Transformation
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 5
At 3 a.m. Saturday, Alex meditated and exercised, then grabbed my quarterstaff and affirmed Chi. Exiting the patio door, I hopped the fence and opened the neighbor’s garage side door. Sensing the garage was empty, he checked out the van. It was empty except for a lot of trash. However, a nice pair of sunglasses was on the dashboard, so I borrowed them and left for my run. Alex stopped halfway, did my body flicker exercises, practiced the walk, and resumed my run. After stretching on the front lawn, I showered and dressed, then met Mom in the kitchen. Mom said Nice sunglasses. Where did you get them? Alex said he found them on my run this morning at the edge of the subdivision. Well, they are very expensive, and whoever lost them will be pissed off.
We arrived at Universal ten minutes early and were directed to the main building. Then we were told to go to another location and arrived at 8:15 a.m. The lady said arriving 15 minutes late is not a great way to start your career. Alex said we were 15 minutes early, but some idiot left the wrong directions at the gate. And for your information, I already have two careers. Dealing with people like you, I’m not sure I want a third. Let go, Mom, and get some breakfast. A man came out of the back and apologized to the rude receptionist. We were moved to this building early this morning, and no one notified the gate. I’m Ron Banks, the director, and he shook our hands and then said Come on back. We were directed to a conference room. Ron apologized to Mom and said I know who Alex is, but what is your name. Mom said, Rachel Hollister, Alex’s mother. Ron introduced us to the producer Mark Cardiff and the script writer Sandy Black.
Ron explained that we were already in production, and our lead actor overdosed on fentanyl on Thursday night. Friday morning, we had our research firm do a database search for height, body type, hair, and facial features. Your bio popped up yesterday afternoon, and we called CK. If this works out as planned, we’ll reshoot all the scenes where Ronnie Case’s face was shown and finish the film. Sandy slid the script across the table and asked me to read page 150.
Alex said I’m not auditioning for a woman’s part, and Sandy said Sorry, page 152. I read it and showed Mom, then read it aloud to them. They asked me to disrobe to see my body type, and I said Look at the billboard out front. I thanked them for the opportunity, and we left.
We stopped for breakfast at IOP, and Ali called. She asked what happened, and Mom said You know Alex is thirteen. Ali said yes, I know his age. What does that have to do with walking out of the audition? Mom said there were sex scenes in the movie. Ali said I’ll call you right back and hung up. We were getting in the car when Ali called back. She said they could remove the sex scenes and change the rating to PG-13. Mom said okay, but I want to know the whole story, not the crap you fed us. When we get home from the screen test, you’d better come clean or shut everything down. Ali promised she would call us at 5 p.m.
Alex laughed when they took us to a gym, and they were in Gees. I asked Ron what the movie was about, and he said it was about a high school rivalry over a girl. Mom said we want a complete script before leaving today. Ron promised we would have one, and I was given a Gee. Ron paired me with my rival in the movie when it came out. He said no full contact. We’re shooting to see how you match up. Ron yelled action, and my opponent did a spit kick at my head. I blocked the kick and punched him in the balls, followed by a right uppercut to knock him out. Walking back to the locker room, I yelled screen test over and got dressed. Ron yelled Where are you going? We haven’t finished yet. I charged at him, and he put his hands up. Alex said that the asshole you paired me with tried to kill me. If that kick had landed, it would have broken my neck. You and this shit show can fuck off, and we left.
We didn’t talk on the way home, and when we arrived, I put on my swimsuit, swam laps until I cooled down, and then took a shower. I dressed and entered the kitchen, and Mom was on the phone with Ali. Mom said I don’t give a shit. Someone tried to kill Alex today. There was no stunt coordinator or medical personnel on-site. It was supposed to be non-contact, and the first move was a kick to Alex’s head. If he hadn’t blocked the kick, it would have killed him. Tell Mr. Kline he’s getting ripped off for this movie. We’ll apply for a SAG card this week, which he should have had before the screen test. Let us know what happens, but the attempted murder cost you a shoot, and Mom hung up.
