Sunday, August 13, 2006

Do you believe in magic in a young girl's heart?

Go read yesterday's post if you haven't already.

So my nine-year-old daughter has three friends for a sleep over. I promise to take them out to look for shooting stars way past everyone's usual bedtime. And its cold. And this guy who I just met and really like tells me it doesn't look good on account of a bright moon.

Shit.

Oh well, good faith and what the hell and me explaining that we probably won't see a thing but sure we can go on and try and don't get your hopes up and yeah, yeah, yeah.

Me and my dealy beloved arm ourselves with a flashlight and blankets and accompany four giggling little girls as they trek to the adjacent field. We spread out the blankets and they laugh and roll on the grass and pretend to see shooting stars.

"I saw one!"

"I made a wish."

"Did you hear that? That was totally a coyote."

"Hey! My foot!"

And I tell myself, it doesn't matter, they're having a good time anyway. The novelty of laying in a field outside so late at night and all.

"That was so way a shooting star."

Then, just at the right moment, when they are all looking at the right spot, a dazzling line of light cuts through the night sky. It dashes and sparkles and disappears as quickly as it appeared. We cheer and clap. We laugh and point.

I swelled inside: Yes! Yes! Yes!

Never ever lose your faith in magic.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry to be the poopy head. I should have been more clear: "The Perseids don't usually get too bright, and the Moon will wash out most of them, but don't let that stop you!"

That's what I meant to say. :-) I've learned over the years I've been doing this to go out anyway, even if the forecast is for rain, or fog, or whatever. On the other hand, we are completely socked in here, and I'd have to drive a ways out of town to see anything. Maybe next year.

Dean said...

I was driving to work early one morning, like 5:00 AM, and something lit the sky up like... like... a meteor. A big one.

It was so cool. It was like somebody fired the flash on a really big camera.

Anonymous said...

Some of my fondest memories of my boys when they were little came from spending the night on blankets on the beach (and falling asleep there) at my Mom's place in St. Augustine Beach every August for the meteor shower (actually there were also a couple of times at South Carolina beaches). It's wonderful.

I came by way of your comment over at Zen's. Great pic. You go, girl. :)

Tits McGee said...

My dad used to take me out a lot in the summer to sleep under the stars. There was something so magical about falling asleep looking at the sky and waking up with my sleeping bag covered in dew. You rock for giving this gift to your kid and her friends.

And thanks for the link to your tits. Hot stuff.

Chris "Chickenwing" Quigley said...

Wonderful post.

I can't see shooting stars from my backyard, but I can see fireflies.

Anonymous said...

I remember lying on the beach, watching the Perseids every summer when I was a teenager - they coincided with our annual family vacation. It was indeed magical.

PDD said...

I totally saw a shooting star yesterday. Seriously.

Anonymous said...

Fog. Damn.

Erin O'Brien said...

Phil: And that, my darling, is exactly what I heard.

Dean: That must have been a biggie. The ones I've seen are like a subtle trail of magic dust.

Sophmom: Hi. Shooting stars on a beach.--perfect.

Tits: Thanks. And your welcome. And starry eyes to you.

sleepy: fireflies are every bit as magical.

sxK: Just saying "Pereids" makes me happy.

PDD: I totally saw your pix on your blog. You are a fox!

Zorgon. I can make the work "moan" out of the letters in "Fog. Damn."

gretchenhr: We take what we can get and keep it when we can. Thanks.

Farm Girl said...

I looked, I did not see. Perhaps I've lost the magic.

mushroom said...

I'm still waiting for the lotto to hit paydirt

~d said...

If you believe in fairies then clap your hand (tinkerbell)
It is never to late to re-kindle the magic, Les.
(cough(bubblebath)cough!)

Jozee said...

I used to see shooting stars on my way home from work at night when I lived further out in the country. It is magical!
Glad you had success!

Erin O'Brien said...

Les: You have not lost the magic. You are here. Here, baby, we gots magic in nines.

Mush: Stop waiting on the Lotto. Have a Boston Cooler instead. Much more satisfying.

~d: ... too busy clapping ...

Jm: Silly hearted girl? I'm 41 and I just wrote a post about eating a candy bar. Shit.

Jozee: Little tiny bits of success = great big pay off.

Bugwit said...

The annual meteor shower was always kind of bittersweet when I was a kid. They were fun to watch, but you knew that school was starting up again very soon.

Anonymous said...

the magic you shared with goat and daughter and friends, again the magic lives on.....I just read all the posts.....the magic lives always. People remember the magic.....good going E!!!

that girl said...

awesome.

effing. awesome.

Anonymous said...

Oh I love the Perseids. It was too overcast here to see a thing. But I've had years when I've stayed up all night because they were so good.