The passage of time

Two dandelions grow next to each other in a meadow.  They look out over the flowers and bees, and in the distance, a village.  On sunny days, people stroll past, children play in the field, and the dandelions feel that all is well.  When it rains, they pull in their yellow petals and huddle closer together whilst myriad insects cluster under the dandelions for shelter.

One day, although the sun is shining, one of the dandelions hasn’t unfurled their yellow petals.  Something feels different.  She reluctantly tells her neighbour that she has noticed a grey petal amongst the yellow and it scares her.  The neighbour looks over at her friend and reassures her she too has strange grey petals but that it is nothing to be afraid of.  This must be what happens to dandelions.  Now, they can either stay huddled up feeling scared or they can unfurl the rest of their bright yellow manes and welcome the sunshine and the insects in their meadow.

Over the following days, the dandelions see more and more of the meadow turning grey and white but they don’t feel afraid.  As they can see, it is happening to them all.  They bask in the sun and they shelter from the rain.

The next day, a strong breeze blows across the meadow and the two dandelions see hundreds of white wisps.  They too feel shaken and they turn to each other for comfort.  They see in each other that their stalks have become bent and their petals are now all white.  The breeze blows past them again and their fluffy pappi begin to float away, but they feel no pain. 

The stalks of the two dandelions, now maneless, bend peacefully towards each other, seemingly knowing that although their time in the meadow has reached its end, their seeds will take flight, settle in new meadows, and grow bright yellow manes.  The two dandelions are at rest.