lizabeth watched as Ivan and Luke darted around the long grass in the field, jumping and diving to catch the dandelion seeds that floated in the air like feathery balls.

"I got one!" she heard Luke yell.

"Make a wish." Ivan whooped.

Luke pressed it between his hand and squeezed his eyes shut. "I wish that Elizabeth would get out of the car and play Jinny Joes!" he roared. He lifted his podgy hand to the air, opened his tiny fingers slowly, and released the blow-ball to the wind. It carried it away.

Ivan raised his eyebrows at Elizabeth.

Luke watched the car to see if his wish came true.

Elizabeth watched his hopeful little face, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, to get out of the car and make Luke believe in fairy tales, just a fancy word for lies. She wouldn't do it. But again she watched as Luke raced around the field, holding his arms out. He caught the seed, grasped it tightly, and shouted the same wish.

Her chest tightened and her breathing quickened. They both watched her with such hope in their eyes and she felt the pressure of being relied upon. It's only a game, she tried to convince herself, all she had to do was get out of the car. But it meant more to her than that. It meant filling a child's head with thoughts and ideas that would never happen. It meant sacrificing a moment of fun for a lifetime of disappointment. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.

Luke joyfully jumped up and down, trying to catch another. He repeated his wish at the top of his lungs, this time adding a "Please, please, please, Jinny Joe!" Holding up his arm, he looked like the Statue of Liberty, and then he released it.

Ivan didn't do anything. He just stood still in the field, observing it all with a look and presence she felt so drawn to. She saw the frustration and disappointment growing in Luke's face as he caught another, squashed it angrily between his hands, and let it go with an attempt to kick it into the air.

Already he was losing faith and she hated to be the one to be the cause of that. She took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. Luke's face lit up and he immediately began chasing more. As she walked onto the field, the fuchsia waved and danced wildly, like spectators waving their red-and-purple flags to welcome a player onto the field.

Driving slowly by in his tractor, Elizabeth's father almost drove into a ditch at the sight he saw in a faraway field. With the sparkling sea and the sun in the background, he could see two dark figures dancing around in the field. One was a woman whose long brown hair, caught by the wind, draped itself wildly around her face and neck. She was whooping and hollering with joy as she leaped around the field with a young child, trying to catch the dandelion seeds that were parachuting in the wind. Brendan stopped the tractor and gasped in shock at the familiar sight. It was as though he were seeing a ghost. His body shook as he watched in wonder and fright until a beeping behind him startled him and urged him on.

Benjamin was driving back from Killarney at six thirty on Sunday morning, looking out at the sea view and wishing to be on the other side of the Atlantic, when a tractor in the middle of the road caused him to step on the brakes immediately. Inside was an old man with a face as white as a sheet, looking out into the distance. Benjamin followed his gaze. His face broke into a smile as he spotted Elizabeth Egan dancing around with a young boy in a field filled with dandelions. She was laughing and cheering, bounding about like he had never seen her before. She was in a tracksuit, not a crisp suit, her hair was down, loose and blowing around freely instead of being tied back severely. He hadn't thought she had a son but he watched her lifting him up into the air, helping him to reach something, and swinging him back down again. The little blond boy giggled with delight and Benjamin smiled, enjoying the sight. He could have watched her all morning, but a beeping from behind startled him and as the tractor's engine started up and moved on, they both crawled down the road slowly, still watching Elizabeth.

Inventing imaginary men and dancing around fields at six thirty on a Sunday morning. Benjamin couldn't help but laugh, and admire Elizabeth for her sense of fun and energetic embrace of life. She never seemed to be afraid of what anyone thought. As he continued down the winding road, his view of her became clearer. On Elizabeth's face was a look of pure happiness. She seemed like a completely different woman.