i have read harry potter since as long as i can remember

the books were paperbacks, threads of the spine peeling off, tape holding the pages in place

i loved the pictures

the day that the last book came out i was sick. too sick to stay up til midnight, my mommy said. lyme disease.

but i stayed up until midnight anyway, sitting up in my bed, yawning, fighting fatigue. i could see the mooon outside my window.
or maybe not. was it cloudy?

the next morning my mommy and i went to borders. i bought the book, and felt a swooping sensation of completion.

and maybe fear. was it really over?

i read the book in hours. we left for a vacation in green lake, and i read it in the car, huddled with a knit blanket and a flashlight...it was late at night.

i cried at the end. no spoilers. but i still cried, man.

it was like something was over. something big and important and awesome.

and then i realized
there were still the movies.

so when i walked out of the theater a few days ago, clutching my 3d glasses in one hand and my friend's hand in the other, i have to admit: my eyes were a little teary.

why did it end?

sigh.