Do you believe in Karma? You’re going to absolutely love the story that follows. And if you don’t believe in karma now, you might start believing it by the end!
Karma is the perfect ending to all stories of injustice. Some believe everyone, at some point, falls before Karma’s feet to be judged and sentenced. If we do something wrong to another, expect trouble to come our way. If someone does wrong by us, they can expect the same trouble to come knocking. Some of us wish our adversaries would fall to Karma, but they end up living long, fruitful lives of happiness instead.
Say it isn’t so.
Hold on.
Perhaps their long and fruitful life isn’t so happy after all. Perhaps we missed the moment when Karma did its best work. It’s not like we get notifications about what Karma does. It goes where it goes, when it goes there.
When writing SEETHINGS, I included a first-hand, real-life karma moment – one that’ll bring you a big smile. It was an unusual but real story. You’ll probably disbelieve it, but I’ll tell you anyway.
It’s about an attractive woman I met who’d become separated from her common-law husband. It was a recent separation, so the pain of it was still raw. She despised him for running off with their nanny, leaving her holding their only child.
She invoked the power of Karma to fix the error and deliver him some justice.
Right away, the husband was called that bastard. She took charge of the narrative and drove it hard at every chance.
But that was HER story and HER version of it. It contained the magical fairy tale outcome she wanted and loved to repeat to others. She didn’t need encouragement to tell it as she loved breaking out her rote-learned tale of woe. It’s where he plays an evil villain, and she gets to be a hero.
But like every story, it’s a story. Not everything said about this tragic tale was true. Fiction was woven into it to make it sound better.
It turned out that she omitted important details about her husband, his affair with the nanny and the eventual breakup of their marriage and assets. Clever deletions had changed the story. Each time she told her story to me, it changed, a little bit at a time.
To understand what really happened, one had to spend time with her. Chats over coffee wouldn’t have been enough. They wouldn’t cut through the layers of bullshit hiding the truth.
But pillow talk could do it.
As I said, it was a real Karma story – and it went into the book.
The nasty things that this woman said and did to this man before, during and after their separation were abhorrent. I felt sorry for the unknown guy – and the baby daughter caught in the middle of their feud.
She got most of his money and, by her own admission, lied to The Courts about her daughter’s fear of her father. It got the woman full custody of their daughter and a large chunk of his future earnings, too.
Even though he tried to do his best and defend himself, that bastard never got to see his daughter. The woman was determined to keep him from her at all costs. To her, he didn’t deserve the right to see his daughter.
Although late to the party, Karma was about to play its part through me.
“Do you know the name of that mountain?” She asked, opening the curtain to expose the scene beyond the large glass window.
“Sure, it’s Mount Lindesay.”
I heard a loud gasp, and then the curtains were snapped shut.
That’s all it took to change the mood in the room.
Although I was unaware at the time, I executed my part perfectly. She asked a simple question, and I answered it honestly. I had no idea that the mountain had a link to her past. I didn’t know her former lover’s name.
Lindesay!
Ooops! What? Oh shit!
If only she’d researched the mountain before purchasing the land and instructing an architect to design her new home to point right at it.
I didn’t mind playing the role of Karma’s advocate. It kicked a deserved ass that day.
As far as I know, it’s still kicking it because she can’t move out of that home. Her finances are tied to it, and moving complicates things with the daughter’s new school and routines.
Those curtains have remained closed, and I’m told that she refuses to go into the garden on the other side of them.
[No, I didn’t continue dating her. It was clear we were too different to go on]
As I said, all of this went into the novel – but some readers have said it’s too far-fetched. The chances of that happening are so small that it’s absolutely impossible in real life.
That may be how it appears, but it happened anyway. Those who believe in Karma have an explanation that makes sense.
–Michael Forman (Author of Dark Fiction – See Below)
SEETHINGS promises a gripping psychological thriller that blends murder, passion, and secrets of a sexless marriage. Forman’s vivid prose draws readers into a world where lightning illuminates the skies and hidden truths. As the storm clouds gather, Mitchell’s journey promises to unravel more than just the mystery of the murders.
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Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
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