Unexpected situations are my source of inspiration
Deserted Tel Aviv reminds me of deserted Warsaw during major holidays, somewhat similar skyscrapers downtown (minus our Soviet-gift ”beauty” aka the Palace of Culture). Warsaw has more trees (different climate) and is nowhere near the sea. And, at least for now, there are no missiles flying all over the place. Yom Kippur, sadly, means little to most Poles, as they have no idea what it is, but many know about the Six-Day War (The Yom Kippur War wouldn’t really be understood by most, that phrase just isn’t used here). Reading The Times of Israel helps me educate myself. You never know what piece of information is going to come in handy in this life (and possibly the next, for that matter).
The world’s full of unpredictable situations these days. I don’t need to tell you that, just by looking at what’s going on in Israel. But the unexpected, whatever its nature, can happen anywhere. That’s the point of the unexpected. How many times an American vet came back to the US, only to be gunned down by some nut job in the street? Don’t expect logic or justice from life these days, or maybe there never was any logic and we just convinced ourselves there is to make our lives easier, just as our brains use mind maps and stereotypes to make sense of the world when we’re bombarded with countless stimuli and we just wouldn’t be able to consciously process it all from scratch without losing our minds.
I turn the unexpected, even the unexplained, into a source of writing inspiration. Why waste such gems and be mad at the world when it throws us a curveball? It happens. While it may seem like it, our life isn’t static, we’re constantly around other people and events and, sometimes, these events and people hit us hard.
Fifteen years ago or so, I was alone on the bus, standing and watching what’s going on outside. Well, okay, there was a female passenger and a bus driver, but, basically, it was like there was no one there. Three guys got in the bus. One, their boss, sat down in front of me, while two of his teenage henchmen blocked my way. I was stuck. The boss said, ”Give us your phone. Now.” Remembering an illusionist who said to do something unexpected and somewhat crazy when targeted by muggers, Why? Cause when you’re attacked by someone, they usually expect you to react in two ways: attacking them or running away (fight-or-flight), maybe after buying some time or asking others for help (the woman did nothing, she froze and pretended not to be there). When you act in a completely off-script way, it could throw your attacker off his game and, in the best case scenario, you’re going to be left alone, because unpredictable people are dangerous (as are unpredictable so-called world leaders but sometimes that’s exactly the quality you need to win). I started smiling, looking around and avoiding eye contact, and mumbling nonsense to myself.
They had no idea what was going on and got off the bus at the next stop. Now, if they were professionals, so to speak, the whole thing would’ve ended really badly for me. It was a risk and it worked but there’s no guarantee it’s going to work again. Still, I only recommend these tactics when there’s really no other way. Thank you, mister illusionist, for valuable advice.
Speaking of illusionists, psychics are somewhat similar to them. The strangest psychic I’ve come across was a Chinese one with really good English. I didn’t believe a word she said but just wanted to see what that psychic business was all about, if there was anything to it.
She felt offended because I doubted her powers in a not-so-pleasant way.
”If you don’t say sorry my curse will turn you into Amelia every Halloween and you’ll have to listen to pickup lines.” I’ve never heard such a creative threat. Sometimes, she mentioned Halloween, sometimes reincarnation. Yep, her tone was definitely not that of a joker. What a great quote to use in my novel. Indeed, her ”wisdom” continues to be the source of inspiration for my novel, for which I am thankful. Though, I guess, I should be careful, as Halloween is around the corner and it’s best not to taunt the forces that just might prove me wrong, though it’s more likely the psychic was just playing around or mentally unstable. Did you know that the Devil’s hour is around 3. a.m. and there’s even the Devil’s Night (mischief night) on October 30? The most fun, I guess, is when the two converge, but it all depends on your definition of fun.
I can only hope that the pesky psychic isn’t planning any magical mischief on October 30. If she casts any spells, I’ll just annoy her with cliche, ”A psychic walks into a bar” jokes.