Always

It was a warm, sunny day in a small town in Egypt. The trees and plants by a house were softly rustling to a hot breeze while a dog was a attempting to cool himself off by lying down on the cold titles of the veranda. Although it was extremely quiet, a soft and ever so distant sound of sobbing could be heard. The noise was coming from a fourteen year old girl curled up in an arm chair who was practically crying her little eyes out. Her mother from another room happened to hear the noise and was worriedly following it across the house in hopes of finding it’s source. She finds the origin in the midst of the living room and quickly sighs knowing the cause of her daughter’s torment.

They had just come back from the latest and final Harry Potter movie and although her daughter had tried to put on a brave front all throughout the movie, she could only recognize that the girl had begun to cry in the very dark cinema without even noticing it herself. Her big brown eyes stared unblinking at Alan Rickman’s beautiful final performance while tears quickly streamed down her face. After the scene was complete, she suddenly became startled at the state she was in and quickly began using her sleeve to wipe her face, hoping no one noticed. She’s always loved Harry Potter and her mother could closely remember another summer in Egypt two years before when the girl had run into the kitchen while crying in order to shout her frustrations about her favorite character’s death while she was reading. It’s always been a huge part of her life, she had created an emotional connection with the story and it’s people. The final movie this time had turned a character she never really thought much about in the books into the saddest love story she could ever think of. It was all thanks to Alan Rickman and his glorious acting.

The girl grew up and recently started university, although a lot older, she still believes in the magic that is Hogwarts and she thinks about it often. Regardless, she had sadly somewhat forgot how Alan had touched her and made her feel. So, two days ago she walked into her English class and heard murmurs: “dead at sixty-nine.. Snape.” While confused she opened her laptop only to find the headline: “Alan Rickman dead at sixty-nine” right when she accessed her social media sites. She held both her hands to her mouth in shock, only then had she fully realized what her fellow students at the lecture were speaking about. The rest of the day passed in a daze of sadness and confusion at the memory of his movies and acting. She just couldn’t believe it. Her big brown eyes from almost four years ago teared up once again at the legacy he left and the feelings that ached. Thank you for your lovely performances and portrayals, Mr. Alan Rickman. You will always be one of my favorite actors.

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This short true story tribute is in loving memory of Alan Rickman. May he rest in peace and never be forgotten. Thank you for changing the perspective of a young girl.