Mark Anderson

Black Cloud: a Still Life Mark Anderson

This is the story of learning, relating, and coming of age as seen through the eyes of Erik, the son of an old atomic bomb builder turned rocket scientist. Based on a true story, the love in this nuclear family unravels into betrayal amidst forgotten boundaries. Erik shares the experiences of his growing years, among them, those of his mother, an accomplished artist and an IV morphine addict; poor Miss Freeman, who endured condoms for show and tell in 1957; the notorious Jerry Pirate held at bay by a pet crow that becomes a messiah; and a meeting with Edward Teller for a sandwich and an afternoon of hydrogen bomb wisdom in 1968. In the midst of it all, a bond between father and son eventually solidifies in the comfort of two old rocking chairs that squeak in front of their basement whiskey still. Through illicit sex, drugs, and family violence, Erik learns to survive in a world that demands a premium for the simplest lessons of love and the miracle of the human spirit.