Elin had always dreamt of travelling using dandelion seeds like Mary Poppins used her umbrella. She still wished for this, with eyes shut and focusing on that perfect blow that would set the seeds free and spark up the magic. But she was always left behind – as one little seed couldn't make for a full umbrella.

“That's crazy,'' little Elsa whispered wih the ''z'' sound accentuating that she was missing her front teeth. It was probably the first time she had used the word and hearing it out loud she started smiling with pride.

“Why, Elsy??? The plan is simple: we need to gather all the dandelions that we can find and knit together a magic umbrella. Easy, peasy. Then we can fly away, faaaaar away...''.

Elin truly believed in this and every time she imagined herself flying, she would run across the room like a mini Superman, with hands pushed forward to feel the fluffy clouds and the warm sunrays.

''Knit together? As if we could do that?!!''

Elsa didn't get to finish her sentence when a confident Elin showed up with clarification. ''Of course we can do that, silly. We just need a knitting kit. But not grandma's, one that is smaller. Maybe a squirrel knitting kit...''.

''What's a squirrel knitting kit? That sounds so made up'', Elsa said in disbelief.

''Oh Elsy, you don't know anything. Look it says right here, in this book, that the squirrel grandma knits winter clothes so that the baby squirrels don't feel cold...So! Let's get mom to take us to the park in the city and we can talk to some squirrels about borrowing their --- or even better, if they can knit for us a dandelion umbrella!''

''How about a normal umbrella instead?'' Elsa asked as confused as ever.

''Hmmmm not such a bad idea...if we can glue the magic onto it. That might indeed be faster. Then, we just need to start looking for dandelions!''

With a smile, Elin took her younger sister and happily hurried outside.

It was the end of a warm summer day and mom was still working in the garden, singing her favourite song. Seeing her two little girls giggling outside, she smiled as remembered a time when she used to pick the ghost-like dandelions, when she believed in their magic and wished for magic with her eyes shut.

#happiness #childhoodmemories #makeawish #childhoodinnocence #dandelions

He woke up with panic crawling into his ears and gunshots blasting nearby. It was time to flee and he needed to do this rapidly! His trembling hands pushed away the rags that had kept him warm and, relying on his sense of touch, he reached for his walking stick. He called for Iris but she was out there, in the midst of the battlefield, barking and ready to fight. He needed to find his way out alone and the darkness, that spurred his imagination for years, was onconce more filled with terror and intense, growing fear. He heard words of anger, desperation and pain among the flying gunshots that were moving closer and closer.

It was late...too late to leave the one-way alley he called home. Feeling around the familiar space, he buried his old body under recycled cardboard and tried to slow down his accelerated breath. In their dispute – he thought – they would shoot even the homeless, blind man earning his living by making up stories of flickering shadows.

He took a deep breath and thought of the pale autumn sun, which reminded him of his mother’s hand. He used to love hearing her talk about dizzy leaves, losing their colours only to dance with the adventurous winds. Touching their edges, he understood shape, texture and discovered a fragility he had not been aware of. They were beautiful and autumn had been an eye opener, a season preserving his dearest memory of the past. And while his ears were still receptive to incriminating words now in the distance, he realized that autumn had become much more.

All he needed to do now was to find his way to the nearest police station..