When dreams meet reality
Picture the scene:
I’m standing in Eason’s bookshop in Galway browsing the papers when this guy comes up to me with a copy of ABC, one of the Spanish daily newspapers. He opens the newspaper and shows me the famous picture of the astronaut from the moon landings with the lunar module and the planet Earth (I think) reflected in his helmet. I try to ignore him but he insists “Look at this picture! Look at this picture!”.
Then he points to the shadow that the astronaut is casting and he says “Look at it! Shadows on the moon! I never would have thought it! What do you think of that?”
Without trying to cause offence I point out that the sun shines on the moon as well and it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that it might cast a few shadows there while it’s at it.
But there’s no convincing him and off he bounds with a big goofy grin shouting to all and sundry “Shadows on the moon! Who would have thought it!”
Although this scene has all the classic characteristics of a dream (the out of place associations of the Spanish newspaper and the Galway bookshop; the straight faced playing out of a completely illogical scenario), this did not happen in a dream. It happened to me today for real. Today. For real.
From which I can only draw two conclusions:
1. The guy was a bit nuts or (more charitably) probably missed a few lessons in physics class.
2. I haven’t yet adjusted to my new surroundings and am going around telling perfectly decent strangers that “the sun does shine on the moon too you know”.
I’m not really sure which is the correct conclusion. Sure that’s Galway for ya.
Mark Waters marked time at 2:03 am on July 23rd, 2004 .
