Ralph and Lois draw energy from others

Ralph Roberts and Lois Chasse, two elderly insomniacs who have begun to perceive the hidden world of auras, discover that they can draw life-force energy directly from the people around them. This ability, which they first exercise unconsciously, rapidly transforms their appearance and vitality, making them look decades younger. Yet the discovery is shadowed by immediate moral unease: both feel like thieves, even vampires, and they fear the power may be addictive and harmful to those they draw from.

Discovery and First Use

The ability emerges spontaneously during moments of extreme need. Ralph first uses it on Mrs. Perrine, the stern elderly neighbor, when he is sitting on his porch eating supper. Without forethought, he curls his hand around his mouth and inhales sharply, drawing a pencil of gray light from her aura. The effect is instantaneous and overwhelming: he feels "lit up, like a neon sign," and a surge of pure energy races through his body. Mrs. Perrine hears a sound like a gunshot and feels a momentary start, but suffers no apparent harm. Ralph is immediately ashamed, recognizing the act as a form of theft. Lois has a parallel experience later that same day. While riding home from a card game with her friend Mina, she puckers her lips and breathes in a cloud of Mina's aura to silence the woman's envious questions. Mina feels a sharp bite on her neck, as if from a bug, but Lois is left feeling "full of pep" and energized. Both Ralph and Lois are horrified by what they have done, yet they cannot deny the exhilarating rush of power.

Physical Transformation and Moral Crisis

The repeated, often unconscious, drawing of energy has a dramatic physical effect. Over the course of their three-day ordeal, Ralph and Lois visibly shed decades. Ralph's hair regains its black color, the pouches under his eyes disappear, and the lines around his mouth vanish. Lois's wrinkles smooth out, her turkey-wattles recede, and she looks easily ten years younger. People begin to comment on their youthful appearance, a change that Ralph initially attributes to the honeycomb remedy for insomnia. The transformation is so profound that Lois fears her friends will not believe her explanations. The moral crisis deepens when they realize they have been stealing energy without knowing it, and that this theft is the likely cause of their rejuvenation. Ralph explicitly compares himself to a vampire, and Lois worries that the power is like a drug, taking them to heaven before locking them in hell. They vow to build safeguards against using it unconsciously, but the temptation remains powerful.

The Nature of the Power and Its Justification

Clotho and Lachesis, the two little bald doctors who serve the Purpose, later explain the true nature of this ability. They show Ralph and Lois that drawing energy from other humans is not harmful; it is like a child filling a bucket from the vast Atlantic Ocean. Each human being contains an immense reservoir of life-force, and taking a small portion does no damage. The doctors demonstrate this by showing images of Ralph drawing from Mrs. Perrine and Lois from Mina, and then by having Ralph and Lois draw energy from the news crews at the Civic Center. Ralph inhales a ribbon of ivory light from Connie Chung, and Lois draws violet light from cameraman Michael Rosenberg. The borrowed energy is essential for them to function within the deathbag surrounding the Civic Center, which otherwise would drain them of all vitality. This practical necessity provides a partial justification for the act, but the moral discomfort never fully disappears.

Strategic Use and Final Sacrifice

Ralph and Lois learn to use the power strategically, drawing energy from willing or unwitting sources to fuel their increasingly dangerous mission. Before confronting Atropos in his underground den, Ralph takes a large amount of energy from Lois herself, an act that visibly ages her and leaves her weak. He is frantic with guilt, but the power he gains is essential for the confrontation. Later, they draw energy from a wino at the old trainyards, whose aura is a vibrant green. Ralph tastes Boone's Farm Apple Wine as the energy flows into him, and Lois feels a sharp clarity. The power is used not for personal gain but to sustain their fight against the forces of the Random. In the end, Ralph's final act of sacrifice—pushing Natalie Deepneau out of the path of a car and taking the fatal impact himself—is the ultimate expression of the life-force he has borrowed and wielded. He gives his own life to save another, a final, selfless use of the energy that had so troubled him.