 So,
there I was. Just past midnight, an episode of MASH just started on channel
two, and I realized that when I do finally get tired, tired enough to go
to sleep, I'm going to have to get up, out of bed even, and walk to the
television to turn it off on account of the set being old enough to not
have a remote. And I knew that the instant I was mobile once again after
having been so comfortable in bed, I was going to be awake enough to stay
awake, and thus my night would be shot.
Looking about my room, poorly lit by the dim glow of my television screen alone, I saw the faded, colorless ghosts of my childish possessions. Toys, toys, some CDs, more toys, the computer, toys, toys, toys… And then it hit me. I saw it just before my eyes made their final glance back towards the television. As my eyes scoped their way back towards the TV at the end of yet another commercial break that featured air-condition repair colleges and bail bonds offices, I saw it. My lightsaber. Well, one of my many lightsabers, but the only one of which that wasn't boxed away. It was perfect. It was awesome. Brilliance personified was me in bed with dry eyes and absolutely no enthusiasm for moving. I moved out of bed just far enough to reach the lightsaber, and then I immediately curled myself back up into the exact position I was before. And I kept my lightsaber at the ready by my side. MASH ended, and I still had the strength to go one more show. Spin City came and went, and I thought to myself, "It's one in the morning, I'm really sleepy now, but at least I don't have to get up to turn off the television." With a strong flick of the wrist, I expanded the weapon to its full length. I leaned to the side and forward a bit, extended my arm to its full reach, and tapped the on/off button on the front of the box. Perfect. I collapsed the lightsaber to its compact size, and put it aside on a shelf just to the right of me. Now, I used to adore the Star Wars franchise. You might even call my love for those three original movies fanatical. And even though, over the fast few years, my faith in the ultimate of all space dramas has been severely shaken, sometimes, somehow, the franchise does a little something to redeem itself. How so? Just when you start thinking about how justified you'd be in burning all your Star Wars memorabilia, you find an actual, practical use for a lightsaber. |
