Find the most beautiful home
One afternoon, the wind blew through the dandelion field, and the fluffy seed heads of the mother dandelion were scattered into the air.
“Goodbye, Mother—we’re flying away!” the little parachute-like seeds called as they soared into the sky.
“Fly, my children. I wish you all the best. The farther you fly, the better!” the mother dandelion responded.
However, there was still one small seed that hadn’t flown away, clinging to the now-bare flower head.
“Dotty, why haven’t you flown?” the mother dandelion asked.
“Mother, I don’t know where to go!” replied Dotty, the little seed.
“The wind will carry you wherever you’re meant to go, and wherever you land will be your home.”
But Dotty shook her head. “No, Mother, I want to choose for myself. I want to find the most beautiful place in the world to be my new home.”
“The most beautiful place?” The mother dandelion fell silent, as she didn’t know where that might be either.
Just then, the wind returned. “Hey, Dotty, you’re the last one left. Why haven’t you flown yet?”
“I…” Dotty shared her thoughts.
“Wind, Dotty is my youngest child. Could you fulfill her wish and help her find a place she’ll love?” the mother dandelion asked.
“Of course, I’ll make sure her wish comes true. Let’s go!” the wind said, and with a strong gust, Dotty took flight.
“Goodbye, Mother!”
“Goodbye, my child. I wish you luck!” The mother dandelion’s eyes filled with tears as she watched her last seed fly away. She could no longer hear the singing and dancing of her children in her arms. Her tears dripped down her leaves and, under the afternoon sun, sparkled like jewels.
The wind carried Dotty over a park.
“How about here?” the wind asked.
“Let me take a look.” Dotty circled the park.
“Come down, Dotty! It’s beautiful here!” Some of Dotty’s siblings had already landed and were calling to her.
Dotty smiled at them but didn’t descend. She saw that while the park looked pleasant, with trees and flowers neatly trimmed by people, there wasn’t a single dandelion to be found in the soil. They must have been removed. In the cracks between the stone paths, a few dandelions struggled to survive, trampled by passersby. Some near the road were doing slightly better, but they still looked weak.
Dotty shook her head.
“Not satisfied, Dotty?” the wind asked.
“No. Look at the park—it’s covered in stones. My siblings are growing in cracks or near the road, barely surviving. Even if they bloom, it would just be a small flower. I don’t like it here. Let’s keep flying.”
The wind nodded and carried Dotty onward. They came to a forest, where tall trees stood shoulder to shoulder, and the forest floor was covered with lush greenery and vibrant flowers.
“What about here?” the wind asked.
“Let’s go down and take a look.”
“Okay.” The wind brought Dotty down to the ground under the trees.
“Dotty, it’s so beautiful here! You should stay!” Dotty’s siblings who had landed in the forest called out to her.
Other dandelions from different families chimed in, “Come down, Dotty! It’s so free here. We sing and dance every day, and it’s so much fun!”
“Yes, come down! We’d love to have you!” the flowers, grasses, and trees also joined in.
Dotty flew around, but again, she didn’t land.
“Dotty, what do you think? Still not satisfied?” the wind whispered.
“Look at the trees—they’re so tall and handsome. The grass is lush and green, and the flowers are colorful. My little flower isn’t fragrant or bright. If I grow here, who will even notice I exist?” Dotty shook her head. “Let’s keep searching, okay?”
“Alright,” the wind said. He brought Dotty away from the forest, over mountains, and finally to a vast plain. The plain was crisscrossed with fields, fragrant with grains. Adults worked in the fields, and children played along the ridges, digging up wild vegetables.
“What about here? Should we go down and take a look?” the wind asked.
“Sure, let’s check it out.”
The wind brought Dotty down. She noticed that in the children’s baskets of wild vegetables, there were some dandelions. Dotty flew up to the basket.
“Are you all going to be eaten?” Dotty asked, horrified.
“Yes, it’s an honor! We bring joy to people. They like to eat us not only because we’re nutritious, but also because we have medicinal properties,” the dandelions in the basket replied.
“But once you’re eaten, you’re gone!”
“Even if we aren’t eaten, will we live forever?”
“But you won’t be able to bloom or bear seeds!”
“Is the purpose of life just to bloom and bear seeds?”
Dotty shook her head. This wasn’t what she wanted.
Dotty looked at the remaining dandelions that hadn’t been picked. “What about you all? What do you think?”
“We feel the same way! Would you like to stay with us and sing?”
Dotty shook her head again. How could she sing with these silly dandelions? This was nonsense!
Dotty asked the wind to take her away.
The wind was growing anxious. He didn’t know where Dotty’s idea of the most beautiful place was. He could only keep flying, carrying Dotty forward.
They flew farther and farther from the greenery, until they reached a vast desert.
The wind searched for any signs of life, knowing that where there was green, there was life.
Finally, they found a small crescent-shaped lake in the center of the desert, surrounded by flowers, grasses, and trees.
“Look, there’s green! Where there’s life, there’s hope. Let’s check it out!” the wind exclaimed excitedly.
“Okay!”
The wind brought Dotty to the lakeside.
“Come down, come down! We need you here, we need your green life!” the plants around the lake waved their arms and cheered.
Dotty even saw some dandelions growing by the lake, their little golden flowers blinking like eyes in the desert.
But Dotty didn’t want to land. “Let’s keep looking…”
“Why?” asked the wind.
“Look, the area around the lake is all sand. One gust of wind, and the lake will be buried! And even if there’s no wind, the harsh sun will dry the lake up sooner or later.” Dotty shook her head. “I don’t like it here.”
“Okay…” The wind, frustrated, stayed true to his promise to the dandelion mother. Without saying much, he carried Dotty forward once again.
But the wind was exhausted. After flying so far and enduring the scorching desert sun, he felt drained. Suddenly, everything went dark, and he collapsed onto the burning desert sand, with Dotty falling beside him.
Dotty called out desperately, but the wind didn’t respond. She, too, was now overwhelmed by thirst and heat, close to fainting.
The sun grew fiercer, and Dotty’s body dried out. The scorching heat was like a matchstick, and with a whoosh, Dotty’s small body caught fire, burning with a tiny orange flame, like a little star fallen onto the earth.
As her body burned away, only a small pile of black ash remained, shaped like a tiny exclamation point, or perhaps a small question mark, left on the blank canvas of the desert.
Reflection
Dotty’s wish to find the most beautiful place to grow and bloom was admirable, but she overlooked a vital truth: there is no perfect place in the world. Her overly picky attitude led her to miss the opportunity to take root and grow. Dotty’s story teaches us that no environment is without its flaws. Instead of constantly complaining or being choosy, it’s better to adapt and make the best of where we are, using our efforts to gradually make the world around us more beautiful.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
