Cambridge Coincidences Collection

My parents named me Belle, an exceedingly uncommon name in the modern U.S. They were scientists and I grew up loving to read and feeling disconnected with most of my peers. When the Disney animated movie "Beauty and the Beast" came out in 1991, I was 8 years old and immediately identified strongly with the heroine (there was some physical resemblance, but the name and character match were uncanny). Decades later, having met and married a relatively wealthy man with blue eyes, long golden hair, somewhat animal-like mannerisms, and mild Asperger's syndrome (difficulty with human empathy), we sometimes joke about the similarities (though I swear my taste in men was in no way influenced by the movie). The final shock of crazy coincidence was when I recently found out that, while never mentioned in the original movie, in the stage musical and other derivative material the Beast/Prince's real name is Adam-- the same as my husband!

2003 - I was visiting "Jumping Cat Monastery" in the middle of Inle Lake, Myanmar, chatting with my traveling companion Luis and looking over the floating gardens. An older French guy left his group and came over to talk to us - asked if we were from Spain (we were speaking Spanish). Luis said yes, I said no, I was from the US. Where? Seattle. 'Ah, I know someone in Seattle!' he exclaimed. A close family friend in Lyon had a daughter who had emigrated to the US 20 years previously; he knew her well, and had visited her in Seattle several years before. She was now a hairdresser, he explained. 'Ani?' I asked. You know Ani? Yes, it was my own hairdresser, who I knew socially as well. Very small world. Katy Warren

When I was a student in Cardiff I got the train back to my parents home in Hertfordshire. This required an intercity train to Paddington, then the tube to Liverpool Street to connect with the train to Bishop's Stortford. The train stopped at Bristol and a man in a formal work suit and briefcase boarded the train and sat in the seat opposite me. We exchanged hellos but nothing more and I returned to my book. We both got off the train at Paddington and drifted off into the busy Paddington station. I made my way to Liverpool Street station and about 2 hours later I was having a cup of tea with my mother in Bishop's Stortford. About 3 hours later, I said that I would go to the local fish and chip shop, about a 5 minute walk. There was a queue of about 10 people so I took my place at the back and waited in line. Quite quickly I thought I recognised the man in the loud Bermuda shirt, shorts and flip flops a few places ahead of me in the queue. Despite his much changed appearance from his work attire, it was the man from the train who got on at Bristol!

Whilst trying to cope with a co -writer's obsession*with coincidences l have suddenly been prey to a raft of the things - in variety and scale<br /> and not only are they (of course) pertinent but they seem to be revitalising me<br /> and I am nearly expecting them.<br /> So you will want at least one example:<br /> l work as a published author at home and move from task to task and very often just when `<br /> l get going on a new task the phone rings or a visitor arrives.<br /> One more: just as l was starting the task of writing this response my daughter arrived with fudge made very close to the only place in Scotland my late mother visited but where neither me or my daughter have ever set foot in though she and l are both otherwise fairly well-travelled.<br /> Another one - just returned from Hoy having visited the naval museum there. On returning home I immediately learnt that a close friend's mother featured in one of the museum's subjects, the wartime canteen on the island.<br /> Or am l just losing the plot like my erstwhile pal?<br /> If so<br /> what a coincidence!