Dandelions
Go Wish.
She lay in a patch of dandelions. There was a patch, acres and acres long, full of them about an hour from her house. She came here to think, but also not to think. She came here when she was happy and when she was sad. Audrey came to this field of dandelions because it was the only place she truly knew who she was.
Because, out in the real world, Audrey was a complicated mess. There were things she obviously knew, simple things. Her name was Audrey Clare. She was twenty two years old. She was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana but had recently moved to New York. She worked in a coffee shop. She had a cat named Bagel and a fish named Goldie. Facts she could easily read off the pages in her mind were second nature; of course she knew these things.
But when her loved ones were asked, what could be said about Audrey? Was she creative? Was she intuitive, or lazy? Was she a good person? A good friend? When she was serving customers at work, what was she really? Was she a starving artist, like some of her coworkers? Was she paying her way to a better life? Or was she simply a waitress, living in a one room flat she could barely afford. What did she want in life? That was where the biggest problem laid. Audrey was lost in this big city and in her mind. The world was a big place, and she wasn’t completely sure she was ready to see it all.
So she lay in the dandelions. Where the world was perfectly simple and if it wasn’t all she had to do was lean over and blow on a wish.
The sun was bright on this particular day, shining warmly on her face. She lay with her legs crossed and her arm tossed lazily above her head, her eyes closed. She would have to be at work in four hours and knew she had just enough time to get home, get dressed, and get to work and still have an hour to spare. She wanted to spend that hour here, so she relaxed and took in the familiar scent dandelions usually brought.
Audrey was caught off guard when she could no longer feel the warm heat of the sun kissing her skin, and she hesitantly opened one eye, sure she’d come face to face with some ax murderer.
Instead she saw a boy, not much older than she, standing above her and watching her curiously. His head was tilted questioningly, causing his shaggy brown hair to fall into his face a little, covering part of one of his eyes. That’s about all Audrey could see, with the sun right behind him she couldn’t see much through the shadow.
“Why are you laying in a patch of dandelions?” He asked.
“Why are you walking in a patch of dandelions?” She returned. She could see him nod, and the flash of teeth that said he smiled.
“Touché.”
Audrey closed her eyes again, expecting him to either go away or for this all to be a dream. Either way, he wouldn’t be there when she opened her eyes.
But instead she heard the rustling of dandelions being shifted, and suddenly she was aware of a presence right next to her. She shifted her head and opened her eyes to look at him, unsure of exactly how to react to this.
“Can I help you?” She finally said. The boy shrugged, not looking at her.
“No.”
Audrey glanced around for an answer to this problem, but found none. “Okay…” She mumbled. The two fell into a silence that was comfortable for one, but unbearable for the other. Audrey kept stealing glances at the fellow, confused why he was here and mad he was ruining her hour. After what seemed like forever, she finally spoke again.
“Look, I’m not quite sure why you’re here, but could you maybe leave? I was kind of here first. And if you’re dead set on lying in a field on dandelions, that’s great. This field is acres wide, I’m sure you can find a different spot.”
He was quiet for a moment before finally saying, “I like it here.”
Audrey sat up and looked at the guy crossly, frowning. “Why?”
“The sun’s nice here.” He said simply. “And there’s a pretty girl here.”
She involuntarily smiled and looked away, biting her lip. “That’s really nice.” She said. “But, I don’t know you; and you don’t know me. It’d just be best if we-“
“Corey, I’m Corey. What’s your name?”
“None of your business.” She said immediately. “But, like I was saying, it’d be best if we split up, ‘cause it’s only fair that I get this spot since I was here first and all-“
“Why can’t I know?”
“We’re strangers. As I was saying-"
“Do you come her often?”
Audrey paused. She hadn’t expected this question. She hadn’t expected any questions, actually. She hadn’t expected some strange man to come and take her spot.
“I guess I do.” She finally said.
“Do you recommend it? Coming to this field?”
Audrey blinked, once again caught off guard. “What?”
“Is this a good place to think? To relax?”
Her brows furrowed. “I- I suppose so.”
“So I should come back?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because.” She said quickly, her temper flaring. “Because, this is my place. How rude of you to try and take it from me.”
Now, he looked at her. He turned his head to look up at her and was once again struck by the beautiful girl he’d stumbled upon in a field of dandelions. “Who said we can’t share?”
Audrey met the boys brown eyes and tried to find something there that could make him go away.
