The Unexpected Umbrella

[Vida Loca]

A couple of months ago I went out for the evening on my own and bumped into my neighbours brother M in the pub. It was a Karaoke night and we all had a fun time. Anyway M decided to walk with me across town to get something to eat on the way home. We both left the pub at closing time together and by now it was belting down with rain. Neither of us had a brolly and as we walked down the street I shoved my handbag on my head to try to keep my hair dry then gave up as it was pointless bothering. Suddenly a man wearing black trousers and a white shirt ( no coat ) came dashing towards us holding aloft an opened large black umbrella. He dashed across the single file traffic road then rushed up to us as we began turning the corner into the next street. He barely stopped in front of us and thrust the open umbrella at M saying "This is for you!" then he turned and headed off running back the way he came. We both stood and looked at each other puzzled and neither of us had ever seen him before ( nor since). The streets were deserted and the only sign of 'life' was a Takeaway just around the corner (on our side of the road) which was empty save for 2 staff members. He didn't come from there for sure.The guy had run the other way back the way he came but we couldn't work out where. The experience took us both aback and baffled us as it was so surreal. We still can't get over it and remain puzzled. Made me feel like we were Royalty or something! M still has that large black umbrella.

 

[Frideswide]

That is... weird!

A Random Act of Kindness! I'd certainly treature the umbrella. And check it closely to see if there's a note tucked in to it somehow

 

[Shady]

Pay it forward kinda thing?

 

[maximus otter]

Was anybody else vaguely expecting a Georgi Markov anecdote?

My guess? He was disposing of a stolen umbrella.



maximus otter

 

[Ringo]

That made me think of an episode of "Tales of the Unexpected" we watched recently where a local conman waits until it rains, visits the pub, steals an umbrella from the stand and then "gives" it to someone who desperately needs it in the street. In return, he only asks for the cab fare home as he is done with his errands.

 

[AlchoPwn]

A couple of months ago I went out for the evening on my own and bumped into my neighbours brother M in the pub. It was a Karaoke night and we all had a fun time. Anyway M decided to walk with me across town to get something to eat on the way home. We both left the pub at closing time together and by now it was belting down with rain. Neither of us had a brolly and as we walked down the street I shoved my handbag on my head to try to keep my hair dry then gave up as it was pointless bothering. Suddenly a man wearing black trousers and a white shirt ( no coat ) came dashing towards us holding aloft an opened large black umbrella. He dashed across the single file traffic road then rushed up to us as we began turning the corner into the next street. He barely stopped in front of us and thrust the open umbrella at M saying "This is for you!" then he turned and headed off running back the way he came. We both stood and looked at each other puzzled and neither of us had ever seen him before ( nor since). The streets were deserted and the only sign of 'life' was a Takeaway just around the corner (on our side of the road) which was empty save for 2 staff members. He didn't come from there for sure.The guy had run the other way back the way he came but we couldn't work out where. The experience took us both aback and baffled us as it was so surreal. We still can't get over it and remain puzzled. Made me feel like we were Royalty or something! M still has that large black umbrella.

Sometimed the cosmos throws you a curly one like this. If I were a Christian I might suggest that this mystery person was an Angel protecting you from a future death by pneumonia, and setting up a relationship forming opportunity (the whole couple under a brolly schtick, but with the addition of a bizarre story to add to it).

I had a remotely similar thing happen to me. When I was a kid I dreamed that I would die when my car ran out of fuel on a familiar set of railway tracks. On the day it happened IRL I was less perturbed than I should probably have been, and slipped my car into neutral, and began to start pushing it when an American Auto Association repair guy pulled up behind me, helped me push it off the tracks, and gave me enough fuel to get to a gas station, for all of which he charged me nothing, even when I insisted I give him something for his troubles on my behalf. He didn't quite "come out of nowhere" but I certainly hadn't noticed him behind me.

 

[catseye]

I wonder if they guy had been trying to get a taxi and the drivers refused to take him with a wet umbrella. He'd got another taxi but needed to offload the brolly before he could get in, so he handed it to the first people he saw?

 

[Vida Loca]

Catseye the taxi rank was way across town in the opposite direction and there were no cars to be seen or passed by.

I went out to the Karaoke night again last night and left early to get a takeaway. I ordered a burger and was chatting away to the guy serving me. Not seen him before as I have only visited there three times. So, while my burger was cooking I made idle conversation - the usual been busy etc. Now what freaked me out was every so often he would flutter his eyes fast for a brief moment and his eyeballs would be all white for a few seconds say 5 secs or so then it would return to normal again and so on. It didn't stop the conversation he just carried on. I found it hard to remain normal as it really unsettled me. He was a really nice polite man but what is with the disappearing irises?!! I was wondering whether there might be some sort of medical condition involved as I have never encountered such a thing before. It was so creepy.

 

[catseye]

You can order a taxi/Uber to pick you up from a shop/takeaway/clinic etc, you know Vida! Not being near the taxi rank doesn't rule out my taxi explanation.

Disappearing iris man - petit mal seizures?

 

[Vida Loca]

Catseye there isn't an Uber service here and he was way off the beaten track for the taxi rank. No cars or anything were around either the streets were empty of traffic and people. It was one of the reasons why we found it so weird.

I dont know anything about petit mal seizures as such but maybe this was an explanation for it. Maybe someone who knows more about medical stuff could explain it.

