"He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop."Often when I am walking or running in the pre-dawn hours, a street lamp will suddenly go dark. The first time it happened, I wondered if perhaps a man with a long, silvery beard, wearing buckled boots and a purple cloak would emerge from the shadows. Could Albus Dumbledore be in my neighborhood? I know, of course, the impossible nature of what I wonder. Professor Dumbledore is a beloved character first introduced in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. A magical device could not snuff out the street lights with a click and a pop. Still. It somehow comforts me to imagine him watching me, giving me a "lights out" signal.
Certain fictional characters do become real to us, don't they? Jamie and Claudia from MIXED-UP FILES, Atticus Finch, Leigh Botts. They are as real (to me) as any long dead President I've read about in history books, and in many ways, just as influential - or more so.
ReplyDeleteIf Albus ever steps out from the shadows, please give him my warm greetings.
Good point, David, about the long dead political figures in comparison to book characters. For me, India Opal, Billie Jo Kelby, and Gilly Hopkins seem real.
ReplyDeleteBillie Jo Kelby is someone I have yet to meet.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I suspect Billie Jo would be delighted to have the opportunity of joining your list of memorables. How's that for blurring the lines even more between those characters who lived in the real world, and those who have lived in our minds and hearts?
ReplyDeleteI love that idea, Brattcat. I'll be certain to introduce the two when I next see David :)
ReplyDeleteLove that feeling of a street lamp shutting down as you pass it . . . always magical.
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