I had the strangest experience
yesterday as I was taking my autumn walk.
Six of my body parts—no, seven, I forgot about my genitalia—fell
off. They literally detached and dropped
to the ground. How this happened, and
how I could even continue my walk relatively unscathed is bizarre to me. Anyway, I was admiring a particular fiery red
maple tree next to the reservoir where I live when my left arm disengaged. I didn’t notice it at first, for I felt nothing. What alerted me was a dull thud on the
pavement. Before I could even process
what had happened, I could feel both of my ears peeling off as if they had been
applied to my head with adhesive tape.
Yes, I could no longer hear the leaves flapping in the breeze or the
sound of children laughing at the geese.
What really freaks me out in retrospect is that I was more concerned
about what people would think than the loss of my body parts. Next I could feel my aforementioned private
parts sliding down my pant leg. When
they landed on my shoe and rolled onto the sidewalk, I nearly shat my
pants. What was happening to me? How
was this happening to me? I didn’t cry
out for help, nor did I run to the nearest hospital. I kept walking. You probably don’t know what it’s like to
have your body parts fall off like that. It’s
a surreal experience and surprisingly less painful than I think it could or
should have been. Why did I just keep walking? Again, I don't know. It's as if fate, or destiny, or just an inexplicable resignation, governed my soul. True, I was startled at first, but an eerie calm came over me. I decided to take a detour to
the parking lot through a less-travelled woodsy path. The minute I turned onto the gravel I lost in
quick succession my legs, right arm, torso, and head. Yet I continued to walk into the trees and fade away.