Fantasy: Fantasy's World

Fantasy was just starting to wake up.

"I think I may be hungry," she said to herself. "I will just have to imagine that I am eating a perfectly wonderful breakfast and I will be just fine. Let's see, I am having hot, oatmeal cereal, whole wheat toast with strawberry jam, an orange and a warm glass of milk. That is what Reality would be having in her world of reality."

But, Fantasy's stomach started growling.

"Mom, I think that I am getting hungry again," she hollered. "May I have some hot pancakes with butter and maple syrup for breakfast, like I get when I go to Reality's house? Reality's mom makes them for us all the time."

"That is reality world, not fantasy world," replied her mother. "Just put your imagination to work. You don't need real food when you live in a fantasy world like ours."

"But Reality's mom always gives her food at least three times a day. I never get any here unless I imagine it!" said Fantasy, starting to cry. "She says that we all have to have food in order to live. There are even schools for children where they can learn things, in Reality's world!"

"Children don't need to learn things. Fantasy world does not have food or schools, so you can just go back to bed, or do whatever you want to do!" Fantasy's mother was not about to change her life style, just because she had a daughter. "Don't bother me!"

"Don't parents have to feed their children?" asked Fantasy. "Reality's mom says that they do."

"In fantasy world, no one has to do anything at all, including me," her mother insisted. "There are absolutely no rules for parents, or for children. It is such a wonderful world that way! Aren't you lucky to live in our world? It is a much better world."

"It might be all right if I was not so hungry," replied Fantasy. "I wish I could live in Reality's world for a while, as she has things so much better than I do. Reality always has new clothes too, and I never get any. I have to imagine mine. Sure, they are wonderful to think about, but not much fun to wear. The others all laugh at me because of my imaginary clothes. Wearing my imaginary clothes is not much fun," she said to herself.

Fantasy knew that her world of fantasy was getting harder and harder to live in. Instead of being warm and cozy like it used to be, it was becoming extremely cold and very uncomfortable. "I wonder if I am outgrowing our fantasy world."

Chasing butterflies in her mind was no longer satisfying her for very long either. She was starting to want to do the same kinds of things that Reality could do and that included actually chasing real butterflies.

"If only there were some shades of gray between our worlds! Fantasy world and reality world are just so far apart," Fantasy thought to herself, as she got out of bed and began to get dressed in her mind. Her mother began to drift off to sleep again. "I guess that I will just have to learn how to take care of myself."

Suddenly, she heard a loud snoring sound coming from the next room. "That is probably the old dog that crawled into the house the other night, or maybe it is some silly ghost out of the past. I really don't like my fantasy world very much anymore, as it is getting too scary. Besides that, it is just not much fun any longer either. I wonder if I can imagine it and the snoring will go away."

But, that did not work either and the loud snoring continued. In fact, it was getting louder and louder, all the time. "I have to get out of here. I think I will go chase real butterflies with Reality,' she decided. "That is if I can figure out what a real butterfly is, and find one."

As she looked around, she suddenly realized that everything that she saw was now in black and white. There were no longer any colors. Her fantasy world seemed to have lost all of the rainbow colors that it had before.

"This is just not nice," she said to herself. "In fact, I don't like this at all. Reality says that black is a total absence of color and white is the presence of all colors. She learned that at school. I think I had better talk to Reality about letting me go to her school, so that I can learn something. Maybe I can get my colors back then."

Fantasy tried to imagine the black and white going away too, but it did not change. The icy cold wind tore through her imaginary coat, as she opened the door.

"If only I could trade worlds with Reality, then I might have a real fantasy world," decided Fantasy. "That might be better. I wonder what she would say. Maybe we could spend some time exploring each other's worlds. I think I will go and ask her what she thinks about living in my fantasy world. At least, then I will get some real food."

"I am going to see Reality," hollered Fantasy to her mother, as she headed out the door. "See you later!"

Fantasy knew that in a world of no rules, she did not have to tell her mother where she was going, but she decided to tell her anyhow, just because that is what Reality did. "I sure hope that she is at home," she thought to herself. "I will find her."

"Oh no," thought Fantasy's mother, as she heard her daughter's words in the distance. "I wonder if she will ever come back. I just might lose her to the world of reality forever."