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Dandelions: The Disappearance of Annabelle Fancher

Book by Richelle E. Goodrich · 22 quotes · Richelle Goodrich, Richelle, Richelle E Goodrich

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Dandelions: The Disappearance of Annabelle Fancher Quotes

“I slept in the closet that night. Paranoia and a wild imagination had me picturing a drunken man tearing into my bedroom with an automatic weapon, screaming like a lunatic while blasting holes in my mattress until fluffs of padding flew everywhere and no sleeping child could possibly be left breathing. The closet just felt safer.”

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“I was through arguing. My real concern was with Gavin. Lifting my eyes I considered his face—perfectly rounded cheeks, a confident chin, big brown eyes balanced evenly over a gently sloped nose, all framed by a mess of dark curls. My heart sank at his beauty. A boy like him would never have anything to do with a girl like me. 'Why are you here?' I asked. I knew my tone sounded dismal. It was impossible to disguise how I felt. 'Because I want to be,' he answered. 'You want to be here? Really?' 'Well, yes,' he said. His face screwed up, confused. His next words came across as defensive. 'I’m the keykeeper. I can go anywhere I wish to. You can’t stop me, Annabelle.' 'Stop you? I don’t want to stop you,' I said. 'I just thought that... I mean, I didn’t think that…' It was hard to voice my fear aloud.”

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“I realized at that moment - observing his form move further away without once turning back - that I’d already begun to rebuild the imaginary wall between us. I was shielding my heart with stone cold feelings again, the only way I knew to protect it. I still planned to try my hand at prayer. If God would grant me this one request, if I could keep my only friend, I would give anything in return, even the treasured books trapped beneath my arm. I’d tasted enough of a dismal life to know that a real, true friend was of greater worth than the collection of every imagined fairy tale in the world.”

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“I lowered my hands and stared at the tiny horse, considering his question. I couldn’t think of anyone I’d ever felt sorry for. There were plenty of kids I envied. There were others I achingly admired, but that might simply be another form of jealousy. Then there were those I feared, dreaded. And the worst of them, the man who shamed me. I could see my father’s angry features looming over my mother. I could clearly picture her beside him in his truck, cowering against the door while he belittled and assaulted her. I guess I did know someone I felt sorry for.”

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“The description of Huck’s father grabbed my full attention, and I glanced up at the book in my teacher’s hand as if to double check. My eyes bulged reflexively. Huck’s father was an abusive drunk just like mine. The boy was hopeful that a corpse found near the river was actually his dad, but it turned out not to be. It was spooky how high my hopes rose for the boy, and then sank so utterly low when the body was discovered to be a female in disguise. I should’ve mourned for the woman, but it was the boy I felt bad for.”

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“I made a sorry face in response to such strong insistence, but I couldn’t believe him. Fantasies were exactly that―fantasies. Whimsy. Wishes. Mere castles in the sky without foundation or substance. Dreams didn’t come true. To believe so would be to believe falsely, to surrender to madness, to give in to an unreliable hope that would crush me once again as it always, always did!”

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“Slipping off the mattress and onto my knees, I clasped both hands together and bowed my head. With eyelids squeezed tightly shut, I whispered in the darkness, not wanting my mother to overhear. My lips barely moved, offering up a simple prayer. I hoped God would take a moment and listen to these softly spoken words. With complete sincerity I begged the Lord… "Dear God, please hear my prayer. I’m sorry I can’t talk louder, but Mama might overhear and worry. I’ve been told that you do answer prayers, and I believe it’s true. So please, just this one time, will you hear me?”

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“I think prayer is a very good practice, Miss Annabelle. It’s something I do daily—a perfect way to share with God our feelings and wishes and heartfelt gratitude." I was relieved that he approved of my plan. His finger rose and rested against the tip of his nose portending additional thoughts on the subject. "I do want you to consider one thing, however. When you offer this prayer of yours, keep in mind that God, the creator of all things including us, has a much grander perspective than the tiny, often self-centered viewpoint we possess here on this Earth. Having His home in the heavens and His all-knowing eye looking down upon us, He perceives things far beyond what we can possibly see. What we assume is a grave disappointment or a terrible tragedy often proves to be a stepping stone to something greater—a necessary moment of sufferable experience in God’s plan for us.”

