Taken from the July 2012 issue of Dazed & Confused:

Dear Leanne, It’s been a long time. I see that you are married to a man who wears baseball caps, and your surname is single-barrelled now. Congratulations. I’ve also learned that you’re an interior designer specialising in autism-friendly environments. It’d be great to hear about that. These days, I work as an independent researcher. I’m getting in touch because I’d like you to take part in an experiment.

If we made a hand movement like waves that meant we were thinking of you putting up your high ponytail; I always thought it looked like oil flowing from a newly tapped well

But before I get to that, it’s probably best to give you a little backstory. I feel certain you knew, at school, that me, Sally and Longy were devoted to you. There was a time, in fact, when a shorthand existed between the three of us, to signal what aspect of you we were admiring in our minds. If we made a hand movement like waves that meant we were thinking of you putting up your high ponytail; I always thought it looked like oil flowing from a newly tapped well.

Then, one unforgettable day, you were chatting with Leona Keith by the music block and we all simultaneously thought about that swatch of perfect skin behind your right ear and – as soon as we held it in our minds – you pushed your hair back to reveal it. Maybe you remember? We were watching from the far side of the yard. Then we managed to make you untuck your shirt. It was a hot day – it’s true – and it was fashionable to untuck at lunchtime – but still, we felt a connection between us. 

After we imagine your neck, we will imagine various other parts of you, in turn. It’s your job to write down which bits of your body you can feel being materialised

The older I get the more interested I have become in this phenomena. I’d like to find out whether this event was a showcase of the collective consciousness, psychokinesis or just good luck. We don’t see much of Longy anymore (he’s a diplomat now) but me and Sally still meet up. We’re getting together on Friday the 15th of June at The Lansdown and, on our way home, at precisely midnight (GMT) we are going to stop halfway up Constitution Hill and sit on the road. I am going to swallow very deliberately three times which is one of our signals. We will close our eyes and have your neck and shoulders float in the air above us like a chandelier. It will be the same neck and shoulders you had in school but this won’t discredit the data we are collecting because, judging by the photos online, you have hardly aged at all. I will take care to visualise in the beauty spot on the left side of your neck. 

For your part, it will probably be best to lie in a quiet, dark room – perhaps have your hair tied up – and just listen to any bodily sensations. After we imagine your neck, we will imagine various other parts of you, in turn. It’s your job to write down which bits of your body you can feel being materialised. Perhaps certain areas will feel extra light as though they are being split between two places at once. We will imagine six specific zones. Please record the duration, intensity and physical location of each feeling. 

 Who knows what the impact on neuroscience might be?

After that, we can come together to compare findings. If, as I suspect, we have discovered the power of the mind to communicate physical sensation across long distances then we will have made one of the key scientific discoveries of this or any age. In time, we may have to repeat the experiment in more controlled conditions, but I think it will be best to start with an informal approach. Who knows what the impact on neuroscience might be?

Perhaps, in the long run, my research may complement the good work you already do for sufferers of autism.

Well, I’m getting ahead of myself. First of all, of course, it will be just really nice to catch up.

Yours,

Jill x

Throughout November we will be publishing an anthology of short stories from our favourite authors to celebrate #NaNoWriMo. Follow them all at http://www.dazeddigital.com/nanowrimo and share your stories with us by tweeting @DazedMagazine with the hashtag #NaNoWriMo.