Of Shadows and Magic
Zerlynde discovered her shadow recently. About 2 weeks ago, I switched off the main light in our bedroom leaving only a tiny light on. Instead of being lulled into sleep, she caught sight of her shadow on the wall and started playing with it, trying to grasp it with her hands.
Last Friday, my hubby exasperated that she was still awake at 1 am, switched off the main light hoping it would remind Zerlynde that it's bedtime and not playtime. To his frustration, she found her shadow again and started to follow it around from one corner of the wall to another. As much as she was fascinated with her new discovery, I was fascinated with her curiousity and playfulness. I watched her for awhile, then showed her how to form butterflies, rabbits and other animals using my hands and fingers. She soon followed suit, moving her fingers and watching her shadows danced in sync. It must be a great enlightenment for her at that precise moment when she learnt that shadows are somehow linked to her!
As I was experimenting with shapes and shadows, my mind inevitably floated back to when I was 5, maybe 6. My father used to fascinate us with what he could create using only his hands, a bit of light and an orange wall. He was our hero then, always enchanting us with various tricks and magic shows. One of his most intriquing tricks was the one about the broken toothpick and the hanky. He would fold a hanky over a toothpick, then broke it into pieces and let us feel the broken pieces with our fingers. When we later unfold the hanky, lo and behold, the toothpick would still be in one piece! I remember I would spent hours pondering over such like phemonema.
Today, my father is still a great conjuror, except he now keeps the magic alive for his grandchildren.
Last Friday, my hubby exasperated that she was still awake at 1 am, switched off the main light hoping it would remind Zerlynde that it's bedtime and not playtime. To his frustration, she found her shadow again and started to follow it around from one corner of the wall to another. As much as she was fascinated with her new discovery, I was fascinated with her curiousity and playfulness. I watched her for awhile, then showed her how to form butterflies, rabbits and other animals using my hands and fingers. She soon followed suit, moving her fingers and watching her shadows danced in sync. It must be a great enlightenment for her at that precise moment when she learnt that shadows are somehow linked to her!
As I was experimenting with shapes and shadows, my mind inevitably floated back to when I was 5, maybe 6. My father used to fascinate us with what he could create using only his hands, a bit of light and an orange wall. He was our hero then, always enchanting us with various tricks and magic shows. One of his most intriquing tricks was the one about the broken toothpick and the hanky. He would fold a hanky over a toothpick, then broke it into pieces and let us feel the broken pieces with our fingers. When we later unfold the hanky, lo and behold, the toothpick would still be in one piece! I remember I would spent hours pondering over such like phemonema.
Today, my father is still a great conjuror, except he now keeps the magic alive for his grandchildren.
posted by Lin at 12:37 AM
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