The Pretentious Dandelion: A Tale of Vanity and Transformation

By Ysabel, 7/4/2024

Once upon a time in a sunlit meadow there was a pretentious dandelion. She always thought that her leaves were too ordinary, the petals ordinary, and the thorns just plainly ordinary. The basic details of her beauty caused her discomfort, wishing for change.

On a day particularly momentous, she found herself cradling the door of the secluded shack belonging to a spring wizard whose oneness with eccentricity was almost legendary. The wizard himself, Daren, was grinning at her with a glint in his eye. “‘Lo there, visitor! Around looking for beauty, are ya?”

The dandelion bobbed its head in eagerness. “Yes, dear wizard. I want to be as enchanting as the morning dew.

Daren then handed her a delicate spray bottle filled with a shiny potion. “Thou may spritz deeply on thyself,” he said, “and see thy new charms. But be thou warned, fair maid, that if thou dost ever need my help, speak my name with this golden pearl I have given thee.

The dandelion thanked him and sprinkled the potion over her petals. In a moment, she was changed into a beautiful flower; the golden colors were shining bright under the sun’s rays. She returned to her flower bed and could not help but feel the new beauty in her reflection through the dewdrop mirror.

The revelation of her beauty started to take its toll on the life of every other flower, as all the other flowers began to droop with fading colors. There was a rumbling of thunder, and right in front of her appeared the Ladies of Spring-the ethereal queens of each garden, meadow, and forest.

“You selfish dandelion,” berated the lady who was powered by the sun, Stella. “You’ve damaged your home by your own vanity. And you, Daren”—she faced the wizard—”have betrayed your land by spreading the beauty-draining potion.”

Daren was head-bowed in acceptance of his punishment. “I shall be your slave,” he said.

As to the dandelion, hers was a fate to face. Again came the voice of Stella: “Your petals shall become puffballs, blowing here there and yon on the winds. Remember well—if anyone should ask, ’tis punishment for your selfish pride.”

And so it was; henceforward, this dandelion, once so fair, carried puffballs. On each innocent seed lay her penance. To the other dandelions, the Ladies proclaimed, “Selfishness begets curses. Beware!”

And so, from that time forward, the meadow whispered the lessons learned from the dandelion punished—a reminder that the grim reality of true beauty lies not in vanity but in the complete selfless dedication to family and community.