Eyes open. She looked around. Initially, her light, icy eyes were temporarily blinded by the impressive sunlight that invaded her vision, but she soon adjusted. She blinked furiously in order to see the idyllic scene that surrounded her. She inhaled the crisp, warm air that smelled faintly of lemonade. Turning her head all around, she discovered herself to be in the middle of a field of wildflowers. She stood atop a hill where, when she looked past the brilliant colors of the nature around her, she could see miles and miles of rolling pastures, stretching for what seemed to be forever. Everything looked perfect. Everything looked beautiful. Everything looked bright. She flicked her vision to behind her. She saw a cozy, rustic-looking cabin. It stood invitingly on the hill with her, the rocking chairs on the porch creaking back and forth harmlessly, with a pitcher of lemonade poured in glasses beside them. She walked up the pollen-coated, wooden steps to sit on the giant chair swing that overlooked the countryside. With her mind encompassed in the beauty of the landscape, she simply couldn’t take her eyes off of the scene in front of her. She went inside the cottage. Walking through the light-flooded hallway, she entered the kitchen. Like everything in the place seemed to be, the room was filled with natural light and was basking in warmth. She made her way to a round wooden table in the back of the room. The table was covered in a red and white checked tablecloth and had been set with gold-trimmed porcelain china. When she took a seat in one of the four chairs enclosing the table, she saw that a small feast had been laid out. Now on the surface laid a steaming teapot with matching tea cups, a tiered dessert stand with beautiful cookies and cakes, another pitcher of fresh lemonade, a basket overflowing with fruits that she had never seen before, and a cup of candied flower petals. She took a bite of each of the dishes in front of her, and continued to do so until she felt content and full. She stood up and twirled around the kitchen. She felt her yellow, floaty dress spin around her whilst she did so, the soft fabric rippling with the force. After she had slowed her spinning, she laughed to herself. She was so greatly enjoying the new world around her. She ventured out of the kitchen to the house’s upper floor. She found a bedroom with a bed housing what looked like a million pillows atop a fur-lined comforter. She pranced across the squeaky floorboards and jumped onto the bed, letting the comfort of it envelop her. She lay there, taking in the rest of the room. She closed her eyes. In her dreams, she saw herself exactly where she was: a land of warmth, happiness, and eternal sunshine. It was all she could ever want. When she felt she had laid on the dream bed long enough, she sat up and took account of the space around her. Right near the window, she saw a polished, white rocking chair with a plush seat cushion. She sat in the chair and rested her head against the glass of the window. It was surprisingly warm and she felt completely fulfilled. She could sit there, in that chair, in that house, on that hill, in that pasture, in that sunshine, forever and ever until her heart could hold no more joy. As she looked out upon the lightly swaying wheat fields in the distance, flower petals got picked up by the faint breeze and began falling against and down her window. She smiled a great smile, admiring the beauty of the nature. As she watched each flower petal fall, she began to notice something strange. Though she couldn’t physically perceive it as alarming, she was able to take note that with each petal’s descent, the room and world around her got grayer and grayer. The air got colder and colder. Her sundress began to wash away to the terse fabrics of jean and scratchy wool. The field disappeared into a parking lot of cars and the petals dissipated to water, raindrops falling down the window.
         “Polly Anna,” she heard her mother say from the front seat of their Honda, “school. Out. Now.” She nodded her head and let herself out of the car. She walked through the muddy puddles lined up in front of the building. Looking down, she could see her reflection in each one, a gray, melancholy face peering back at her. Sighing, she sat down for her first class. She could hear the professor begin his lecture in the background, but all she really picked up was the silence that accompanied her own thoughts. Looking out the window she for a second, and only a second, she thought she saw a petal float down the window. But it wasn’t real. None of it was. It wasn’t reality.