“What are you doing?”
The six year old on the ground looked up, brushing her bright red hair out of her face. She stared into the steel grey eyes of the boy who lived across the street from her and said, “Picking flowers. My mommy says nothing cheers people up like a bucket of flowers.”
The nine year old boy sneered. “You mean a bouquet?”
The girl scrunched her freckled face and looked at the dandelions in her hand. “Boo-kay,” she repeated. She looked back at the boy. “That's a weird word,” she decided.
“No, what's weird is that you decided to use weeds to make one,” he said.
She shook her head and laughed. “These aren't weeds, silly. They're flowers.”
“My dad says dandelions are just weeds. “
“Well, maybe your daddy never really looked at one before. “ She plucked a yellow plant from the ground and held it up. “See? It's got petals and pollen and it grows in the ground. That makes it a flower. “
The boy pointed to a fluffy white dandelion growing by her leg. “They turn into those. You can't tell me that's a flower. “
“Oh, no, that's not a flower, “the girl said. The boy smirked triumphantly. But the little girl carefully picked the plant and stood up. “It’s more than that. It's a wish.”
The boy laughed. “That’s not a wish, stupid.”
“It’s not nice to call people stupid, “she said. “ Besides, lots of people wish stuff. “
He frowned. “Wishing is for babies. Wishes don't come true. “
She lightly poked the dandelion. “You go to church, right?”
"So? “
She stared at him. “Well, people in church pray. Praying is like wishing, right? “
He looked offended. “No. I pray to God. I don't pray to a stupid weed. “
“Well, maybe there's a god that grants wishes, “she suggested.
He shook his head. “There’s only one God. “
She thought for a second. “An angel, then. One who listens to all the wishes, and makes them come true. “
“You get all this from a weed? “
She looked down at the dandelion. “Well, it might be a weed, but it's a very pretty one. “ She then scrunched up her face in concentration and blew all of the seeds off the plant. She smiled, saying, “I hope one reaches the angel. “
The boy sighed. “There is no-- “
He was interrupted by a woman's voice calling for her child. Behind the boy, a short plump woman appeared. “It’s time to come in, darling,” she said to the young girl.
“Okay. “ She turned to the boy and said, “Bye. “ She ran up to her mom and grabbed one of her hands. She held up the dandelions in her other hand and said, “Look, mommy. I made you a boo-kay. “
As they walked away, the boy heard the mother say, “They’re beautiful, sweetheart. “
He stared at them as they slowly faded from view. When they were gone, he looked at the ground and hesitantly picked up a white dandelion. Then he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and made a wish.