THE MOTIVE OF MAYHEM
Secrets of Peace Inspired by Quince, the Forgotten Fruit
by
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On a driveway connected to the Trail, Barker ducked under a canopy of vines in a long grape arbor, and rushed east to search for the spring. His fountain of youth. He thought of his dream of a virgin in the spring, their desire for the diamond brightness to wash them clean with water that tormented and foamed, bubbling to an airy white purity. Floating, frothing away to an unknown voyage of discovery to distant shoals of fresh feelings and fantasies. At moments, the flowing heightened to a raging frenzy, a cascade, tumbling over their nubile bodies and into hidden depths. If lips touched his ear, what would they whisper? His name? In his exhilaration, he’d not mind having to struggle to prevent drowning for the possibility of her gripping him with her lovely long limbs. But she only lay smoothly on him with her gentle hands on his shoulders. Bark. Carry me, Bark. Go in the deep part, my darling. Faster. I want to be wet all over. Completely. All of me, my lover, and all of you. He’d oblige each time. And then it would all wash away. He’d be alone, without a spring and without a woman to take into his arms. In his idyllic imagination, his hands caressed no more than delirium. The daydream was over. Oh, I can’t stand it. Barker sprinted through the canopy, his expectations rising. But at the end of the walkway, he did not spot a spring. Walking in a wide circle, he assiduously searched. No water. Was this the wrong place?
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About the Book
"I shall reveal to you the one human act which, if implemented universally, will end mankind’s turmoil and mayhem."
– from The Motive of Mayhem
In 1919, tragedy strikes young Barker Cunningham in Charleston. To lessen his torment, he visits the plantation in Appalachia where he was born. There he meets Polly, the charismatic young heiress of a quince fruit farm, for whom he develops a profound passion. He also gets acquainted with one of her dear friends, a primitive old sage, as well as the other equally important characters. As he learns more about the legendary quince, he's astounded to realize that this valuable fruit has largely been forgotten. Is this some kind of symbol? What other important facts of nature have also been displaced or distorted because of the constant trends, fads or fashions of civilization? After heart-pounding scenes and events, Barker experiences psychological breakthroughs on the matter, all foreshadowed by the sage. These wild mental discoveries, the secrets that he suspected existed, help him make sense of his life, namely his earlier misfortune, his romance with Polly, the substance of society and, by extension, the tumult and turmoil in the world. In the end, he learns that tragedy teaches truth. For Barker, the entire experience is a journey into the knowledge of the big picture of the world.
About the Author
John Anselm was born in Portugal on a fabled family farm, located in the wild bull and cork oak country surrounding the Tagus valley, but moved with his family—he was the youngest child—to the United States of America. He earned a Cum Laude degree of Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages from the University of Central Florida.
John enjoys ballroom dancing (a lifelong hobby), and, most passionately, traveling the world.