the dandelion

“Hurry Robin!” Henry squeals. He’s already way ahead of me.

“Wait up,” I call out. Henry’s skipping joyfully beckoning me to catch up.

“What is it you want to show me?” I ask. Henry had arranged plans for us today since last week. He’s been talking about it non stop but wouldn’t tell me what it is.

           “You’ll see,” he replies. He grins at me giving me that ‘I know you’ll love it’ look. The sun is scorching, almost melting our skins off. I keep my head down, squinting as I walk.

           Henry abruptly stops walking and raises his arms to the air as if showing something so grand.

           “There it is, isn’t she beautiful?” he says. I look up and glare at what’s in front of me. A cornfield maze. I most certainly hate it.

           “You call that a ‘she’?” I ask pointing at it.

“Yes. Come on it’d be fun,” Henry says. 

“I’m not sure about this kiddo.” I stare at the unending cornfield, rethinking my decision. He tugs at my arm. I have no choice but to follow.

“Just the two of you?” a lady asks. It seems like she works here. She has a bright yellow uniform on and a broad smile on her face. I nod nervously. I feel sweat trickling down my forehead. Is it just me or is it getting hotter out here, I thought. I pull back Henry’s arm, hesitating.

“Don’t you think it’s a little too hot, maybe we could go somewhere else,” I say, trying to convince him.

“Oh come on Robin,” he begs me. “You know how excited I’ve been about this.”

“But I can’t see why you’re so excited about a cornfield maze.”

He ignores me and pushes me from behind through the entrance.

I look around me and everything’s ginormous. I follow him deeper and suddenly I feel like suffocating.

“Henry I don’t think I’m breathing right.”

He doesn’t respond. I call his name repeatedly but he doesn’t come over. I see him running in a distance, disappearing into the maze. My head starts spinning and the ground starts shaking, then everything goes black.

I wake up shivering. The sun’s no longer blazing and the sky’s turning dark. I manage to stand up although my legs feel brittle. I scan my surroundings. I’m by myself. Where is everybody?

I don’t recognize where I am, I don’t remember getting here either. I’m in between tall, slender crops. They tower over me like giants.

“Is anyone here?” I call out. Silence. Just the wind talking.

“Hello?” “Is anyone here?” I repeat. No one. I begin to panic. My whole body shakes. I’m frightened and all alone.

“Please anyone!” I cry out. Tears are rolling down my eyes. I put my hands on my knees stabilizing my breathing. Calm down Robin, calm down Robin. I run through things I can do.

 I jump as high as I can but all I see are miles and miles of corn crops. I land stumbling to the ground. My feet are useless like broken glass.  I shriek once more for help, still nothing. My voice just echoing into my own ear. My throat is dry from all the wailing. I wipe the cold sweat off my face with my dirty sleeves. I walk aimlessly trying to get my thoughts straight but then my eyes feel heavy. The next thing I know they’re glued closed. I drop to the ground and drift off to sleep.

           I sense something shuffling around me. I slowly open my eyes and the sky is pitch black with the beautiful moon radiating its luminous light. Then there’s rustling. Probably just some animal. The wind is getting mighty fierce. It’s swaying the crops quite harshly making them hit one another.

           I take a stroll, kicking the dirt. The wind doesn’t bother me. In fact, it makes me feel less alone. I hum to a tune, dancing with the wind. Soon my tummy growls, I put my hand on my belly feeling the subtle rumble. Suddenly I’m craving mom’s delicious meals. A wave of immediate distraught hit me and my anxiety kicks in once more.  Just breathe in and breathe out. I inhale deeply and exhale slowly. The wind is getting calmer as I do it repeatedly. Everything’s fine, everything will be okay.

           “Well hello there.” I fall to the ground startled by the figure talking to me. Sounded like a man but I can’t make out who. The man is standing about a few inches away from me. His face is undetectable. He raises his surprisingly very skinny arm and waves hello. I do the same.

           “Who are you?” I ask loudly. He doesn’t say anything but tilts his head.

           “Hello? Can you help me get back please?” I add.

