The reader
who has read Amazing Grace might recall the bizarre little
episode of the "two "Wilburs." For those who haven't
read it, let me quote that short passage from Chapter 42 here before
coming back to the matter at hand which ties it together:
At this
time, events began to converge rapidly in a strange synchronicity.
Random threads from the past, in the space of a few weeks, began weaving
together in a coherent design in ways that astonished me.
The
phone rang one day with a call from my Private Investigator friend.
We'd cooperated on the 1993 child murder investigation. He had a
question about something unrelated to that case. At the end of our
exchange, he asked me about a conversation I had with a certain law
enforcement employee. Well, this conversation had never happened.
"What
are you talking about?"
"I
called you back in October when he was here in the office with me,"
my friend said, "and one of your kids said you were in the hospital.
I left his number and a message that you should call him. I was
sure you had by now."
I never
got the message. The kids must have forgotten. I called the number
and left a message.
I'll
call him "Marion Wilbore". I knew that "Marion"
was fairly common as a man's name in the past, but it was unusual
now, so I thought it odd. Also, Wilbur was the name of my brother
and grandfather.
Two
days later, Marion Wilbore returned my call. I thought it was most
curious this guy should call on my Grandfather's birthday, February
11th. Two "Wilburs".
Then
the phone rang again. This time, it was "Marion Wilson,"
the owner of a local used book store, calling to tell me that she
had a copy of Velikovsky's –World's in Collision” that I could have
for seven dollars. I was so excited that I told her to put a "sold"
tag on it and I would be right down. I'd been searching for this
book without success for two years.
It wasn't
until I hung up that I realized the pattern. "Marion Wilbore?
Marion Wilson? Two Marions? Two Wilburs? What is going on here?!"
The
phone rang again. I almost didn't answer it, but decided I'd better.
It was Sam, my cousin, whom I'd met for the first time at the MUFON
meeting. Sam is the one whose name is my grandfather, Wilbur's middle
name. He, too, was calling to announce that he had just found a copy
of Velikovsky's –Worlds in Collision” in a box of books in his garage.
He knew I had been looking for it, and it was mine if I wanted it!
Well,
that was just TOO much! Two "Marions," two Wilburs on Wilbur's
birthday, two last names beginning with "Wil," two copies
of Velikovsky after two years of searching, one of them from a guy
who had Wilbur's middle name as a last name.
All
within about half an hour!
I mean,
what were the chances of two completely unrelated people named "Marion,"
with their last names beginning with "Wil" - for God's sake!
- calling me within a few minutes of each other? And what were the
odds, within the same few minutes, of having two people offer me a
specific book after two years of trying to locate it?
What
were the odds of the whole rest of the deal?
I shook
my head to clear the cobwebs, sure that I was being taken over by
"magical thinking". I knew things were getting weird, I
just didn't know how weird they were gonna get.
As it
happens, I had been to see my brother, Wilbur (he goes by the name Tom),
on the day Ark first read a transcript from the C's and decided to write
to me. He actually wrote the next morning, which happened to be my
brother's birthday, July 5th. That's one Wilbur.
Then,
on July 16th, ELEVEN days later, which also happened to be
the TWO year anniversary of the first transmission from the C's, a very
strange thing happened.
Ark was
at a conference in Goslar, Germany. He was trying to think of how to
come to Florida within the parameters of the system in which he had
to function. It seems that the C's must have been active. He wrote
to me:
Date
sent: Tues, 16 Jul 96 08:41:24
From: <ajad@physik>
Dear
Laura,
Yesterday
there was a party and I met a collegue physicist from Gainesville
and he will invite me to Gainesville somewhere next year for a month
or two. We will see what will happen. In fact I was supposed to
go there two years ago and I had even booked a plane, but then, on
a hunch, I cancelled all. Till recently I did not understand the
reasons. Now I understand. I have now more reasons to come. It
is not that far from Gainesville to New Port Richey.
I go
to prepare my talk.
ark
As soon
as his series of conferences that summer were over and he had returned
and settled back in to work at the Institute, Ark began the process
of negotiating the visit through the proper channels. It was several
months before all the paperwork was done.
From:
<ajad@physik>
Subject: news
Date sent: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 11:34:49 +1
All
good news.
Talked
to the Rector. They will help me - no problem! There will be no money
problem and there will be no visa problem. And as you know by now,
John will also help.
The arrangements
were made between the two institutions, and a firm date was set for
our first meeting. Ark would arrive in Tampa on February 11, my grandfather's
birthday. The second Wilbur. And here is when it begins to get really
weird. Exactly two days later he received the following, suddenly and
out of the blue.
Date:
Wed, 27 Nov 1996 03:12:03 +0100
To: Arkadiusz Jadczyk <ajad@ift>
From: "L** E. S**" <****>
Subject: Space, Time and Matter
Dear
Professor Jadczyk,
I have
read your papers on Event-Enhanced Quantum Theory, which
I liked very much. I am offering you the following: The Central European
University of Budapest will hold a workshop on philosophical questions
of physics. I wonder if you would be interested to participate![...]
Wednesday, 22 January:
All
of your expenses, of course, will be covered by the CEU.
Sincerely
yours,
L****
Aside
from the curious date of the conference, 1-11, Ark had never heard of
the Central European University. Who were these people and, why were
they writing to him all of a sudden and offering, on what is really
short notice in such things, to pay him to come and sit around and talk?
He wasn't even being asked to give a talk. Just hang out. And when
the specific terms later were specified, it was something of a surprise.
Who were these new kids on the block with so much money to hand out?