“I’m not good at sharing.” She said after a moment, honestly. She was surprised by how honest the statement was, and knew it was true the moment she said it. Why didn’t she know this about herself already? How had she not figured out in the last twenty two years that she was not a fan of sharing? Then again, lately it seemed she didn’t know anything about herself, so it shouldn’t be such a shock. She turned to the brown eyed boy again.
“Do you have any paper? And a pencil?”
Surprisingly, he nodded. He reached in his jean pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper, and a pencil. They both looked at each other questioningly.
“I like to draw.” He explained simply. She nodded and began scribbling on the paper without an explanation of her own. In her pretty scrawl, she wrote out 'doesn’t like to share', before shoving the paper in her pocket.
“What was that for?” He asked. He’d seen her words and was just as confused as she probably was when she remembered he was there.
“I don’t want to forget.” She said simply, quietly. He raised an eyebrow.
“Do you have this thing where you forget things every like, five minutes?” Audrey shook her head. “Oh, okay.”
She turned her head to look at the boy and half smiled, half shrugged before finally saying, “I’m Audrey.”
Corey smiled. “That’s a pretty name.”
“Any dogs?”
“Go wish.”
Corey chuckled and leaned over to grab a dandelion. He thought for a moment before blowing away the flurry white seeds, making a wish. Audrey bit her lip, thinking of something to ask.
“Siblings?”
“Yes.” Corey said. “Two older brothers.” Audrey nodded, thinking of another question.
“Pets?”
Corey smirked. “Go wish.”
Sighing, Audrey picked a stem for herself and made her own wish. Neither of them really knew how this odd game began, just that it did. They would ask each other a series of yes or no questions. If the answer was yes, they’d say so and maybe give more information. If it was no, they would respond with Go Wish, and the other would have to grab a dandelion and make a wish. It was a twisted version of Go Fish that Corey was sure he came up with, though Audrey believed it was all her idea. They’d been at it for lord knows how long –Audrey was probably already late for work. When she realized this, she jumped up in a panic and swore she had to go.
“Goodbye then, I guess.” Corey shrugged. Audrey stopped to smile.
“Bye. Stay out of my dandelions.”
With that she turned and ran. She usually found herself deep inside the patch so it took her a few minutes to reach her car on the side of the road. Corey watched her run off, picking up another dandelion and blowing out one last wish; to see her again.
Because, out in the real world, Audrey was a complicated mess. There were things she obviously knew, simple things. Her name was Audrey Clare. She was twenty two years old. She was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana but had recently moved to New York. She worked in a coffee shop. She had a cat named Bagel and a fish named Goldie. Facts she could easily read off the pages in her mind were second nature; of course she knew these things.
But when her loved ones were asked, what could be said about Audrey? Was she creative? Was she intuitive, or lazy? Was she a good person? A good friend? When she was serving customers at work, what was she really? Was she a starving artist, like some of her coworkers? Was she paying her way to a better life? Or was she simply a waitress, living in a one room flat she could barely afford. What did she want in life? That was where the biggest problem laid. Audrey was lost in this big city and in her mind. The world was a big place, and she wasn’t completely sure she was ready to see it all.
So she lay in the dandelions. Where the world was perfectly simple and if it wasn’t all she had to do was lean over and blow on a wish.
The sun was bright on this particular day, shining warmly on her face. She lay with her legs crossed and her arm tossed lazily above her head, her eyes closed. She would have to be at work in four hours and knew she had just enough time to get home, get dressed, and get to work and still have an hour to spare. She wanted to spend that hour here, so she relaxed and took in the familiar scent dandelions usually brought.
Audrey was caught off guard when she could no longer feel the warm heat of the sun kissing her skin, and she hesitantly opened one eye, sure she’d come face to face with some ax murderer.
Instead she saw a boy, not much older than she, standing above her and watching her curiously. His head was tilted questioningly, causing his shaggy brown hair to fall into his face a little, covering part of one of his eyes. That’s about all Audrey could see, with the sun right behind him she couldn’t see much through the shadow.
“Why are you laying in a patch of dandelions?” He asked.
“Why are you walking in a patch of dandelions?” She returned. She could see him nod, and the flash of teeth that said he smiled.
“Touché.”
Audrey closed her eyes again, expecting him to either go away or for this all to be a dream. Either way, he wouldn’t be there when she opened her eyes.
But instead she heard the rustling of dandelions being shifted, and suddenly she was aware of a presence right next to her. She shifted her head and opened her eyes to look at him, unsure of exactly how to react to this.
“Can I help you?” She finally said. The boy shrugged, not looking at her.
“No.”
Audrey glanced around for an answer to this problem, but found none. “Okay…” She mumbled. The two fell into a silence that was comfortable for one, but unbearable for the other. Audrey kept stealing glances at the fellow, confused why he was here and mad he was ruining her hour. After what seemed like forever, she finally spoke again.
“Look, I’m not quite sure why you’re here, but could you maybe leave? I was kind of here first. And if you’re dead set on lying in a field on dandelions, that’s great. This field is acres wide, I’m sure you can find a different spot.”
He was quiet for a moment before finally saying, “I like it here.”
Audrey sat up and looked at the guy crossly, frowning. “Why?”
“The sun’s nice here.” He said simply. “And there’s a pretty girl here.”
She involuntarily smiled and looked away, biting her lip. “That’s really nice.” She said. “But, I don’t know you; and you don’t know me. It’d just be best if we-“
“Corey, I’m Corey. What’s your name?”
“None of your business.” She said immediately. “But, like I was saying, it’d be best if we split up, ‘cause it’s only fair that I get this spot since I was here first and all-“
“Why can’t I know?”
“We’re strangers. As I was saying-"
“Do you come her often?”
Audrey paused. She hadn’t expected this question. She hadn’t expected any questions, actually. She hadn’t expected some strange man to come and take her spot.
“I guess I do.” She finally said.
“Do you recommend it? Coming to this field?”
Audrey blinked, once again caught off guard. “What?”
“Is this a good place to think? To relax?”
Her brows furrowed. “I- I suppose so.”
“So I should come back?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because.” She said quickly, her temper flaring. “Because, this is my place. How rude of you to try and take it from me.”
Now, he looked at her. He turned his head to look up at her and was once again struck by the beautiful girl he’d stumbled upon in a field of dandelions. “Who said we can’t share?”
Audrey met the boys brown eyes and tried to find something there that could make him go away.
“I’m not good at sharing.” She said after a moment, honestly. She was surprised by how honest the statement was, and knew it was true the moment she said it. Why didn’t she know this about herself already? How had she not figured out in the last twenty two years that she was not a fan of sharing? Then again, lately it seemed she didn’t know anything about herself, so it shouldn’t be such a shock. She turned to the brown eyed boy again.
“Do you have any paper? And a pencil?”
Surprisingly, he nodded. He reached in his jean pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper, and a pencil. They both looked at each other questioningly.
“I like to draw.” He explained simply. She nodded and began scribbling on the paper without an explanation of her own. In her pretty scrawl, she wrote out 'doesn’t like to share', before shoving the paper in her pocket.
“What was that for?” He asked. He’d seen her words and was just as confused as she probably was when she remembered he was there.
“I don’t want to forget.” She said simply, quietly. He raised an eyebrow.
“Do you have this thing where you forget things every like, five minutes?” Audrey shook her head. “Oh, okay.”
She turned her head to look at the boy and half smiled, half shrugged before finally saying, “I’m Audrey.”
Corey smiled. “That’s a pretty name.”
☼ ☼ ☼
“Any dogs?”
“Go wish.”
Corey chuckled and leaned over to grab a dandelion. He thought for a moment before blowing away the flurry white seeds, making a wish. Audrey bit her lip, thinking of something to ask.
“Siblings?”
“Yes.” Corey said. “Two older brothers.” Audrey nodded, thinking of another question.
“Pets?”
Corey smirked. “Go wish.”
Sighing, Audrey picked a stem for herself and made her own wish. Neither of them really knew how this odd game began, just that it did. They would ask each other a series of yes or no questions. If the answer was yes, they’d say so and maybe give more information. If it was no, they would respond with Go Wish, and the other would have to grab a dandelion and make a wish. It was a twisted version of Go Fish that Corey was sure he came up with, though Audrey believed it was all her idea. They’d been at it for lord knows how long –Audrey was probably already late for work. When she realized this, she jumped up in a panic and swore she had to go.
“Goodbye then, I guess.” Corey shrugged. Audrey stopped to smile.
“Bye. Stay out of my dandelions.”
With that she turned and ran. She usually found herself deep inside the patch so it took her a few minutes to reach her car on the side of the road. Corey watched her run off, picking up another dandelion and blowing out one last wish; to see her again.