Epilogue
Just over three miles from where Binny Jordan was looking at an almost seventy-year-old notebook, a small room was lit only by a grainy series of images on a large computer screen.
For weeks now, almost every evening, and sometimes late into the night, those images played over and over again on the display. A hand rested on a raised circular control in front of the screen. When the hand twisted the dial to the left, the images on the screen played quickly in reverse. When the hand let the dial rest at center, the images went forward at a normal speed. This pattern had been repeated hundreds of times and would be repeated hundreds more.
The black and white images were clearly shot from above. They may have been grainy but showed one thing with unmistakable clarity – a little girl standing up and walking towards a large mirror on the side of a small room. After a few more seconds, the little girl on the screen would start to flicker. Sometimes the little girl was visible in the image. Sometimes she was not. And often she hovered somewhere in between – partially transparent.
Inevitably the video would get to the part where another party entered the room and the flickering would stop. At that point the hand would twist the dial to the left, and the little girl would begin to flicker all over again.
Soundtrack
Normally, books don’t have musical accompaniment. But The Madrona Heroes Register wasn’t originally intended to be a book. It was going to be a screenplay, and maybe eventually, a film. But screenplays aren’t consumed widely unless they’re made into movies. I considered making it a graphic novel for awhile, but that seemed like an even more daunting challenge than a screenplay. Thus, out of sheer laziness (and fear?), The Madrona Heroes Register became the novel you have before you.
But just because the story is told as a novel doesn’t mean the movie ever left my mind. There are several points during the story when I imagine the camera pulling back from the scene you’re reading, and a particular song plays over beautiful imagery. I am listing these moments here, so if you choose, you too can experience the film that I saw in my head as I wrote the book.
Each of these musical interludes aren’t really described in the book at length because a film would rely on the song and the visuals to set the mood. So you’ll have to fill in a minute or two of ‘movie’ when you play the song to get the full effect.
To experience these musical moments you may need to spend a few dollars if the songs aren’t already in your music collection. But I promise they are worth it.
Let My Love Open the Door, Pete Townshend – This song plays just as Chapter 1 ends and we get a view of the entire neighborhood.
Watching the Wheels (Acoustic), John Lennon – During Chapter 18, the song plays as the family walks from the ice cream shop to the park and the kids eat their ice cream.
Funk #49, The James Gang – During Chapter 19, while the kids are being driven, the music plays as the convoy proceeds towards its destination.
Ramble On, Led Zeppelin – Towards the end of Chapter 24, the music starts right when everyone exits the building and heads to the parking lot. It continues to play under the rest of the chapter as it progresses.
Acknowledgments
I could not have known that when I dreamt of being a superhero as a child, or casually thought about telling stories as an adult, that someday these threads would come together in the form of this book. I do know however that without the following people’s generosity of time and spirit, this book never would have happened.
My three children, Sivan, Bella, and Rakefet, are unique and fascinating human beings who I constantly admire and am endlessly striving to understand. They challenge me to be the best person I can be, and constantly remind me of how far I have to go. I’ve done my best to teach them that I believe life is for creating and sharing. In some small way, writing and sharing this story is intended to demonstrate that precept.
One other note: whenever the fictional children in the book are doing something admirable, credit is due wholly to my children for providing the inspiration. However, any embarrassing incidents in the book are made up out of whole cloth and blame should be assigned to me and me alone.
My dearest friend, Kira, was instrumental in the creation of this book. When this book was just a story, she was the one who insisted that I write “just the first chapter, and let’s see how it goes.” Twenty-five chapters and an epilogue later, she has been a tireless cheerleader, thoughtful critic, and unpaid therapist. I’m indebted.
Even when all I knew was that some story was coming, I knew that it would be illustrated by my collaborator (who I’m also now proud to call a friend) Caroline Hadilaksono. She uses her paintbrush like a magic wand, trailing inspiration and delight wherever she points it. She has brought the characters and settings of the story to life with a delicate realism and a sense of humor that I could only have dreamed of. I could not be more thrilled that she has honored me by accompanying me on this creative journey.
Reading an unedited book by an unknown author without getting paid for it is not as glamorous as it sounds. And let’s be honest, it doesn’t sound very glamorous at all. But the following people did it anyway. They did it diligently, and thoughtfully, and I’m incredibly grateful for their honest feedback and compassionate support. My heartfelt thanks go out to Jenny, Shelby, Amber, Steve, Pam, and Sarah. Thank you to Roee, my medical advisor since sixth grade. A special thank you goes to one final early reader – Berny, or as I call him, Dad. His thoughtful compliments and articulate critiques have meant the world to me.
If you are a person who has a dream, or several as I tend to, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you have someone in your life that supports you in those dreams no matter what. Whether they’re big or small, whether they’re realistic or ridiculous, having someone by your side that will do anything they can to see you have a chance at achieving your hopes is absolutely essential. For me that person is Debra Weissman. The word “editing” doesn’t begin to describe the work that Debbie did to help my jumbles of words become an actual readable novel. Lucky for me, Debbie’s generosity isn’t limited to the time she put into this dream of mine. She’s the mother to my three beautiful children, and I’m so grateful that she has been and always will be a part of my life.
If you liked this book…
Thank you so much for reading this book. Sharing this story with you is immensely rewarding for me. Since you’ve already given me your time, I hesitate to ask you for something else. That said, I believe that the more people that read this book, the better future books will be. So if you have the inclination and the energy, I would ask you simply to spread the word. Here are some suggestions:
Suggest the book to a friend.
Suggest that a parent read the book to their child.
Suggest that a child read the book to their parent.
Suggest to a teacher that they read it to their class.
Visit the Madrona Heroes website at https://madronaheroes.com. That’s the primary place where I post everything Madrona Heroes related.
‘Like’ and ‘Share’ Madrona Heroes on Facebook. https://facebook.com/madronaheroes
‘Tweet’ about the Madrona Heroes. (@madronaheroes)
Give the book an honest review on goodreads.com.
Give the book an honest review on amazon.com.
Make and share some Madrona Heroes art.
And most importantly, write me with your feedback –
[email protected]. I’ll do my best to reply, and I promise that I will read everything that comes my way.
– Hillel
P.S. If you’re a true super fan of the Madrona Heroes, then write to me at the above e-mail address, and you may get added to the Madrona Heroes Reserves. It’s a secret group of the book’s biggest fans who get early access to writing, and art, and help me get the word out about the books. Space is limited, so act soon.
About the Author
Hillel Cooperman has pretended to be a superhero since he
was a small child. He conceived of the story of the Madrona Heroes in the summer of 2012 on a trip abroad with his family. By winter, he had started writing in earnest. He lives in the Madrona neighborhood of Seattle with his three children, their three cats, and thousands of Lego bricks. His superpower is procrastination. The Madrona Heroes Register is his first novel.
About the Illustrator
Caroline Hadilaksono is an Indonesian-born illustrator living in Brooklyn by way of Los Angeles. Her life goal is to make watercolor travel-sketches from as many different places in the world as possible. She dreams of living in a tree house one day. She enjoys watercoloring, eating, and laughing, preferably simultaneously. Her superpower is organizing things.
Thank you for reading “Echoes of the Past – Book No. 4 of
The Madrona Heroes Register”.
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