Playing Alone By Herself

 

Wild Thing prefers her solitude. Around others, she’s totally out of her element. “You have your memories,” she tells herself, “You have your heart. Cold readers will approach you. Psychics will say, ‘There’s an older figure in your life.’ Mentalists will make Barnum statements that seem personal, yet play to anyone. They’ll tell you, ‘I sense you’re sometimes insecure, especially with people you don't know very well’ or ‘You have a box of old unsorted photographs in your house.’ Cons will throw you the Rainbow Ruse––‘Most of the time you are positive and cheerful, but there has been a time in the past when you were very upset.’ They’ll say, ‘You are a very kind and considerate person, but when somebody does something to break your trust, you feel deep-seated anger’ or ‘I would say that you are mostly shy and quiet, but when the mood strikes, you can easily become the center of attention.’" 

 

 

[Published in The Ongoing Saga I Told My Daughter: Expanded Edition.

© 2016 by Jim Cohn.]