Imagine!

It’s slow going this morning. I don’t seem to be able to get my mind in gear. I have been listening to the scanner and for the past 30 minutes there’s been a conversation between dispatcher and officers about a woman in Willows who is reporting that someone is trying to break into her apartment. Naturally, what I find odd about this is the fact that it is still being talked about; 30 minutes later. Shouldn’t the officer be there?

The scanner is very much like television was for me in the past. I turn it on to hear a human voice. On my terms. Most of the time it’s simply background noise, yet a part of my brain is alert to what is being said and I will usually hear the humorous or exciting transmissions. And sometimes this requires some imagination on my part; scanners monitor a frequency and then move on if nothing is being broadcast, so I don’t always get the whole story or the end of a story. Just snippets of high drama.

One of my favorite blogs is all about overheard conversations and how they can lead to great fictional stories and I guess scanner conversations could be used the same way.

(Another way to create a great story in your mind is to read old newspapers. The small news items that take up less an inch or two of print can be fertile ground for your imagination.)

It’s been at least 15 minutes since I last heard anything about the break-in attempt in Willows. Did the officer arrive? Did he find anyone? And then I remember that I hear a lot of scanner noise about possible break-in’s. And the reports are usually false; imagined. This may be another one.

I know that there are times when I am awakened by what I think was a loud noise, like something falling. I even get up and wander around the house. Nothing. Dreams imitating reality. Or I will see the motion sensor lights out front have turned on. Oh, oh. Then I see the branches of the maple tree waving in the wind. But still I peer out the window to see if there’s someone nearby or a vehicle in the driveway. Just checking!

And speaking of imagination; don’t we all see things that aren’t there? A movement out of the corner of our eye? Last night, I could have sworn I saw someone walk from our bedroom and into the entryway. It was just a blurred shape and seen at the very limits of my peripheral vision. Plus, I was just waking up from a nap. But I got up and looked!