DOROTHY’S DREAMS Chapter 2 THE SECRET FRIEND

    

          

                                                 Chapter 2

                                     THE SECRET FRIEND

                       

                  One of my friends often told me that God works in mysterious ways. I have found this especially true when it comes to how He answers our prayers. The answers may not align with what we want, but they are always what we need. And the truth is, He knows us better than we do.

                    The following day, the Eden mansion appeared gloomier than usual. No one spoke to each other, and everyone especially avoided talking to Dorothy, which she found preferable. During breakfast, she was her usual anxious self, fussing and fretting, but no one tried to comfort or confront her. When she ate only one slice of bread and left her omelette and juice untouched, they simply cleared the plates in silence. As the time for her morning playtime in the garden approached, it seemed that everyone else was just as eager to be left alone as she was.    

                  Dorothy's nanny pushed her into the garden in her wheelchair. The toys had already been taken out, and a quilt was spread under the shade of the tree. The Indian Laurel tree was a beautiful addition to the open grounds and provided a safe spot to play, as it was only a stone's throw away from the kitchen window. All that Nanny had to do was, look out of the large window and Dorothy would be in clear view. She helped Dorothy sit on the quilt, and once she was comfortably settled, Nanny Debby turned around, sighed deeply, and left. 

                 Dorothy looked up at her. Usually, Nanny Debby would give her a pep talk before leaving. “Dorothy, sweetheart, play as much as you like. I am nearby. If you need anything, just call me. I’ll be in the kitchen watching you the whole time.,” she would say with a big smile. Although Dorothy typically found this routine a bit annoying, she was surprised when Nanny Debby left without a word. As a young child, she was unable to fully understand her thoughts or reflect on her feelings. So, she set off to enjoy her games happily. She began by working on her puzzles.

                     Dorothy had played these puzzles a few times before, so she quickly finished her initial tasks. Then, she decided to build a house. As she began building the walls, her thoughts drifted to her nanny, Debby. Although she wasn't fully aware of her feelings of dejection, they affected her focus, and the walls didn’t turn out as she had envisioned. Frustrated, she pulled them down and tried again. This repeated several times, and she was on the verge of throwing the blocks away when, suddenly, she heard someone ask, 

                "What are you doing?" 

                Startled, she yelped and turned to see who it was. Her parents had never told her stories about ghosts or evil spirits, so she didn’t anticipate such a presence and she wasn’t afraid. Rather she disliked having other children around because she didn’t want them to see her in a wheelchair. Anxiously, she looked around, concerned that someone might have come into the garden, but she found no one.

                “Am I imagining this?” Dorothy thought, puzzled. 

                Just then, she heard the voice again: “Are you looking for me?” 

                This time, she was sure she hadn’t imagined it. She had heard a voice. She began searching for its source, looking here and there. 

                The voice continued, “Down here! You’re looking in the wrong places.” 

                Dorothy concentrated on locating where the voice was coming from. She slowly turned her ear toward the sound while the voice excitedly urged her, “Here, here, here!”

           To her surprise, at arm's length, a bright beautiful yellow butterfly was perched on top of her remaining scattered blocks. Dorothy looked at it incredulously and intently to see if it was indeed the butterfly that had spoken. 

            Though she felt ridiculous and stupid, she looked at the butterfly and asked, “Was it you that spoke to me?”. 

            “Yes,” said the voice, and it was coming from the butterfly. Dorothy gasped.

       “You can speak?!” asked Dorothy, shocked. 

             “Of course, I can,” said the butterfly casually as if it was something natural and there was nothing to be shocked about it.    

             Dorothy stared at it for a moment in disbelief and turned towards the kitchen window and was about to call out for Nanny, when the butterfly shouted, “Don’t call them!” Her mouth was opened in surprise, but no sound came out. She closed her mouth and looked at the butterfly with wide eyes.        

                       “Why?” she asked, curious.

                 “Please don’t tell any adult that you met a talking butterfly. They will just catch me and put me in a jar, and then I can't fly around happily,” said the butterfly defiantly. 

                “Oh! Okay,” said Dorothy, nodding her head frantically like she clearly understood what the butterfly meant. Probably, she felt like a butterfly in a jar, herself confined.  

                “Even kids try to catch us and break our wings,” said the butterfly. “ So, don’t tell anybody about me for now. Let's just be secret friends, is that okay for you?” enquired the butterfly eagerly.

              “Secret friends? “ asked Dorothy astounded. 

              “Yeah,” said the butterfly cheerfully. 

                “Are we even friends?” asked Dorothy unbelievingly. 

            “Yes, don’t you think so ?” replied the butterfly and continued in a reasoning manner, “See, you know me and I know you, though it’s just been a few minutes now. We are talking to each other. And I have let you into my secret, and you agreed to keep it. Doesn’t that make us friends? “ asked the butterfly conclusively. 

                If Dorothy had been a grown-up, such a proposal might have sounded suspicious and queer and she might have disagreed. But as a young child, she hadn't yet learnt to distrust others. So Dorothy who didn't know much about friendship because she has never had friends agrees with the butterfly. “Yes, I think we are friends,” said Dorothy in affirmation. 

                “ See, I am right,” said the butterfly cheerfully. 

                  "So, what are you doing?" It asked. 

…..to be continued