Andy: She was tall, dark, and of American Indian descent. She was athletic and very boyish in her demeanor, and looks. She played sports, and got along well with most people. While we were totally opposite in many respects, we became friends. It was eighth or ninth grade.

I think the commonality that cemented our friendship was we were both very down-to-earth people. Andy was real and genuine — and had a heart under her tomboy exterior.

I’ll never forget this one night Andy came over to spend the evening with me. My parents were out, and being the scardy cat that I was — I wanted a friend to keep me company — and Andy was more than happy to oblige.

I had somehow realized that I could read people pretty good — but I wasn’t 100% so I decided to test it out on Andy. Andy was honest and would tell me what she thought — so I figured why not. It would be harmless. I just wanted to see if I was right in my thinking.

Was I right in my beliefs that I knew who Andy really liked even though she was political and acted like she liked everyone? I believed I knew. I believed I could tell Andy who she really didn’t like, too. I also believed I could tell Andy which subjects and teachers were her favorite and which ones she disliked– without so much as a hint from her. Was I correct? I was dying to know!

When Andy came over, we went into the basement and we got to talking. I said to Andy, “I bet I can tell you what you really think about your friends. I bet I can tell you who you really like, and who you don’t, and why. Want to see?“

Andy looked at me like I was a fool, but that didn’t stop me. I started talking….

“You act like you like Janet, but you really don’t, do you? She’s too prissy and snobby for you though you admire her athletic abilities. You do like Jen and Jane. They are really cool in your eyes, aren’t they? You’d like to hang out with them a lot more. That’s very clear- – but you really have no use for Jackie or Beth though you are nice to them. They drive you nuts with their non-stop chatter and high-pitched laughter, don’t they? They get on your nerves. You’d also really like to be friends with Julie, wouldn’t you? I can see all of that about you.

Andy’s face dropped. She couldn’t believe what I had just said. She looked left and then she looked right, and asked me with a puzzled look, “How do you know this stuff?”

You could see insecurity pour over her yet she tried to play it cool.

“Am I right? Am I right?”, I asked. I was getting a strong vibe that I was by the look in her eyes.

She retorted back, “Are you psychic?? Are you?! You’re starting to freak me out. Tell me, how do you know ALL of this stuff?!”

We both laughed at this point. Me, giddy with excitement that I was likely pretty good at this – – and her from fear. She was not digging this, but I didn’t know the half of it.

“Let me tell you more!”, I said. I was doing it all in good fun. “Do you want to know who Barb really likes? I can see this stuff. I’ll share it with you. She’s never told me, but I can see it. I really can.”

I went on to babble for another five or so minutes and also told Andy which teachers and subjects I suspected Andy liked and disliked. Andy stood there looking at me, almost with a blank stare as she took it all in. But as she listened, she slowly started stepping backwards — away from me. I followed behind as I rambled in my excitement oblivious to what was to come.

Once Andy had reached the stairs, she made her escape away from me. She fled upstairs as fast as she could. She looked around and thought of fleeing. Yet I hadn’t quite figured that out. She had a natural instinct to run — far away from me but it was nighttime, dark and her house was too far to walk to.

“How do you know this stuff? Tell me!! You’re really freaking me out!” She demanded to know as she glanced at the sliding door.

“I just do,” I said. “Maybe I am psychic, I don’t know.” I shrugged my shoulders eager to go on.

“Maybe you’re a witch!!” she said. “Maybe that’s it.” Her eyes were wide open at this point, fixated on my every move.

Mind you I was little and she was the big towering one of the two of us. She was a tomboy. She was the athlete. She couldn’t truly be afraid of me, I reasoned.

But something bothered me about being called a WITCH. I wasn’t evil. I wasn’t mean. I was sharing a big secret I had with HER. I was giving her inside information. How I would have loved someone to do the same for me! I believe I would think it would have been cool to be in her shoes, but she wasn’t so cool with it.

Getting frustrated by her strange belief that I was a witch, I grabbed Andy’s arm in kindness to get her attention and to tell her I wasn’t psychic nor a witch and when I did — static electricity got her — and shocked her. It sent her over the edge. I wasn’t at all prepared for what came next.

“Oh my god,” she said. “You ARE A WITCH!!!!. You have magical powers! What was that blue stuff? Was that energy? Are you beaming me? Are you going to control me?!! OH. MY. GOD! Help me.” Andy looked around unsure of what her next move should be.

I quickly realized that Andy had never seen static electricity before because her house had all wood floors. It was funny. I laughed and then I tried to explain what it was — that it was static electricity — but Andy didn’t listen. Terror took over and I lost Andy’s sanity.

Andy went into a survival mode and no amount of talking or logic was going to get through to her. I repeated, I am not a witch. I have no super-natural powers. I tried to tell her it was all a joke, I was just sharing what I saw, to calm down — but it was fruitless.

My friend Andy found an out. She LOCKED herself in my bathroom. She found a safe place to escape my fury. She feared I might turn her into a toad, or something. I don’t know.

I was mortified.

She cowered in the corner of my bathroom afraid to move out of fear of what I would do to her. She told me she had never heard of whatever that electricity was, and no matter what I said, she was always going to be convinced I was a witch with super-natural powers.

I was desperate on the other side of the door to get through to Andy with the truth — but no matter what I said, she was convinced I had created energy and shocked her on purpose and that I had the power to zap her into anything my heart desired. After all, I could read her thoughts!

I was quite pleased with my abilities but that feeling had fleeted. Now I was worried about Andy and angry at the prospect of being called a witch! I knew my parents were due home and if I didn’t get Andy out of the bathroom, I was going to be in BIG TROUBLE!! How would I ever explain this one to my parents???? I got queasy at the thought. I felt so horrible and deceptive — when I was just being honest!

I also didn’t like the feeling that I had hurt Andy. I didn’t understand it at that point. How come she was so sensitive? I mean, I was just a plain Jane. I was smaller, less popular, less athletic. What was up with her?? I was not prepared for this reaction at all. I actually looked up to her like a big sister.

I got so desperate to get Andy out, I was finally in tears! Nothing worked and I lost it. I started crying now, too, because when I needed to get through to Andy, I was unable. Her fear had taken control and they weren’t going to relinquish her to me no matter what I did. And my fear of punishment took over, too –and the two of us were a mess — each sobbing on different sides of the door — for very different reasons both of which resulted in fear.

I felt awful! Why did this have to happen this way? Why was she being so crazy, I wondered. I figured this girl must have issues. Little did I know, I was the one with issues!

After an hour of relentless begging, I finally got Andy to open to the door– thankfully before my parents came home. Andy never looked at me the same again, and left shortly thereafter very skeptical of me. No amount of explanation or apology worked. Even a dictionary clearly defining static electricity fell on blind eyes and deaf ears. I begged Andy to ask any adult about static electricity and she would see clearly for herself I was honest. I had no natural powers.

For months after that, Andy refused to be alone with me, and glared at me with big distrusting eyes. I will never forget that day for as long as I live… It was the first time I had a hint I could read people really well– though I didn’t quite know the extent of it for many years to come.

How do I do this? Most often, I use paralleling and I obviously did it long before I could explain it.

Here is another funny story from my childhood. Go figure, my favorite card game was lie. Who knew? Eyes-for-Lies Child