I was in Borders on Charing Cross Road having a coffee and thinking about buying Alan Bennett's new book (which I later did and from the first 20 pages it was a wise decision) when I walked passed a man with wide staring eyes who physically was reminiscent of both Rasputin and Catweazle. This other worldly weirdness was perhaps heightened by the fact that he was standing stock still and holding up his hands in front of him as he glared forward at nothing in particular as if he was casting a spell or projecting a curse on some unknown assailant. I don't think it was me as he didn't seem to notice my passing, but he was freaked out by something that I, at least, couldn't see. Of course this is London town so no-one bats an eye-lid at such behaviour or considers stopping and asking if the man is OK. Because experience tells us that he is mad, but not mad enough to be incarcerated. Or not yet mad enough anyway. And no-one wants to be the person who facilitates this incarceration by attracting his attention and then being lucky enough to get a knitting needle in the eye.
So I dodged the responsibility as well as I hopefully dodged the curse he proferred (
Once bitten, twice shy) - if it was a magic spell he was doing the look on his face told me that it was not going to give the recipient anything that they would want.
Later on I saw him downstairs and he was moving round and outwardly not cursing anything, but still looking a bit distressed. What if he actually wasn't mental but was some magician or shamen from the past who had accidentally passed through some kind of portal in time and this was his first experience of 21st century life. I felt a bit guilty for not helping him in those circumstances as such unexpected time travel would be hard to cope with and a friendly smile and a kind word might have made this unexpected leap a little less disorientating. Of course if he was just mad and the government had abnegated its responsibility to help him, then why should I put myself out?
How many medieval wizards are being punished for our government's short sighted mental health policy? They are the unseen victims and for this reason and this reason alone something must be done.
By someone else. I am too busy.
