This book deals with epiphenomenalism

[venta]

Oooh, I do like a nice mystery.

I got home last night to find a fat packet waiting for me on the doormat. Strange, I wasn't expecting a parcel. Oh, wait, I ordered some EPs online last week... no, too bulky. And sent in a re-used envelope.

My parcel contains a paperback book. No note, no sender. The previous address sticker has been carefully removed from the envelope. There are no bits of paper stuffed in between the pages. There is no postmark to give away a town from which the parcel came.

It's a book I haven't read, but about which I know nothing. I don't remember talking to anyone about it recently. I don't remember having it recommended to me.

I don't recognise the writing on the envelope, though it's someone who knows my full address and can spell my surname correctly (less common than you might think).

I have had anonymous presents before and I heartily approve - everyone should send anonymous, mysterious parcels through the post. Not necessarily to me (though I encourage it ;) but to everyone else. I don't think I've ever received one before where I was genuinely stumped as to where it might have come from.

I'm intrigued. And half-scared that it will turn out to be something quite mundane, like a conversation I have forgotten where someone promised to send it to me.

Are you my mystery person? You? I hope you are. Will you tell me?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

*awaits a blizzard of anonymous posts from people teasingly claiming it was them*

[venta.livejournal.com]

Not so much, apparently :)

Also, there is a reason I didn't say what book it was!

[triskellian]

I don't know what epiphenomenalism is, but I understand it has to do with consciousness as a mere accessory of physiological processes whose presence or absence makes no difference...

[venta.livejournal.com]

consciousness as a mere accessory of physiological processes whose presence or absence

.... is what is known as Park Life ;)

One kudo to you. I also don't know what epiphenomenalism is.

[maviscruet.livejournal.com]

I totally deny it was me - I have no idea where you live or how to spell your last name -but I deny it anyway!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hmm.... a plausible argument.

However, handwriting analysis has not yet ruled you out, and you do end in a T (see below (http://venta.livejournal.com/434388.html?thread=6755284#t6755284))...

[maviscruet.livejournal.com]

You have clearly never seen my hand writing. Because the fact you can read it rules me out

....... Or so I claim.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

It's a pity that you don't get proper postmarks (showing town of origin) so much any more. It used to be quite exciting trying to work out who it might be from before opening (or after, if like this case).

[venta.livejournal.com]

Indeed! My only clue seems to be in the old address label, which suggests that one line ended in a T. I therefore deduce that the original recipient of the envelope lived in a Street!

Or in Somerset.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

That puts me out of the frame then, I live in a Road in Suffolk! Phew.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Also doesn't look like your writing :) Though I have no idea what T's writing looks like, so you could have got her to do the dirty work...

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Her writing is much tidier and more legible than mine (which admittedly doesn't narrow the field down much). So I migth be wise to get her to write it in any case :-)

Actually I think if it was really me I would have done a printed label, rather than hand-writing it, so as to be absolutely sure of no recognition. Maybe your mystery donor is not bent on anonymity, but just absent-mindedly forgot to include a covering note?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Absent-mindedness is a possibility, yes. I'm often surprised that people don't put notes in parcels.

It hadn't really occurred to me that an anonymous doner would really want to remain anonymous. I assume that if you're going to send parcels you'd want the recipient to work it out eventually. Unless the parcel was full of anthrax or something.

Which I don't think it was.

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

Actually, these days I suspect Real Proper Handwriting to be less of a give-away than...oh, I don't know - choice of language, smilies, and so forth... and the content of address labels rather restricts those.

I mean, I can usually recognise family handwriting, and a couple of colleagues' - but most people don't /write/ to me, they email.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I don't get a huge number of letters, but people sending me Christmas or birthday cards usually write addresses rather than printing labels.

Also, in the case of undyingking above, we used to play in the same pub quiz team, so I'm used to reading his writing, written in haste and frequently upside down!

Also also, some people have distinctive handwriting in one way or another. Having now identified the sender, I should have known what his writing looked like but apparently don't.

[grahamb.livejournal.com]

"I was still sitting there, waiting to die, waiting to fossilise, waiting for the coffee in the kitchen to evolve enough to make a cup of itself and bring it through to me, when the phone rang."

[venta.livejournal.com]

You, sir, have your psychic turned up to 11 ;)

Thank you!

[grahamb.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome!