Light among the Darkness
Concept, text and illustration by Vita Kiewiet de Jonge (2020)
Audio by Ruth van de Putte and played by members of het Residentie Orkest Den Haag (2020)
Summer was nearing its end. The days started getting shorter, ever since the longest day of the year had passed. Darkness would come soon, the dandelion knew. Before he would know it, he would lose his bright, yellow coloured petals. They would be exchanged for something not worth being excited about. After the peak of summer, the dandelion would transform into a fuzzy bulb.
This inevitably caused the dandelion to perceive things black and white, every year. There is a right and a wrong, a good and a bad. It made things clear-cut and easy to comprehend. That is how he knew he would have to buckle up and mentally prepare for what was to come. He would lose all his fluffy seeds to the wind or to some kid that felt the need to make a wish.
In short, the dandelion was not happy for autumn to arrive. Across the field, the cornflowers and dahlias were celebrating. “Of course they are happy, they have a purpose to serve in the coming months. Meanwhile I am here losing everything that makes me interesting.”
The dandelion had not noticed he was no longer alone. Twilight had set in and the soft breeze had brought in some unexpected visitors. “Psssst, hey, what is up with all the sulking?” A group of fireflies had entered the meadow and one was speaking to him. “I must not have realised I was speaking out loud,” the dandelion shamefully admitted.
Nodding slightly, the firefly came a bit closer. “Well, I will let you in on a little secret,” the firefly said. “We are not that different, you and I. I too have had to deal with my differences. Each night, I get to shine like the brightest star, but come morning, when the sun comes up, I fade away.” “But, how do you deal with such heartache?” the dandelion asked.
“Because I believe everything happens for a reason. I find peace in knowing that, although I do not understand it yet, there is meaning behind it all. There is a time to live and a time to die, to shine and to fade. The one cannot exist without the other. Over time, I have come to see the beauty in this way of being.” “But how…” the dandelion started to mumble. “Stop all this thinking,” the firefly interrupted, “There is something very special about you, you know. You simply have to go with it. Close your eyes and try to relax for a second.”
Before long, eyes closed, the dandelion felt himself become weightless in the slight breeze of twilight. “See, you can do something incredibly amazing!” Slowly, the dandelion opened his eyes and found his fluffy self in the air, floating amongst the fireflies. From that day on, the dandelion felt at peace, sharing the purpose of gradual change with so many others.