There is nothing wrong in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.

You can tell just by how the police are leaving the area, broadcasting reassurances as they go. If there was something wrong, the police would be staying.

Ignore the rumors you’re hearing. First off, it makes no sense whatsoever that one of them would just be crawling on top of Kings Theater. Imagine how ridiculous it sounds. You can go there yourself and you won’t see anything. Nothing shimmers, nothing floats. Anyone who says they see it is trying to trick you.

Stand at the corner of Church and Flatbush and look toward the theater. Past the ambulances. There was an unrelated shooting not long ago. It’s already been investigated and deemed to be unrelated. Yes, there is blood on the street. No, it’s not more than a human body can hold. Don’t try to make it any worse than it already is.

If you’re too nervous to go out, it’s fine to stay indoors. It’s warm today, so I assume your windows are open. Those sounds you hear in the sky are helicopters – just the police going back to the other boroughs where they can concentrate on real emergencies. If one of the helicopters looks unfamiliar, it’s just because it’s a new technology the police have. You should be reassured by that.

Look, I was there.

I was on Ocean Ave by Cortelyou and I saw the initial commotion. I crossed over onto Flatbush and saw what I thought were crowds of people shifting and disappearing and showing up in different locations, sometimes a few feet above the street. I saw something shimmering above all of us.

I saw the dragonflies. I watched their wings flapping in synch with one another as they formed patterns in the sky. Did I think it was strange? Of course I did. Of course I was scared, between that and the people shifting from here to there. But I wasn’t scared of anything…extraterrestrial – to use the word the crazy people are spouting today.

I was scared for my own sanity. I was scared for the state of my own mind.

Sane people don’t see people being pulled into the air and dropped from great heights. Sane people don’t see the walls of buildings crumble, as if something enormously heavy is climbing them.

Sane people don’t hear voices in a language they’ve never heard but can understand perfectly.

But I saw and heard all of that. I heard what they told me as I watched bodies take to the air and then splinter against the pavement. The dragonflies whispered reassurances to me; to go home, to get rest, to take a nap. To reassure anyone else who might be concerned.

I am sane. A sane person will admit what he’s seen were hallucinations. I might have been out in the sun too long; I might not have had enough water to drink today. So please, if you’re seeing or hearing things about Flatbush Avenue or if what you’ve read about Flatbush Avenue is starting to happen in other places, maybe near you, stop worrying.

It’s going to be okay. Watch the air shimmer and see the dragonflies follow in a gorgeous insectile contrail. If one of them breaks formation and comes to your window, let him talk to you. If you were ever scared, you’ll feel a lot better soon. Trust me.

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4 Replies to “There is nothing wrong in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.”

  1. Woot woot. That was interesting.

    1. Must be why you loved it, Georgie boy!

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