Do YOU have a codega?

"She is a firefly, this Linda. In Venice in the Middle Ages there was once a profession for a man called a codega - a fellow you hired to walk in front of you at night with a lit lantern, showing you the way, scaring off thieves and demons, bringing you confidence and protection through the dark streets. This is Linda - my temporary, special-order, travel-sized Venitian codega."

(from "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert)