Week #11: Creative Writing Challenge – Missed Connections

Missed connections: Craigslist – Find something to inspire a story

Dearest Abigail,

How’s it going little sis? I’m actually on the plane right now headed to Ghana. I don’t know what the phone situation is like once I get out into the field, so I figured good old snail mail might get to you sooner than I can figure out the phone thing. AND who doesn’t love getting real mail these days. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about the super weird/cool day I had today because you’re going to love it.

So it all started out with a really weird trip on the subway. Haha, I bet a lot of weird stuff happens on the subway in New York. Maybe my story isn’t all that weird? Anyway, I was heading into work because my flight didn’t leave until the evening. I had all my luggage and my umbrella (of course it had to be raining) and I was late because Kim wanted just one more kiss this morning before I left. How could I deny such a little cutie when I’m not going to get to see her for a couple of months? I’m so glad that Tanya agreed how great this trip would be for me. I digress. I had to run for the L train and made it on with enough time to situate my luggage so it wouldn’t go rolling through the car. But before the doors closed a woman got on the car and handed me a small little skull and said, “Here’s your skull”, and then got off the train.

It’s a great replica of a real skull and looks well worn. I can’t figure out what it’s supposed to be. I’m going to put my Abi-hat on and take a guess… Skull for a voodoo ritual? Some kind of prop for an initiation that I forgot I signed up for? Random woman who thought it might buy her dinner? It has good magic and she thought I needed it for my trip? Or it has bad magic and I can hex anyone who gets in my way on my trip? The woman obviously thought that I dropped it in the subway station.

Anyway, I made it to work finally. I did my rounds and popped into the NICU to check in with a few of the nurses. I was playing around with the skull as I walked in and the nurses kicked me out. I guess I can’t blame them. It would probably scare any parents in there visiting. I got a bit bored during the middle of the day, so I decided to have some fun with the skull. I left it up on the admissions desk with a note that told people to take it and post a cool picture with it somewhere in the city and use the #skulltravels hashtag. I came back an hour later and it was gone.

I forgot about it until I got to the airport and then started searching social media to see where my skull had traveled to. It had been everywhere in the city: Ellis Island, Rat Rock in Central Park, MoMATH, MoMA, Times Square. My little skull must have been picked up by a tourist at some point, a very ambitious tourist. Likely multiple tourists. All of the pictures were just of my little skull, almost like it had gone traveling by itself. I wonder if it will keep traveling while I am and then we can meet back up to share our adventures.

Anyway, that little skull brought a bit of joy to my stressful last day in NYC and it seems like something you’d enjoy hearing about. Wish me luck on my trip. It’s going to be great doing boots on the ground work with rural villages and I’m sure I’ll come back with more interesting stories than a lady handing me a skull on the L train.

Love ya sis!

David

** The story on Missed Connections that inspired this little diddy:

“To the guy I gave a skull to.

A guy was running for a train. I saw something go flying off the end of his cane (yes, he was running with a cane). After a few seconds of me and other waiting passengers looking around stupidly at each other, I decided to be a Good Samaritan. I picked it up and saw that it was a small, polished replica of a human skull. I looked to the old man standing next to me and said “It’s a skull”. He shrugged his shoulders. I didn’t want it, but I have such a particular hatred of littering, that I didn’t want to drop it back on the floor lest someone think I was a dirty skull litterer. I decided the proper thing to do would be to give it back to whoever dropped the thing.

So, I jumped in the door of the L train and saw you with what I thought was a cane. So I said, “Here’s your skull” and handed it to you. You were shocked, I thought because you didn’t realize it was lost. But as I backed off the train as the doors closed I saw that it wasn’t a cane you had but an umbrella. And luggage. And you clearly weren’t the person who dropped the skull.

I can’t imagine how weird it must have been to have some woman run onto a train, shove a skull in your hand and tell you it’s yours. So I’m just writing this to let you know it wasn’t a voodoo ritual, an ominous mafia warning, a gang initiation, or a misguided attempt at getting to know you better. I truly thought you dropped your skull.

Now what did you do with it? I’m dying to know!”

*** Also, in my research about Missed Connections I came across this awesome article that analyzed a bunch of posts and came to some interesting conclusions like “Women tend to start slowly, leaving their posts until they clocked out of work (with a responsible peak around lunchtime). Men, meanwhile, seem to have little interest in workplace propriety and begin their lovelorn postings in earnest soon after lunch is over.” It’s well worth a glance, especially if you like data visualization!

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