Etta has a very faint memory of walking on a trail with her father when she was very little. He's helping her make a bouquet for Mommy. It must be her birthday or something, because Etta is being very mindful of this bouquet, unlike so many others where she's ended up dropping half of the flowers in her excitement. No, this is an important bouquet, she walks very carefully to not damage the flowers before she can give them to Daddy to hold while she looks for more. And so Etta becomes very frustrated when the pretty white fluffy flowers keep losing their fluff when she picks them.
"It's okay, Pimento," Daddy says, "Those are special flowers."
He kneels down beside her.
"You have to pick them with two hands. Watch."
Daddy holds the top of the stem with one hand, and breaks the stem off below. All the fluff stays on.
"Do you what kind of flowers these are, sweetie?"
Etta shakes her head.
"They're called Dandilions."
"Dandy Lions!" Etta exclaims, she wants to show Daddy how smart she is.
"Good job, sweetie! Do you know what's special about dandy lions?"
"What, Daddy?"
"They can grant wishes."
"Really?"
"Really," Daddy holds the flower very close to Etta's face, "Do you see all the little parachutes?"
Etta looks closely, and she does see how the fluff is really a whole bunch of tiny circles on very small stems.
"Well, you make a wish. And if you can blow all the parachutes off, your wish will come true."
"I want to make a wish for Mommy."
Daddy smiles at Etta, "That's very nice of you. But remember, you can't tell anyone your wish or it won't come true. Ready? One, two, three!"
Etta blows as hard as she can. And all the little parachutes float away. And Etta's wish does come true, Mommy's bouquet is perfect.
Nana takes Etta away from the scary bald men. The car they're driving in has slowed down, and Nana says to the driver that they're safe. Etta asks Nana how far until they get to Mommy and Daddy, and Nana holds her close and rocks her back and forth and hums a lullaby. And Etta knows. Mommy and Daddy are not waiting for her at the end of this car ride. After Etta has stopped crying Nana asks her if she wants to stop anywhere before they go to her apartment. She does.
The park looks the same, the sky is bright blue like it was the day the bald men pulled her out of Mommy and Daddy's arms. And there are people playing. It somehow seems darker now. But Etta goes straight to the first dandelion she sees. She picks it up very carefully with two hands, just the way Daddy showed her. She concentrates very very hard, takes a deep breath, and blows as hard as she can. She watches all the little parachutes float away. And she begs them to carry her parents back to her.
