On Nov. 12, 2026, I finished packing my bag for the highly anticipated Avatar of the Realm in Boston, MA, the world championship for Sorcery: Contested Realm. Although I was one of the unfortunate few who narrowly missed securing a ticket to compete in the main event, there were still other Sorcerers to see and coverage to film.
Traveling from New York City, I needed to walk to the A train at the top of Manhattan, ride it to Moynihan Hall Train Station, and take a four-hour Amtrak ride. I had just shy of an hour to get there.
Little did I know I would encounter one of the craziest, most random scenarios at the center of the world. While standing in the corner of the subway car, I saw an elderly man, who was sitting, seemingly fall asleep onto the shoulder of the fellow passenger next to him. That fellow passenger was actor John Slattery, best known for portraying Roger Sterling in Mad Men, Ben Bradlee Jr. in Spotlight, and Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, among many other roles.
It wasn't until the elderly man was unresponsive to Slattery's shrugs and attempts to wake him that a slow panic crept into nearby passengers. I had 18 minutes to catch my Amtrak.
Image via John Slattery Wikipedia
The closest passengers moved to check the elderly man's pulse as his chin remained slumped forward on his sternum; one woman placed two fingers on his neck, and another on the other side of Slattery placed two fingers on the elderly man's wrist. A man sitting directly across from them moved to lightly shake him. "Hey, buddy! Hey, wake up!" No response.
As we approached the Times Sq. 42nd St. station, Slattery and I made eye contact.
"Is it bad?" I mouthed at the famous actor who no one but me seemed to recognize.
"I think it's bad," Slattery mouthed back with a sense of urgency.
I announced that I was going to hop onto the 42nd Street platform to signal the conductor for help. Hauling my heavy backpack loaded with film equipment, clothes, and a massive binder full of cards, I flailed my arms in both cardinal directions to stall as I ran to find the conductor.
"I think a guy might have died on my subway car," I told the conductor, out of breath.
"A guy died?" he responded incredulously.
"Well, he passed out and is unresponsive."
"He passed out?"
His demeanor made it seem as though this was not a novel event. After I confirmed which train car the elderly man, who may or may not be dead, was in, the conductor sidestepped in his cube and pressed a button on his panel, which seemed to summon NYPD officers patrolling the station.
The scene was a mix of concern from those in the know and contempt from those who knew nothing except that they would definitely be late to wherever they were going. I lost track of how many minutes until my Amtrak.
As I rushed back to the scene in the subway car, one of the NYPD officers stepped out while speaking into his walkie-talkie, requesting medical assistance. At the same moment, an E train pulled in across the platform — likely my last chance to make it to Avatar of the Realm.
I hopped on the E train.
I made the Amtrak.
I am nearly in Boston.
I have always known contesting the Realm could lead to unexpected quests. It's already been a crazy weekend, and it's barely started.
I hope the elderly man is okay.
Maybe one day I'll meet John Slattery under better circumstances.
Featured image: Raise Dead by Tony Szczudlo
