Editor's Note: This post was originally published in October 2010
In 1974, Philip K. Dick wrote a novel called "Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said." He later claimed that following the writing of this book he experienced a series of coincidences that linked the text from the book with real-life. For the sake of expediency, the following is quoted from Wikipedia:
"In his article 'How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later'[1] Dick recounts how in describing an incident at the end of the book (end of chapter 27) to an Episcopalian priest, the priest noted its striking similarity to a scene in the Books of Acts in the Bible. In Dick's book, the police chief, Felix Buckman, meets a black stranger at an all-night gas station, with whom he uncharacteristically makes an emotional connection. First of all he hands the stranger a drawing of a heart pierced by an arrow. He then flies away, but quickly returns and hugs the stranger, after which they strike up a friendly conversation. In the Book of Acts (chapter 8), the disciple Philip meets an Ethiopian eunuch (i.e. a black man) sitting in a chariot to whom he explains a passage from the Book of Isaiah, and then converts him to Christianity.
Dick further notes that a few months after writing the book, he himself uncharacteristically came to the aid of a black stranger who had run out of gas. After giving the man some money and then driving away, he returned to help the man reach a gas station. Dick was then struck by the similarity between this incident and that described in his book (approaching a black stranger, and returning again)."
Dick goes into more detail and speculation regarding this phenomenon in the novel "VALIS." I first came across the topic in the Richard Linklater film "Waking Life," and it has stuck with me ever since.
The "Flow My Tears The Policeman Said" phenomena takes on a particular meaning for me, as I believe I am in a similar situation. Not saying I am as good a writer as Dick, because I'm not, but let me explain:
I wrote a 600-page novel in 2004-2005 when I was bedridden and very ill. I literally had nothing else to do but write this book. The artistic merits of the book itself are questionable. But here's the thing: the book has accurately predicted many events in my life.
That's not bullshit: it really has predicted this stuff. I mean like: the name of the man I am going to marry, specific people I ended up meeting, particular situations in detail, stuff like that.
As such, I began to wonder if the book was meant to be published at all, or was it just some sort of weird prefiguring of the years to come? Was it just a personal guide for myself?
I write this now because I've been continually experiencing a lot of hip pain, to the point where I need to use a cane.* At the end of my novel, the main character, who has retired from writing, uses a cane. There are other details surrounding this part of the book and its collarary in real-life that are very striking, but are personal and I won't get into here. Suffice to say: it's really creeping me out, because I feel I am in the exact same position as the main character at the end of my book.
At the very end of the book, the protagonist from her beach house spies a space capsule falling into the sea. She hobbles with her cane out to the beach to inspect it. A figure with a purple "spacesuit" with glyphs written all over it comes out of the capsule, and removes its helmet. The protagonist laughs. The End.**
WTF?! Who or what is in the purple spacesuit? Does the protagonist ever write again?
So anyway, as I truly have reached a crossroads in my own life -- including, I guess, "retiring" from writing -- and am not sure what direction to take, the end of my own book greatly interests (and frustrates) me.***
I guess I'm going to have to start writing another book.
*This situation rectified itself, thank God
**Several revelations have occurred regarding this astronaut image since I wrote this post, which I will detail later. One happened literally less than a month after writing the original post.
***I'm basically traveling "through" a backwards narrative of everything that I have just told you; strangely similar events seemingly "happening all over again," but in a more informed, positive way. Republishing this post is just part of that process.
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