           “Why don’t you come over here and we’ll talk about it,” he says. He opens his arms widely, welcoming me I suppose. There’s an uncomfortable and eerie stillness between us as I approach him. His face soon becomes visible and it turns out he isn’t a man at all.

           A rag for a head with a hole for its mouth, buttons for eyes, branches for hands. A scarecrow.  I look at him unsettlingly. The sight of this left me flabbergasted. He seems so surreal, I keep looking away because of how strange he was staring at me.

           “Hi,” he says. “You must be thinking “wow a scarecrow that talks,” well yeah. That’s me.”

I’m speechless. This is so bizarre.

“Uhm—well if you’re not talking then I might as well introduce myself. Nate’s the name and guarding this field is my game,” he continues. This time he reaches out his branchy hand for a handshake. I take it and force a grin.

“Don’t be so surprised. It’s a field for god’s sake, never seen a scarecrow before?”

“Not a talking one,” I finally respond.

“Ah, finally an answer,” he says. “If you’re here...I guess you’re stuck with me.”

What he said surprised and at the same time scared me. “Stuck”??

“Why do you say that?” I ask.

“I mean you’re all alone, it’s like you have something else better to do.”

“Well yeah—I gotta get out of here,” I answer with a tone of frustration. I don’t like what he’s saying. He’s getting on my nerves.

“Relax kid.. but let me just tell you that the people who come here are destined to be here,” he explains. “You can’t just ‘get outta here’ ya know.”

I shudder in fear. My throat feels sandier than ever. I feel like vomiting but I don’t. I squat down to get my thoughts together. I press my palms into my eyes. This isn’t real, he isn’t real, all of this isn’t real.

“Let me tell you what you’re experiencing right now is one thousand percent real,” he says as if reading my mind.

“What even is this place?” I ask. I stand up trying to get my shit together. I smack my face telling myself to wake up from this nightmare.

“This isn’t a nightmare son,” How does he keep doing that?

“By the way...I can read your mind easy peasy.” “Through my eyes, you’re as transparent as plastic and as red as a tomato.”

“Red?” I ask.

“You’re frustrated, possibly angry as well,” he answers. “And—to answer that first question, this place is the cornfield from earlier..just way, way, way inside it.” He takes a breath in and out sniffing the peaceful wind. He looks so serene like he’s enjoying himself.

“The name’s Robin,” I say.

“Oh, I know.” He cracks a lopsided smile. I show a confused look on my face.

“How’d you know?”

“I told you, the people who come here are destined to be here,” he replies. I raise my eyebrow, plastering a baffled expression.

“Come with me.” He ushers me through the gigantic cornstalks. Everything looks the same where are we possibly going.

“A place I bring the people who come here to.” He did it again, he read my mind. I’m not used to him doing that. It still freaks me out.

We pass through two immensely huge cornstalks, larger than all the others. In between, them is a tiny, brown, wooden door.

“Through here,” Nate says. We both crawl through the door then he shuts it close.

We’re in an air vent. It’s pitch black and Nate is magically carrying a lit up torch.

“Follow me.”

We crawl and crawl and crawl and then suddenly there’s light at the end. We get there and Nate opens another door leading into what looks like a building.

“Where is this?” I ask. Something looks familiar. It’s my house. How did we get here?

The air vent leads to my room. And there I see myself laying on my bed, sleeping?

“It’s your room, you fainted remember,” Nate says pointing at my resting body.

 “Was this air vent here the whole time?”

“The whole time.”

“What do I do now?” I ask

“Well, you choose— come back to your body or not.”

“What happens if I don’t,” I reply.

“You die in the real world,” he says. I think about it and I decided to go back.

“Then I guess this is goodbye,” I say. He smiles at me and gives me a hug.

“I’m not going anywhere, I’m just one call away,” he answers.

           I come back to my senses. Entering my sleeping body. I feel stiff at first but then I slowly begin to wake up. I scan my room and immediately stare at the air vent, I see Nate waving goodbye and I wave back.

           Mom comes into the room and sees me awake.

           “Oh my god sweetie! You’re awake!” she says out loud. Henry and dad come in as well and they all hug me tight.

“We’re so glad you’re back,” mom adds. And I’m glad to be back too.