Beyond the Headlights

Mr. Skibo, the piano tuner, opened his leather case. He took out a leaver and wrench and hammer. He plunked and listened and plunked. When he had finished he tidied away his tools. He turned on his tape recorder. ＂So this little girl has never had a piano lesson you say, or has never heard a piece of Chopin’s music, but she can play everything Chopin wrote. So which Chopin is she going to play?＂

＂Aiyana can’t answer that question,＂ said the priest. ＂She simply plays what comes to her from Chopin on the other side.＂

＂Other side, Father? What other side?＂

＂She can’t explain that. She believes she’s two people. Aiyana and Chopin.＂

Mr. Skibo hesitated. He scowled. Then he became thoughtful. ＂I think I’ve heard of that. Acausal parallelism, Father. When two people become connected independent of time and space.＂

＂And that is why, Mr. Skibo, I asked you to travel all the way up to this church basement in this remote northern community to record this child’s astonishing gift and take it to the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto.＂

Beyond the Headlights illustrates the transcendent capacity in each of us to reach past our limitations of see, hear, taste, touch, and feel - and to consider the possibility of a reality on the other side.