everyone has heroes. everyone is a hero.

[earlofcardigans]

there was a tiny captain america in our theatre tonight. he wasn't older than six and had a cap shirt and his shield from target. he had light up shoes that blinked red and blue.

when the movie was over and the credits were rolling, he stood up and pretended to throw his shield and have it come back to him. his dad asked him if he was fighting aliens. he was, he said. he was saving the world, he said.

and then he sat down hard and leaned on the seat in front of him to watch the after credits scene. shield hanging over the back of the seat, eyes wide.

he laughed, his dad laughed, his mom cleaned up popcorn.

his dad asked him if that was what he was waiting for, if that was what he'd heard about and why they had to stay all the way till the end.

he got up nodding and throwing his shield and instead of running around and out, he looked tired and sighed.

held his shield in front of him, and waved it at his mother to precede him out of the theatre.

before he got to the exit tunnel, he looked back at the screen one more time, even though it was blank.

his eyes were big, and his shield was real.