A Call To Mind

“I think it’s more like your mom is telling him to get on my case.”      
     “If you’re right, ignore them, ’cause we’re just friends anyway, right?” 
     “Yeah,” he said.
     After eyeing Chris all the way to the bar, Uncle Victor redirected his attention to his guests. “Has anyone read any literature concerning past lives?”
     Mr. Novikov from the group replied, “I don’t need to read about it because I have a recollection of a past life.”
     “Interesting,” said Victor. “Do tell.”
     “I’ve never been hypnotized, yet I feel like I’ve experienced fighting at the Battle of Borodino.”
     “What do you remember exactly?” snickered the doctor’s friend, David. 
     “I know what it’s like to hear, smell and feel the turmoil of battle. I can describe Napoleon and the village where we battled.”
     “Did you ever read War and Peace?” said Victor. “Because Tolstoy depicts that war of 1812.”
     “No, never. I’m ashamed to say history doesn’t really interest me. Yet I intuitively know that the Russians were almost defeated by the French. I remember the fire that was set ablaze in Moscow by the Russians. Also, I remember watching the French march out of Moscow shortly after the fire.”
     “How do you explain such memories?” said Victor.
     “I’m probably remembering a past life. I read about the subject, and it makes sense.”
     “What if I offered you another reason for that memory?” said Victor.