Actually, there’s no real point to this story. It’s just a “day in the life” thing. Or maybe it isn’t.
This past weekend, I held a party. I invited friends and coworkers. 2 coworkers, BP and BW, are musicians I jam with occasionally. BP is a quiet, laid back dude who works in the IT dept. He is also absolutely wicked on harmonica.
I play standup bass, BW plays guitar. When we get together, we play bluegrass, country, some roadhouse blues and gospel. BW sings for the most part. He’s got this cigarette smokin’ whiskey drinkin’ voice that’s just perfect for the music we play. Occasionally he gets BP to sing. When BP sings, he sings from the heart. He grew up in the western NC mountains, and he’s got the type of voice that carries the spirit over the mountaintops to the valley below. It’s a joy for me to get together with these two.
Two other coworkers, AD and her daughter MD, were in the living room with us. AD is a very vibrant type A person, but tends to get a tad superstitious at times. I don’t think she’s a churchgoer, but she puts a lot of stock into potential omens, like astrology and so forth. She’s a sweetheart, but challenge her on any of her new age beliefs and she’ll come at you like a pit bull.
We take a break from playing. We’re all talking, but BP remains silent. We shoot the breeze for a few minutes, then BP all the sudden breaks out into song, at top volume. Everybody’s a little weirded out by this, but I just say the spirit took hold of him and start playing along with his song. Eventually, so does BW. This happens several times.
Shortly after 10, BW says he has to leave, since he has an 85 mile drive back to his home, and BP is his passenger. It takes BW a while to convince BP to leave, since BP seems to be in his own world. We’re all sitting outside by now, and when BP finally gets in the car, he gets back out, climbs to the top, and starts shouting some kind of prophecy. Something about chickenheads. (At least I think that’s what it was, I was drunk) BW pulls him back in, but BP gets back out and shouts another prophecy. BW pulls him back in again. He finally drives down the street, but BP hangs out the window and gives a rebel yell for about a minute that you can hear from miles away.
I might add that BP is a very quiet and laid back person at work otherwise, and he has his professional voice. After a few drinks and doobs, his mountain accent come out. He’s also a poet and has had several of his poems published.
The next day, AD calls me up, and asks how my cleanup is going along, etc. I say fine, and I’ll see you at work Monday, blah blah blah. She calls back a few minutes later. “Listen, I got something to tell you, and you better not laugh at me, OK? Promise you won’t laugh at me!” I say “OK, I promise.”
She tells she had a dream last night that was “Revelationary” and got her all upset. When she told her daughter MD about it, MD said she had a “Revelationary” dream as well. This got AD really worried. She talked to her mom about the dreams and the party, and her mom told her that BP was probably speaking in tongues. AD remembered that I said “the spirit took him,” so she thought that the speaking in tongues thing was true, that BP was shouting prophecy, and that her and MD’s dreams meant that something terrible was about to happen. I told her I had dreams too, and all I remembered was that they were about failure and dispair. (Actually, I don’t remember my dreams) I’m sure AD is going to tell everybody I had “Revelationary” dreams too so that means the sky is falling. I told her that it’s possible BP might not even remember what happened that night. That’s what happens when the spirit takes hold of you.
The point is… I’m not saying anything, I’m just saying. I don’t know, there’s just something about me that can’t help but contribute to other people’s madness at times. 
