That Social Media Webinar
I need your help.
Last week, after getting the kids to bed, I sat down for a writing webinar. You know the type how, with these three simple tricks, you can double your social media following. The ones when you get halfway through and realise you will learn nothing new, but hold on, here is the hard sell for my course costing $500.
Why do I do it to myself every couple of months? I don’t know. I always expect a different outcome and leave, realising once again there is an hour of my life I will not get back.
This one, however, was very different.
It was the usual mix of people showing their faces and people who were nothing more than icons. I scanned around the faces, seeing if I recognised any of my fellow writers; some I did, others I didn’t.
One took my attention. I hadn’t seen her before, but she reminded me of a young Helena Bonham Carter. Between us, I have had a crush on Helena longer than I care to mention, so this new writer drew my attention more than she should have. Don’t tell my partner.
During one of the lectures where we all had to put our thoughts on the chat, I never do this. I chose to lurk. I was watching this woman when something happened that changed the whole evening for me.
I saw the door behind her open, and a man with a balaclava and a knife walked into her room. I thought it was a joke for a couple of minutes, but then he walked over to her and stood behind her. Surely, the others could see. I started gesturing madly at her, trying to tell her what was happening. I did everything I could to get her or anyone else to notice.
There was no noise; the host had turned the microphones off. We could use chat, but that was about it.
The man reached across her throat and slipped the knife across. I saw the blood spurt on the monitor, and then the picture was replaced by the icon picture. I just caught the sight of the Helena lookalike and started to slump at the monitor.
I looked at all the other faces on the webinar, and they were laughing. It took me a few moments to realise it was me that they were laughing at. I must have looked ridiculous the way I was motioning.
Fuck they had looked at me rather than looking where I wanted them to. The pointing was useless as everyone was arranged differently on each computer. It just looked like I was doing a strange dance.
I went to the chat and asked if anyone had seen what had happened to the woman on the webinar. Those who responded to me thought I was making it up as an advertisement for my latest story; no one believed me or had seen what I saw.
Now, I am questioning my sanity. Did I really see someone have their throat slashed on a webinar?
So please, if you have friends in writing, check on them, especially if they look like Helena Bonham Carter. There is nothing in the papers, but I know what I saw. Are you missing a writing friend?