We were eating dinner when Todd Caswell called. He said the movie is on hiatus until a new team can be found. Mr. Klein, thanks for saving him a lot of money on this project. He came in as a secondary investor, and they hadn’t gotten the funds yet. We apologize for exposing you to that danger and will talk more next weekend. Mom and I finished dinner, watched TV, and went to bed. I sat in the lotus position and empowered Chi. I increased the energy on the regulator, and it seemed to soothe the tension in my body. After making the adjustment permanent, I opened the viewing and checked out the surrounding area. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, so I closed the viewing and went to sleep.
Sunday at 4 a.m., Alex meditated and exercised, then grabbed my quarterstaff and empowered my Chi. When I reached the halfway point, my medallion started to vibrate when I reached the hills next to our subdivision. It was the area where I did my flicker exercises and practiced my walk. The vibration increased when I walked northeast, so I followed it. Then, the vibration stopped, and the medallion got warm. I did my flicker exercises, practiced my walk, then returned to the road and resumed running. While stretching, I thought about the medallion’s reaction to the area and decided to wake up early tomorrow and explore. I showered, came downstairs, ate breakfast, and went swimming. When I returned inside, Mom was gone, and she had left a note saying she had gone shopping with Maggie. Get a ride to the dojo, and call me when you’re ready to come home. I called the dojo, and there was no answer. Then I remembered we canceled Sundays and added Wednesdays.
So, I grabbed two bottles of water and headed to the hills. I reached the spot in the creek bed and then explored the hillside. My foot sank into the hillside six feet up, so I grabbed a branch and opened the hole. When I got a two-foot-wide hole, I stopped and looked inside. I couldn’t see anything, so I turned on the flashlight on my phone and looked inside. It was a cave, so I crawled through the opening and felt the energy flow through me as I entered the cave. There were drawings on the walls and the ceiling, and then I passed out. When I woke up, the drawings moved on the walls towards the back of the cave, and I followed them to a room. I removed my shoes and entered, and there were several Buddha statues in gold around the room. I got to my knees and bowed. Then, it felt like lightning was shot through me, and I passed out from the pain.
When Alex woke up in the room, it was empty, and I had a ring and a bracelet. After putting on my shoes, I returned to the opening, where the walls and ceiling were bare. I crawled outside, and the ring and bracelet disappeared. When I pulled off my shirt, the medallion dissolved into my chest, leaving a replica in its place. It looked like the real thing, but it wasn’t. When I tried the flicker movements, they came with ease and speed. I flicker-walked up and down the creek bed and stopped at the cave entrance. It was gone, and no signs of ever being there, so I headed home.
When I arrived, Maggie and Mom were sitting at the kitchen table. I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and chugged it down, then grabbed another and sat down. Mom asked where I was, and I said hiking in the hills. I read your note and realized we had changed the schedule last week, so I went hiking. Did you get anything sexy you’d like to model for me? New bikini or nightgown, and mom said to stop laughing with Maggie. What about you, Maggie? I asked and dodged Mom’s punch.
Maggie told me Professor David Allen was fired after you visited with the chancellor. I said, cutting loose the dead weight and hoping to keep the ship afloat. Mom said our attorney asked the chancellor what would happen to Professor Allen for filing a false report, and was told a letter of reprimand would be placed in his file. Ms. Givens, our attorney, got the chancellor to sign an agreement that if Alex receives a poor grade, he can submit it to another professor off campus for review. The review or grade given will stand, and the professor will be disciplined if the original grade is wrong.
Then she ruined the chancellor’s day. She still went after Professor Allen for academic theft, fraud, and plagiarism. Ms. Givens informed the chancellor that the work product belonged to the student when they turned it in for review or grade. The student must be compensated and acknowledged if the university or professor uses it for their benefit or profit. If not, a letter stating that the student gifted it to the university must be in their file. She said the university was entitled to the lion’s share of the profits, but they must compensate students.
Maggie said that’s unfair and can’t be the law, and Mom said Alex wrote that program at home without the university’s or Professor Allen’s assistance. Professor Allen was trying to steal and sell it on the open market as his work product. When he found out we wouldn’t let him, he tried to have Alex’s scholarship revoked. Maggie got up and left, shaking her head and not saying anything.
