Dandelion wishes By Elise Smith (Brooke)

Here is a children's short story I have been working on, my first attempt at a children's story. Let me know what you think in the comments, it is a work in process.

Dandelion wishes

My name is Madeline. I am eight years old. I have long dark hair that reaches all the way down to my bottom. I tie my hair back in a thick braid and always wear my special clip in it.

“This is my favorite clip. It belonged to my mother and her mother too.”

“I think it is the prettiest clip in the world. It is a long metal bobby pin with a pale pink rose made of silk attached to the top.”

Whenever Madeline or Maddie, as her mother called her, felt like she didn’t know what to do and started to panic, she would touch her hair clip three times. After that, she calmed down and knew exactly what to do.

“Lately I do not know what to do a lot.”

“My mother is very ill. The doctors tell me she has a disease called Cancer! “

“Every day after school, on my way to visit my mother in the hospital, I take a shortcut through the dandelion fields.”

“I have my special blue denim bag with me in my bag are lots and lots of lollypops and balloons of all different colors.”

“Before I visit Mum, I stop in the children’s ward. I hide. When the nurses are not looking I hand out lollypops and balloons to all the sick children.”

“Making people happy and smile makes me happy too.”

As Maddie reaches her mother’s hospital room today, doctors were standing outside the room and would not let Maddie go in.

“You can’t stay long today, young lady. Your mother needs to go into surgery.”

“She is getting worse and worse. This operation is her only chance.” One of the doctors whispered, thinking Maddie would not hear.

Maddie heard everything and Maddie was scared, oh how she wished and wished she knew what to do. No matter how many times she touched her hair clip, this time nothing seemed to help. Maddie stood by her mother’s bedside, holding her frail, bony hand.

“I love you so much, Mummy.” She whispered.

Her mother opened her eyes a little and spoke.

“I love you too Maddie, nothing will ever stop me loving you.”

“Tell me something Maddie, do you believe in magic?”

“Yes, I do.” Said Maddie.

“That is a very good thing.” Her mother says as she drifts into sleep.

Maddie kisses her mother on the cheek. The doctors are waiting, a nurse takes Maddie by the hand,

“You can come back tomorrow dear.”

On her way home, as she always did, Maddie took a shortcut through the dandelion fields to pick some flowers for her Grandmother who is looking after her at home. Maddie loves it here in the fields. Seeing all the beautiful flowers makes her feel less sad. The flowers are brightly colored in pinks, purples, yellow and red. The flower's heads looked like smiling faces, grinning at Maddie. As Maddie skips through the long green grass picking the flowers, she stops to place a flower behind her ear. She gasps,

“My clip, it’s gone, oh no, it must have fallen out!”

Desperately Maddie begins to weave through the grass searching for her clip, tears well in her eyes trickling down her cheeks, her heart is beating fast trying to jump out of her chest. Something catches her eye a very tall dandelion swaying in the breeze ahead of her. Maddie has an idea,

“Melissa at school says that dandelions can grant magic wishes and make them come true.” She thought.

Maddie, willing to try anything, picks the long stem she holds the seeded flower to her lips and blows, wishing hard with all her might for her mother to be well again. The seeds spray high into the air, floating all around her like a snowfall before drifting off in the breeze.

“Well, it was worth a shot.” Maddie thinks.

She glances down something is sparkling in the grass,

“Oh, yay it’s my hair clip!”

Quickly, Maddie fixes the clip back in her hair. As she does, she stops and thinks.

“Today I made a decision all by myself.”

“ I did not even have my hair clip.”

“Maybe I don’t need this hair clip to decide what to do after all.”

Maddie removes the clip from her hair and puts it in her pocket instead. She smiles as she dances all the way back to Grandma’s house. Grandma meets Maddie at the door. She looked very happy with a smile from ear to ear.

“Grandma, why are you so happy this afternoon?”

“What is there to be happy about today?”

“I just got a phone call from the hospital Maddie,”

“Mummy is much better after her surgery. The doctors cannot believe it all the Cancer has been removed!”

Maddie smiled from ear to ear,

“Oh Grandma, that is the best news I have ever heard. My friend was right!”

“What do you mean, child?”

Maddie just smiled and gave Grandma a big hug.

“Can we pick up Mummy?” She said.

“We can pick her up next week the doctor tells me.”

Elise Smith©