Busted! But Officer, I was Having an Epiphany [Writing Prompt #217]

I was driving home from work when I suddenly and completely understood the mother of one of my characters. “Siri, take a note.” Bing.

I told my phone what she wore, the color of her bedspread, the pots and pans piling up in her kitchen sink. A fictional character was speaking to me. She was there right on Forest Avenue and I was lucky because I captured our ‘conversation’ with my voice recognition software. I didn’t even pause to breathe because pauses make Siri stop and save. I didn’t want to stop the thought or stop driving because I was having a full-blown epiphany! I was ecstatic!

Behind me, there was a Nassau County police officer.  My phone was in my hand. But I was not “talking on a cell phone.” I wouldn’t do that. It’s dangerous. I tell my kids how it is dangerous. People die from distracted driving. Could it be that I was breaking the law? Yep. $218 and 5 points on my license.

I didn’t know that talking to Siri was breaking the law but the officer very politely explained it to me. I felt like I was in control, but was I in control?  Next time I get an epiphany while driving, I’ll pull over to the side of the road.

Where was the strangest place you stopped doing whatever it was you were doing because you had to write? Do you remember what it felt like? Did you have to excuse yourself from the table? When was the last time you had an epiphany?  Did anyone ever steal one from you? Did you ask for it back? Like, “Excuse me, that’s my epiphany?” Did you ever break the law to record your epiphany? I guess I just did.

Write a poem or personal narrative about you or a character who had to stop doing something because they had divine inspiration. Or write about a character who broke the law without realizing it.