 

[Dick Turpin]

That made me think of an episode of "Tales of the Unexpected" we watched recently where a local conman waits until it rains, visits the pub, steals an umbrella from the stand and then "gives" it to someone who desperately needs it in the street. In return, he only asks for the cab fare home as he is done with his errands.

That episode featured Sir Jonny Mills, if my brain serves correctly Ringo.

Great episode.

 

[Vida Loca]

A possible explanation? Although his eyes didn't wobble back and forth etc - his Irises vanished suddenly after rapid blinking leaving blank white eyeballs. Then he would do rapid blinking again about 5 secs later and his eyes would be normal. It didn't affect his abilities to do tasks or hold a conversation. I am most puzzled.

https://www.healthline.com/symptom/uncontrolled-eye-movements

 

[AlchoPwn]

He was a really nice polite man but what is with the disappearing irises?!! I was wondering whether there might be some sort of medical condition involved as I have never encountered such a thing before. It was so creepy.

Interesting. I have seen trance mediums, sadhus and yogis do that when they are communicating with the "other side". The irises aren't disappearing, they are just rolling their eyes back in their heads. Yes, it is also a symptom of an epileptic seizure, but that will normally end in the person collapsed on the ground twitching. Clearly that didn't happen. On the other hand, some people have some pretty odd seizures, like the aforementioned petit mal. It is very remotely possible that he was hypnotised. If it was a con, then the sting never occurred, which is very odd. That leaves another possibility, and that is that M set it up, but that also seems unlikely. LOL, had you seen a UFO recently? Perhaps he was a MIB? He seems too nice for that tho. Have either of you every taken the umbrella apart? If the fellow was a spy, he may have used the umbrella to introduce a camera or listening device into one of your homes... but I bet you aren't responsible for any state secrets, so that is also pretty absurd.

 

[Vida Loca]

AlchoPwn yes his eyeballs were rolling back into his head but I really am sure he wasn't under the influence of any kind to include interacting with 'the other side' or whatever. I can only conclude it was some kind of spasm caused by a medical condition. Periodic eyeball rolling. It gave me quite a turn as I have never ever come across this before and I just hope this didn't register on my face. It wont affect me now I know what to expect and shall just carry on making polite conversation in future.

M wouldn't and couldn't have set the Umbrella event up. He was as gobsmacked as I was and still is. Not seen any UFOs not seen any MIBs or anything out of the ordinary like that. Not even when drunk. LOL I think the man being a Spy is out too!

 

[ginoide]

And I never buy umbrellas
'coz there's always one around

as for the irises disappearing, my son suffers from tics and one of those is just that, more or less

 

[escargot]

That made me think of an episode of "Tales of the Unexpected" we watched recently where a local conman waits until it rains, visits the pub, steals an umbrella from the stand and then "gives" it to someone who desperately needs it in the street. In return, he only asks for the cab fare home as he is done with his errands.

Saw that. Didn't ring true with me as the taxi fare would be more than a second-hand umbrella was worth.

 

[AnonyJ]

Catseye the taxi rank was way across town in the opposite direction and there were no cars to be seen or passed by.

I went out to the Karaoke night again last night and left early to get a takeaway. I ordered a burger and was chatting away to the guy serving me. Not seen him before as I have only visited there three times. So, while my burger was cooking I made idle conversation - the usual been busy etc. Now what freaked me out was every so often he would flutter his eyes fast for a brief moment and his eyeballs would be all white for a few seconds say 5 secs or so then it would return to normal again and so on. It didn't stop the conversation he just carried on. I found it hard to remain normal as it really unsettled me. He was a really nice polite man but what is with the disappearing irises?!! I was wondering whether there might be some sort of medical condition involved as I have never encountered such a thing before. It was so creepy.

This is classic 'absence seizure' or as mentioned previously 'petit mal' epilepsy. Sometimes there are also random mouth movements (a bit like chewing), involuntary arm crossing and can also be associated with acute photosensitivity. The peron has no memory or recollection of the mini-seizures. I have a young relative with Jeavons Syndrome which features the absence seizures with the other effects I mention. Often a child is suspected of 'daydreaming' or 'switching off' at home or school.

It is normally controlled with anti-epilepsy medication but some seizures can still get through, or if the person is overtired, forgot the medication etc etc then they can become more prominent. Unfortunately some people who suffer absence seizures can also go on to develop full 'grand mal' epilepsy which can be life-threatening.

It's not creepy once you know it's a medical condition. A relatively safe way to induce them, done as a test by consultants, is to ask the people with potential absence seizures to hyperventilate. With children this is often done as a 'game', and if absence seizures are suspected a full EEG is done.

A short video of classic absence seizures [the video states it was recorded to show the child's school staff what his seizures looked like]

 

[Vida Loca]

Many thanks for the explanation AnonyJoolz. I hadn't realised this might be the cause.

 

[IbisNibs]

My brother had a friend who, when speaking, would flutter his eyelids, and then only the whites of his eyes showed. He didn't have the other movements though, and he eyes weren't wide open or anything. I always just thought he was nervous, and he really was a very insecure and neurotic kind of person, and very materialistic. Over time, he showed he wasn't much of a friend, but increasingly insincere and unreliable. My brother was friends with him for several decades, but after his last "visit," (prolonged stay with no advanced warning, just showed up on the doorstep one night), my brother refuses to have anything more to do with him. He's a troubled soul who refuses to be honest with himself.

Maybe the guy at the burger take away place was nervous about talking to a real person.