Leanna bathed in the dandelions, scattering their pigments everywhere, throwing herself into the weeds without regard to the itchiness they would leave on her skin later. She could have lain here forever without a care in the world…at least until she caught a glimpse of Red LightVale sneaking into the valley. Momentarily frightened, she crouched among the dandelions, allowing their tall stems to block her from view. For long minutes she cowered here, hoping that Red would go away.

“If you are trying to hide, you need to find a different set of weeds. Your butt is showing,” a trilling voice called playfully from behind her.

Leanna sprang to her feet instantly, smoothing down the back of her dress and turning in indignance to face her foe.

“Like you’re one to talk,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “My mama says to stay away from you because you’re a bad girl.”

Red’s face contorted into the silliest expression Leanna had ever seen, and she crossed her arms. “My mama says you’re a bad girl,” the red-haired girl mimicked.

Furious—how dare Red make fun of her—Leanna stomped her foot and stormed away. “I think you are too! Constantly wearing your hair down like that and never buttoning your dresses up… It’s no wonder only the boys will play with you! I bet you don’t even have a doll.”

Although she had hoped to maintain a stoic walk away, Leanna peeked behind her to see if her words had had any affect. They seemed to have, for Red’s audacious smirk had lessened, and sadness tinted the corner of her eyes.

“Wait, don’t go,” Red called. “I was only teasing.”

Leanna shook her head.

“If you stay here, I will tell you a story,” Red prompted, a genuine grin spreading across her face. Her freckles shone when she did that, jumping from one cheek to the other and across the bridge of her nose.

“Is it a good one?” Leanna asked, intrigued.

“The very best,” the older girl boasted.

Biting her lip for a second, Leanna wondered if there could be any harm in staying. Mama had told her to be back by sunset, and she still had a couple of hours to play. Besides, Leanna admitted, she was curious about why her mama told her not to play with Red. As far as she could see, Red was just like any other girl.

“Okay, fine,” Leanna said, walking back over to Red.

The other girl sank cross-legged to the grass, patting the area next to her.

“And I’m sorry about what I said, too,” Leanna apologized. The things she had said reflected through her memory, and she shook her head at herself. “It wasn’t very nice of me.”

Red laughed, pulling Leanna close and mussing her hair all up. Mama was going to be so mad. “Aww, don’t you worry your head off about it. Words can’t hurt me,” she winked. “After all, I control them.”

Leanna’s eyes widened in wonder, and she leaned forward. “Is that what your story is about?”

The other shook her head, sending her loose hair fluttering behind her. “No, my story is about…” and she looked around, as if searching for inspiration among the weeds, “a dandelion.”

Leanna settled down to listen, and Red continued.

“Have you ever wondered where dreams come from? Certainly not your own imagination, although sometimes, if you wish extra hard, a specific dream will find you. Yet, the best dreams float like wisps of clouds on dandelion seeds, searching for the perfect person,” she said.

With that beginning, she continued on, telling the story of a girl named Bella who wanted to know where dreams came from. One day, she met an old man who sent her on a journey to an Enchanted Forest. In the forest, she found a fairy, who promised to take her to the place that dreams came from. The fairy made a giant dandelion grow, and together they rode it through the air.

“Soon they had come to a different part of the forest, a place where dandelion seeds floated randomly throughout the entire sky, drifting across the wind as if nothing was amiss. Attached to these seeds were tiny bubbles…so tiny that Bella would not have been able to see them if she was her normal size.

‘Are those…are those the dreams?’ she asked the fairy.

The fairy nodded, reaching out and scooping the bubble into her hands before handing it to Bella. ‘Look closely, what do you see?’

Bella took it with one hand, still holding on to the dandelion with the other. Then, she studied the bubble, smiling when she saw a picture of a mom giving her daughter a giant hug—”

“Like me and mama!” Leanna interrupted, throwing her hands in the air in excitement. She could picture her mama giving her a big hug like in the dream, and she laughed.

Red fixed her with a glance and said, “Well, if you don’t stop interrupting, I’ll never be able to finish!” Leanna bit her tongue, resolving to remain silent.

Unfortunately, there were also nightmares in the bubbles, and one of them got loose. Together, Bella and the fairy fought it off with a dreamcatcher—one of the fairy’s special gadgets. Yet, they were too late, for when they had beaten back the first nightmares, all the others had gotten loose and were headed towards Bella’s village….

Leanna gaped as Red continued her story, weaving a web of words and magic, speaking about fairies and dreams and dandelions. When Red finished, “And she hung up the dreamcatchers all over town, and the entire village lived happily ever after,” Leanna sat enthralled, replaying the story in her mind.

“You’re right,” she finally said. “You are an awesome storyteller.” She leapt up in excitement then, adding, “And that was the best story I have ever heard!”

Red shrugged, a smile tugging at the edge of her face. “Maybe, maybe not. But I have even better ones…” She dangled the hook in front of the child as one would dangle a carrot, and like a rabbit, Leanna leapt upon the bait.

So saying, Red began another tale, painting the story with her hands and tone, and masquerading as other characters.

When Leanna’s mother came into the valley just before sun-down, shouting her daughter’s name, she stopped in shock, staring at the two girls who played in the valley below.

Leanna had been completely transformed, hair hanging in loose waves behind her back. Dandelion fluff covered her entire body, and she wore a crown made of flowers.

Leanna leaped up in dismay to see her mother, and with an apologetic glance at Red, she set her playthings down and followed her mother.

The next day, Leanna slipped down into the flower valley, wanting to find the dandelion crown Mama had forced her to throw away the day before. As if conjured through magic, Red appeared again, but Leanna cut her off before she could say anything.

“Mama says I can’t talk to you anymore. She says dreams don’t ride dandelions, and I need to keep my hair on my head.”

Red smiled though, a twinkle in her eye appearing. “I came up with a new story last night all about you!” she said as if she had not heard Leanna’s objection.

Leanna’s eyes widened, and she forgot all about the other things she had been trying to do. “For real?”

When Red nodded, Leanna sank to the ground at Red’s feet, in awe. “Please tell me all about it!”

With a toss of her red hair, she agreed, launching into her tale.