C = Cheese

Okay, okay, what does cheese have to do with speculative fiction, you ask. Bear with me for a moment.

C is also for Crystal. (A word I'm particularly fond of.)

In Napoleon Dynamite, the crystals are a mystical element that will power a time travel device. They're a symbol of magic. (Hey, does that mean I'm a symbol of magic? Score!)

Life is full of symbolism.

What is the first thing you think of when someone says, "Cheese!"?

Source

That's pretty much it for me too. Actually, my picture is more like this:

Cheese is a symbol (like crystals). For me, it means something so much more than food or smiles. It represents the true essence of happiness. This last picture is my special needs brother, the happiest, most loving person I've ever known. And yes, he was obsessed with cheese. It's because of him I insist that:

Cheese is the best food on the planet. Cheese=happiness. Cheese makes the world go round.

Symbols are all around us in life and thus all throughout literature. They're a subtext that conveys greater meaning in everyday life. In THE MIRROR PEOPLE, the mirror is a symbol, an element meant to make us question the inner demons we face. Symbolically, are we like Jak, trapped by his twin identity, or are we the type of people who define our own worlds--like my brother?

Due to symbolism, cheese is my happy place.

What's your cheese?

(Remember, every comment is a chance to win a copy of Parallels.)