I have to tell you about a brilliant little moment that happened today. I was on a train, at an hour in which far too many people take the train, leaving us all sardinically resentful of one another’s smells, oversized totebags, and inter-seasonal viruses. This was, or would have been, evidenced by an isolated high-pitched sneeze from the far end of the car, -except- that from the far side of the other end, someone yelled out a brazen “bless you!” And maybe because it was Friday, or maybe because everyone on the train was under the influence of psychoactive substances, or maybe simply because they (we) were just tired of sardinic resentment, but a ripple effect of “bless you!” made its way from one end of the train to the other– maybe, not kidding, fifty times, before a “thank you” was laughed out from the other end.
I relay this to you now not for sentimental chicken-soup-for-the-mass-transit-soul reasons, but because, immediately after my heart was warmed by a rare and fleeting moment of solidarity among strangers, I thought “damn, if only I could have podcasted that.”
And I didn’t (podcast that). But John Collier might be the next best thing.
HAPPY 1st ANNIVERSARY MIETTE!!!
Lord Roscommon Wentworth Dillon suggested “Choose an authour as you choose a friend.”… not that we have ever met in the physical sense Miette – I would like to consider you my READING FRIEND!!!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR TIME TO READ SUCH WONDERFUL STORIES!!!
xoxo Paulo
Wonderful story. More magical realism, please!
Miette, so you’ve come to our good old friend Mr. Collier! His stories are certainly fun, but we hope you have “His Monkey Wife” handy, too–there’s a novel I’d love to hear you read the entirety, and it’s one I’ll proselytize until my dying day. May I reiterate the sentiments of the above posters? After suffering through listening to my own podcasts for quality control, it’s nice to come back to the balm of your voice.
I wonder what your dog and your park acuaintances would make of the squirrel feeder we have in our backyard–many people think this is akin to feeding rats (well, there was a muskrat out there last week… ). By the way, in your previous story or so there was a rip in the seams you might or might not care to mend. And yesterday we found a collection of Shirley Jackson’s previously unpublished stories we wish we could send you. Thanks again for all the splendor.
This is really awesome, I like this alot, I can put it on my IPod
Collier’s “The Chaser” is said to be a short short story but as I read it, it has a long long underlying interpretation and varied ideas just pop in. I don’t know which to believe in. I wish I were talking with John, he knows what to tell me. Amazing, really.