Mom said Maggie would come around. Professor Allen was sweet-talking Maggie to get into her panties and using her to get to you. What was in her panties that he wanted? Mom grabbed a skillet and chased me out of the kitchen and upstairs, laughing. I changed into my swimsuit and swam laps until dinner time. While eating dinner, I asked Mom what she thought about the movie fiasco. It sounded to me like they still wanted me to do the movie. Mom said it depends on the money and script control before we commit to it. If we do, we will have an ironclad contract with penalties and termination options. After dinner, we went to bed. I sat in the lotus position and affirmed Chi, and it felt like I wasn’t sitting on the floor. I viewed the surrounding area and saw nothing unusual, so I closed my view and went to bed.
Alex meditated and exercised early Monday, grabbed my quarterstaff, and acquired Chi. Then I took off on my run and narrowed my senses to avoid distractions. When I finished my first lap, I did my flicker exercises and practiced my walk. After completing my second lap, I stretched in the yard and showered. While getting dressed, Mom yelled to hurry up. Someone’s waiting for you. Alex went downstairs, and a driver was at the door. Ali just called, and they want you to take sailing lessons before the shoot. It’s all day today and a few hours each day until Friday. Have fun, and she took off.
I set the alarm and got into the town car. When we arrived at the marina, I was taken to a clothing store and outfitted from hat to shoes, and then we went to the boat. Alex stowed his gear in a cabin, and we ate breakfast while going over safety and the boat. Matt was my instructor, and he showed me the sailboat, and I had to repeat each thing he pointed out. Finally, he was instructed to tie a proper knot and lay the rope on the dock. The morning was instructions and learning.
After lunch, we cast off, and Alex observed Matt pilot the boat to the open water. The sailboat had automatic everything, so we ran up the sails, and after an hour, I was piloting the boat. Matt told me things to look out for and explained the rules of the road. Right away doesn’t mean shit when you are sinking. We sailed back to the marina, and Matt let me bring the boat into the dock. We confirmed our schedule for the week, and the driver took me home.
Mom had dinner ready and asked about my sailing lesson. She seemed excited that I was learning to sail as I told her about my day. Alex told her about his schedule and asked if she wanted to come tomorrow. It took her two seconds to say yes. She promised not to interfere with my instruction. After dinner, Alex went to bed, set my mental alarm clock for 3 a.m., and went to sleep.
On Tuesday at 3 a.m., Alex meditated and exercised, grabbed my quarterstaff, and acquired Chi. Then I took off for my run around the subdivision. When I reached the halfway point, I did my flicker exercise and practiced my walk. It was like second nature, and he flowed into the flicker walk. After finishing my second loop, Alex stretched on the lawn, showered, dressed, and went to the kitchen. Mom joined me, and the car arrived. When we got to the marina, Alex introduced Mom to Matt, and then we reviewed what we had covered yesterday.
I took the boat out under Matt’s supervision, then set sail, and we went through drills until it was time to head in. Alex brought the boat to the dock and secured it. Then Matt showed me the things to check before leaving the boat. He gave me a list to study for tomorrow, and Mom and I were driven home. After a quick lunch, we were off to the dojo and gym.
Sensi tested me first, then added three spinning kicks, two leg sweeps, and four punches with finger twists. All my fingers were extended together in a tight C. When I hit the bag, I would quickly twist my wrist. We took a break when I mastered the new moves and sparred for an hour in protective gear. During our second break, Alex told Sensi about my brief movie career. He said my opponent was jealous of you and wanted the part for himself. Never underestimate an opponent, or it will be your last mistake.
He praised me for using restraint in answering my opponent’s attack and immediately leaving. After our break, we went into the back room, and Sensi put a blindfold on me. He said to close your eyes and use your senses to defend yourself. He was throwing light punches, and I started blocking them. We were almost at full speed when we called it a day and said I would see him tomorrow at noon.
Mom was waiting, and we got Mexican takeout on the way home. After dinner, we had a surprise visitor. It was the scriptwriter, and she gave us copies of the original script. Alex finished reading his and said it starts fine, but gets cheesy, then downright corny at the end. No offense, but I have some suggestions, and whether or not I use them, I don’t care. But once the sex scenes were removed, it exposed the film for what it was: sex with a script wrapped around it.