The Magic of Childhood

The word ‘childhood’ brings a flood of memories to the mind, I’m sure. It means different things to different people, but in general it takes one back to a simpler time, where one’s imagination had no limits. Bedtime stories came to life in dreams and the working of things beyond a developing brain’s comprehension was obviously run by powerful enchantments. In this post, I’ll be listing phenomena that I attributed to magic as a child.

1. Flight
Birds and planes took to the sky easily and glided beyond the reach of even the tallest buildings. Knowing nothing of aerodynamics, I always thought the creatures of the sky were supernatural.

2. Lightning and Thunder
When the Sun and Moon were eclipsed by clouds, the sudden flashes of light and sound scared me. I would close my eyes and ears to protect myself from these unnatural occurrences. I had no idea where that light came from, because it was apparent that it was not from any celestial body. My simple mind couldn’t possibly grasp air pressure, charges and electricity back then, so I was content to find the whole thing eerie.

3. Identical Twins
I did notice that some people had a strong resemblance, but I couldn’t wrap my head around a couple who looked the same. Sometimes, they even wore dresses that were exactly alike. I was sure my eyes were playing tricks on me and I was seeing the same person twice. It was definitely powerful sorcery and I wasn’t interested in the explanation biology provided.

4. Clock
Nobody would believe me if I told them the clock was a living being. It had hands that moved on its own accord and it made a low ticking sound, so why were the adults convinced it was inanimate? I never solved this paradox as a little girl, so the clock became a magical object to me.

5. Television
I didn’t want to know how it functioned, just as long as it entertained me. It played all my favourite shows and I loved it. It didn’t bother me in the slightest that it was some kind of wizardry because it was the good kind.

I have a longer list, but I wanted to keep this one short, so that’s a wrap. What does your list contain? I’m especially keen to hear from people who are not from my generation, so do share your thoughts in the comments section.