On Saturday my Magic Kindle fell off my nightstand again. Annoyed, I leaned over and picked it up, but the power button did nothing. I pushed the button repeatedly to no avail. I plugged it in, I powered it off, I reset it, I factory-reset it. I googled desperately for help. Nothing.
My faithful friend for over three years, the Magic Kindle was a semi-impulsive purchase one early January tied to a New Year resolution to read more. Roy was a little skeptical, but, wanting to support me, let me buy the new toy that would give me that initial motivation. (Kind of like buying a Fitbit makes working out everyday attainable and a new blender guarantees you'll drink a green smoothie each morning.) I picked up a used Kindle on Craigslist, case and charger included, for $40. Roy even drove out and made the transaction for me. (What a guy.) What I didn't realize was that fate had smiled upon us and granted me a Kindle with magical powers.
My Magic Kindle was of an older vintage. It had no backlight for nighttime reading, it was peskily slow when it came to WiFi, and the touch capabilities of the screen were snail-esque. However, this unique set of features enabled me to successfully download new library loans and then quickly shut off the WiFi before it returned any of the overdue loans. By the time of its demise my Magic Kindle had dozens of bestselling, hot-ticket books still in its memory banks. I never had to worry about not finishing a book in time, or checking out too many at once. Roy could cast his favorite books over to the Magic Kindle and they'd be there for as long as it took to get to them.
Anyone who's watched that one episode of Friends with Joey, Chandler, and a certain television station will understand. I knew exactly how good I had it...
The Magic Kindle gave me every chance to read, and read well. I could hold a cranky baby and still read single-handedly. I could slip it into my purse and snatch a chapter or two while waiting for a meeting. We went to Orlando and Paris together. I won my book club's annual page-reading contest in 2019 thanks to the Magic Kindle.
The Magic Kindle even won over the skeptic. The one who swore he'd never read literature off a screen picked up his own (sadly, it's a Muggle) and uses it in earnest. Some of our favorite evenings are spent side by side in bed with the mattress warmer, wine, and good books.
So, rest in peace Magic Kindle. I'm sorry you were knocked off resting places by little boys and, occasionally, by yours truly. You survived many concussions with courage and dignity. I'll miss your superpowers. I'll miss the Paw Patrol stickers on your case from James' gymnastics classes. I have purchased your replacement--a new-to-me Kindle that has its own backlight and is much faster in all areas and comes in a very trendy marbled case, but it can't replace the esteemed place you hold in my heart.
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