the nature of F

Image of Juliet Berto, credit Jonathan Rosenbaum

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the sixth of twenty-six interactive magic tricks that will lead you to your fortune as you determine it.

As per the 21 March intro to this magic act, my assistant, Juliet Berto, handed me the Collins Concise* and blindfold me, whereupon I randomly riffled through the F’s and landed my fingertip randomly on a page. And when Juliet removed the blindfold, there was no doubt: my fingertip was squarely on “Finicky.”

And while Juliet was offstage conjuring the banner you see at the top of this post, I wildly jotted down what came to me in the Moment Of Meant To Be,** a.k.a. the ether, from whence jewels of genius and inspiration come.

Trouble is, the ether is what it is and does what it does, and we humans, who would harness it and drive it into the ruts of our schedules, have no control over it (fortunately).  All that to say a tidy paragraph of thoughts did not come to me, but a bit of flash fiction did.  You can still use it in the manner proposed in the sidebar entitled “26 Magic Days of A to Z Directions .”

 

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THE “F” FLASH PROMPTED BY “FINICKY”

THE NATURE OF THE BEASTS

I was to interview Felina Carerra, probably the most renowned Doctor of Finical Science today. She didn’t want me to “defile her home” so insisted that we meet at a neutral location of her choosing. This turned out to be Inzei, a five-star Japanese restaurant.

I arrived early but she’d beat me to it. I could see her from the lobby, a raven-haired beauty sipping a martini. She was well-preserved for her fifty years, with a complexion the sun had touched maybe twice.

The maître d’ led me to her table. “George Zenger,” I said, “Esq. Magazine.” I offered her my hand and she scratched it.

“OW!” I said. “What’d you do that for?!”

She looked at me and blinked. “Oh,” she said, “I thought you wanted to play.”

I frowned and took my seat opposite her. She ordered Sashimi, I got a coffee.

“Ms. Carerra,” I said, “Do you mind if I record our chat?”

She blinked slowly at me. “What sort of voice recording system do you intend to use?”

I pulled my forty dollar Olympus DP-201 from my pocket and her eyes narrowed to slits.

“No,” she said. “It’s Marantz or nothing.”

“OK…  Then may I call you for verification of accuracy if I need to?”

“Certainly, but only on Tuesdays between nine and ten a.m. and Thursdays between two and three p.m.”

“Alright.  Shall we begin?”

“I’d like to finish my drink first,” she said.

I dropped a lump of sugar in my coffee then reached for the cream. She pinned my hand to the table with her fingernails without spilling a drop of gin.

I’d lost my patience.  “What are you doing?”

“It would behoove you to move more intentionally.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Shall we begin?” she said.

“Ms. Carrera, with all due respect, I have to say I don’t think this is working ou—”

“Nonsense!” she said. “Begin.”

“No!”

“Now!”

Close to the brink, I raised my voice.  “First question: Of the three hundred billion stars in our galaxy, which one do you favor?”

“Regulus, of Leo,” she hissed.

I growled, “Well I’m Sirius, your Dog Star, Baby, and I’m comin’ to getcha!” Then I flung myself across the table and sunk my teeth into her neck.

Fin

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Until next time, look for the magic and you will find it!

 

DON’T MISS A TRICK!

The Grand Reveal – 21 March 2014
Trick A – Albanian – 1 April 2014
Trick B – Black Forest – 2 April 2014
Trick C – Claw – 3 April 2014
Trick D – Docket – 4 April 2014
Trick E – Endanger – 5 April 2014

 

* The Collins Concise Dictionary Of The English Language, Second Edition 1988, Collins – London and Glasgow

**the Moment Of Meant To Be is the instant of lucidness that arises from the contemplation of any given thing and subsequently reveals the essence of it. These Moments will be dashed off in paragraphs of 200 words or less and may be dark or shining, delirious or rational, but each paragraph will stir thoughts and feelings that lead to a meaning unique to you.