden wir dasselbe Zahlungsmittel, das Sie f�r die urspr�ngliche Transaktion verwendet haben, es sei denn, Sie haben ausdr�cklich etwas anderes vereinbart; in keinem Fall werden Ihnen aufgrund einer solchen R�ckerstattung Geb�hren berechnet.

Wir k�nnen die R�ckzahlung verweigern, bis wir die Waren wieder zur�ckerhalten haben oder Sie den Nachweis erbracht haben, dass Sie die Waren zur�ckgesandt haben, je nachdem, was eher eintritt.

Sie m�ssen die Waren unverz�glich und in jedem Fall sp�testens 14 Tage ab dem Tag, an dem Sie uns �ber den Widerruf dieses Vertrags unterrichten, an Ria Christie Collections, Uxbridge, United Kingdom, zur�cksenden oder �bergeben. Die Frist ist eingehalten, wenn Sie die Ware vor Ablauf der Frist von 14 Tagen zur�cksenden. Sie m�ssen die direkten Kosten der R�cksendung der Waren tragen. Sie haften nur f�r einen etwaigen Wertverlust der Waren, der auf eine Behandlung zur�ckzuf�hren ist, die nicht zur Pr�fung der Art, Eigenschaften und Funktionsweise der Waren erforderlich ist.

Ausnahmen vom Widerrufsrecht

Das Widerrufsrecht gilt nicht f�r:

Die Lieferung von Zeitungen, Zeitschriften oder Magazinen mit Ausnahme von Abonnementvertr�gen; und
Die Lieferung digitaler Inhalte, die nicht auf einem physischen Medium (z. B. auf einer CD oder DVD) geliefert werden, wenn Sie bei Ihrer Bestellung akzeptiert haben, dass wir mit der Lieferung beginnen k�nnen und dass Sie nach Beginn der Lieferung den Vertrag nicht mehr widerrufen k�nnen.

Versandbedingungen

Orders usually ship within 2 business days. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required. Thank you!

Versandkosten von Vereinigtes K�nigreich nach USA

Versandkosten von Vereinigtes K�nigreich nach USA
Bestellmenge	6 bis 12�Werktage	6 bis 12�Werktage
Erster Artikel	EUR 10.93	EUR 10.93

Die Versandzeiten werden von den Verk�uferinnen und Verk�ufern festgelegt. Sie variieren je nach Versanddienstleister und Standort. Sendungen, die den Zoll passieren, k�nnen Verz�gerungen unterliegen. Eventuell anfallende Abgaben oder Geb�hren sind von der K�uferin bzw. dem K�ufer zu tragen. Die Verk�uferin bzw. der Verk�ufer kann Sie bez�glich zus�tzlicher Versandkosten kontaktieren, um einen m�glichen Anstieg der Versandkosten f�r Ihre Artikel auszugleichen.