Dandelion Dreamer

Dandelion Dreamer
by Pallavi Kidambi - September 25, 2007

I regrettably opened my eyes. I did this slowly, with a manner of loathing. I did not want to wake up that day. I had no reason to. Why should I get up, when there is an option waiting for me to sleep the rest of the day? I can drift away in dreams of peace and bliss. But somehow, I must have overlooked that option, for I had chosen to open my eyes and wake up to this harsh reality I now have to face.
As soon as I “woke up” (I still felt as if I was sleeping), a spectacular vision was held before me. I had no idea where I was. My only guess was that I was in a foreign land that imitated paradise, for there really is no such thing as paradise. I have heard you can look for paradise your whole life, and all you will find is disappointment and detestation of the real world around you. So that is why I call this place an “imitation” of paradise and not actually paradise.
I awoke in a field full of dandelions. Sure, dandelions are nice things, but all in all, they are weeds. Their seeds will burst everywhere and achieve nothing more than to occupy space and clutter the beauty around you. These dandelions are like the people in the world who do nothing more than to exist and reproduce children who just exist. These people are useless and clutter space (like the dandelions). If they were radiant aromatic flowers, then they would find excitement and actually do something with their lives.
So I was in a field of dandelions. I always thought it somewhat childish when people would make a wish and blow the seeds of the dandelions. I always thought it did nothing more than create false hope in children. My assumption was that this was the dandelion’s major scheme. It would trick humans into strewing their seeds everywhere so they could reproduce faster, and then dandelions would take over the world! But people like me could see through that plot, and we realized that our wishes would never come true.
So just for kicks I decided to wish upon a dandelion. I thought it would be a pleasant joke. This of course was for my own amusement, for there was no one else around. So I picked up the nearest dandelion and thought of the silliest wish I could and blew. All of a sudden, 50 dandelions sprouted out the top of my head! I was appalled! How could this be! I had just wished for this to happen! Could my wish have come true in this foreign land? Perhaps these dandelions were magical dandelions. This brought me back to the question “where am I?” I plucked the newly grown dandelions from my head and made another wish with one of them. I wished that there was someone here to keep me company, and at that moment a rabbit appeared!
It was soft and furry and kept me amused for quite a while before I realized that I had woken up in a field full of dandelions that could grant wishes. After that I had started wishing for everything imaginable and I had everything I wanted! I had gotten to meet the most famous of celebrities and I had all the money in the world. I was living the high life. Then one day, I was shopping and the rabbit I had met before was running frantically across the street. She was about to get hit by a car, but I lunged into the street to save her.
The next thing I knew, I woke up back in the field of dandelions with the rabbit in my lap sleeping peacefully. I picked up a dandelion and wished to know what had just happened to me. A letter appeared in front of me. It read:
Dear Miss,
You sacrificed yourself to save this rabbit.
You have been applauded for this deed, and that is why you are back here.
I did not understand this letter. It did not properly explain anything. I had woken up in this strange land of wishes. I had gotten everything I had wanted. I had saved this rabbit, and I was back here again and I wanted answers, but then I realized I could answer myself, I just had to start asking the right questions and making the right wishes.