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Bizarre

Some strange things were happening during the second half of my Hamilton Island experience that made me question a lot of things. Synchronicity's that I couldn't explain were occurring frequently, and when infused with an imagination riddled in fantasy, my mind became a tangled web. My head was starting to feel like a game of noughts and crosses.

One occurrence that happened during work was the ice breaker. I was about the restaurant floor - wiping tables and refilling water jugs - when an image floats by my mind. It was an image of one of the very misfortunate cockatoos - the ones that have been drained of their vibrance and have lost their feathers due to a disease called PBFD (Psittacine beak and feather disease). These poor birds look like zombies, and are not a pleasant sight to behold. When I subsequently brought up the image of a beautiful and flourishing cockatoo, I sensed a potential metaphor or maybe even character for the story I was designing, but it dwindled. It was just one of those rogue thoughts, so I dismissed it.

Only minutes after thinking this thought, however, I saw one of those misfortunate cockatoos dribbling about in the restaurant courtyard. That was odd, I thought. I watched him as he dawdled about beneath a table of 8 who were devouring their food, looking like he wanted a nibble. Suddenly, a radiant cockatoo glided in confidently, and perched on one of the chairs af the table. The people were shocked, pulling out their iPhones and cameras to show their instagram. In an instant, our prince cockatoo hones into the chip bowl, nips a beak full of chips and takes to the wind. I was shocked. The people were shocked. And the poor cockatoo beneath the table looked even more miserable.


The sight left me dumbfounded. Had I not just thought about that in my head? I labelled it as a sort of 'divine poetry' or 'illustration', because I couldn't come up with a better explanation. My mind liked to come up with all sorts of conclusions, relishing on it like a vampire. I leaned on my thoughts as the pillars of truth. But I was not aware that I was being sucked into the biggest vortex of them all - the mind!


It was like I was Odysseus but stuck in the cyclops maze. One particularly strange day - when I was on the ferry to the mainland to get a secret Santa gift - there was absolutely no denying that something was seriously ill. I worried that I had become the diseased cockatoo, feeling as though my zest for life had been squeezed out. I usually enjoyed these ferry rides with my face being blasted by the salty sea air. But not today - I just sat inside fermenting in my own brine.

When I set foot in Airlie Beach, I sauntered over to one of the cafes for a nibble. I sat in the courtyard, and the chirping birds made it a pleasant environment. But, I felt like the shell of a cicada who had already buzzed off, leaving me gripped to the bark. I couldn't enjoy anything. The cafe attendant was bouncing with enthusiasm, serving me a hefty plate of chicken parmigiana with fries. But as soon as I tried to take a bit, I couldn't. My appetite had fled, and was replaced with lethargy that sat like mangled bubblegum in my stomach.

"Is everything okay with your meal, sir?" remarked the attendant with a concerned face. "Yeah, it's delicious" I replied, the untouched wad of chicken still gaping up at the both of us. "But, I just can't eat this for some reason, I am so sorry," I told him, leaving 30 dollars beneath the water glass as I got up and walked away.

I felt guilty for wasting 30 dollars on food that would likely be tossed in the trashcan. But I was more distraught by the fact that I didn't even enjoy the simply luxury of sitting in a cafe. I could always find peace in a cafe, but not today. What the heck was wrong?

As I walked, I noticed incense wafting from a store over the road. Colourful mandalas were gazing at me through the window, so I went into the store seeking refuge. It was one of those new age stores, decorated with dream catchers and crystals. One the golden crystal necklaces captures my eye - it was a Citrine. My wonky mood wasn't straightened, but I felt a strong affinity to that particular crystal. I knew I had come to the right place, because this was also a trove for nifty secret Santa gifts. I lay my goods on the counter - the Citrine necklace, an amethyst necklace, and a packet of incense - purchased them for a reasonable price and fled the store.

I had managed to cheer myself up a little bit, but as I walked closer to the ferry terminal, I was starting to feel dread creeping up from underneath my skin. Hamilton Island was doing something to my head! I was suddenly afraid to go back there, but I had work at 12:00 the next day, so there was choice. I awkwardly took a seat in the terminal, feeling like an alien. All of a sudden, out through the crowds of people like a gliding cockatoo came Josiah! He was with a girl I had not met before, and so we greeted each other. Her name was Mary, and she just happened to be the grown up voice actor of Boo from Monsters Inc!


How and why she suddenly appeared that day befuddled both me and Josiah. But we both took it as a message that we needed to watch Monsters Inc when we got back! Our ferry was leaving soon, so we boarded and waved Mary goodbye. She was travelling south to Byron Bay, so we wished her an adventurous journey. My zest had returned, and I was so grateful! With the citrine necklace hanging from my neck, we sailed back to Hamilton Island.


I've always loved Pixar films, and Monsters Inc was definitely one of my favourites. But this time, it blew my mind. The characters and the message of the story were impactful, and couldn't have come at a more appropriate time in my life. It was rejuvenating like a bucket of ice cold water.

It was certainly odd to stumble upon the voice behind Boo, but actually I was more intrigued by Josiah! In my eyes, he was a walking coincidence, and I pondered if there was something I could learn from him regarding these bizarre occurrences and strange synchronicity's. He told me that if I wanted to learn more, I would have to find and read a book called 'The Celestine Prophecy'. 

I had my citrine crystal, and now I had a quest. I was excited to see where this would take me!


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