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“I went to bed without reading, instead staring out my window with the curtains drawn, wondering about boys. Why did they behave so oddly? One minute their teasing was relentless, and then bam!― they’d stun you with a thoughtful gesture. Either way, their actions made you want to cry. Maybe that was the intent.”

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“Gavin appeared and vanished numerous times each day checking up on me. Now and then he’d randomly pop the question, often disguising it within our conversations. “Did you know that bubbleberries are in season right now? They’re blooming all over Dreamland.” “I love those berries. They’re fun and strange.” I recalled the time that Gavin and I had burped up iridescent-purple bubbles after swallowing handfuls of berries. They were deliciously sweet. Gavin nudged me with his elbow. “Not half as strange as you are.” I laughed. “So, Annabelle, will you come with me?” I nearly spoke without thinking, but caught myself, careful not to slip and say the word, yes. “Sorry, Gavin. I can’t.”

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“Gregory?” I called. I couldn’t help myself. It was irrational, but I was scared to see him run from me. He turned my direction, his feet pivoting in the dirt. Warily, I crossed into the light for a moment. “Do you, um…” I inhaled deeply. “Do you think you’ll still want to be my friend tomorrow?” I held my breath and waited for his answer. Although I could feel the sunshine perceptibly tingle every inch of exposed skin, the way Gregory smiled at me produced a swell of warmth unmatchable even for the sun. “I’ll always want to be your friend, Annabelle. Do you want to be mine?” My head nodded like mad, ecstatic, all on its own. I disappeared among the shadows again and watched my new friend until he stepped around the Hopkins’ house. Then I waited until his car drove off -- Gregory and his mother headed for home. I was on a high like no other, but I’d not lost my grasp on reality entirely. I knew that the real test would come Monday. It was one thing to befriend an outcast in the privacy of the woods, but quite another to risk ridicule and reputation when surrounded by peers. This was true even for those with the biggest of hearts, which I now believed Gregory Hill to have.”

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“Have you ever felt as if your dreams were more memorable, more alive, than what you knew to be reality? Have your dreams ever seemed so tangible as to make you question upon waking if you’d truly only dreamt them? Have they at times been addictive enough to consume your waking hours; blurring actuality and pretend together until your wishes and passions stare back at you with open eyes? If only dreams could be reality, that beautiful garden of sweet-smelling roses we all long for. But reality for me is no such bed of roses. It is nothing but a field of unwanted dandelions." - From the thoughts of Annabelle Fancher”

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“Gavin, I can’t talk to you here. People will call me crazy." My imaginary friend smirked. "But you’re already talking to me." "Well, I have to stop." His smirk grew cocky. "I doubt you can resist." And he was right. There was nothing I wanted more than to give my full attention to an imagined shadow and ignore those who ignored me in the real world. I wanted to talk out loud to Gavin―to play and laugh boisterously with him. In a dream I could justify such behavior, but to succumb to hallucinations while wide awake would only prove me insane.”

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“Her eyes shifted to me, piercing my soul in the process. “Your troubles are temporary, Miss Annabelle. You will grow and mature and find yourself free of them one day. And life will blossom for you then, in a way it never can in some fantasy.” I nodded, intimidated by her powerful stare. She stepped closer to me, her words and her look intensifying. “Dreams and wishes mean nothing when they’re simply a fleeting thought away. The value is gone, stolen from any victory. Don’t get stuck in a meaningless dream, child. This is all imagined glory, nothing more. Go home. Go home and awaken to a life worth living! Go now!”

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“Severing our young and fragile friendship was a sad ordeal, but sadder still was the fact that this friend found it so difficult to respond to my immediate need, unlike a dreamed boy who always afforded me easy comfort. I couldn’t understand what was so hard about reaching out to hug someone. But judging by Gregory’s uncomfortable conduct I had to assume it was an honest trial.”

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