The girl sat in her bedroom, hands clamped over her ears. But she could still hear her mother's screams. Her daddy would occasionally yell out, and then there would be a thud.

Her world was chaos and misery. But she knew how to escape. She crawled out the window and took her favorite book. The kittens in the haymow would keep her company until things calmed down.

Little sounds greeted her as she neared the top of the steps that led to her sanctuary.

"Hi, babies!" Now, she was safe. She let the kittens crawl over her and opened her book to read to them. Her lilting voice was soft and comforting and soon all five of the little ones were curled up fast asleep in her lap.

The sun began to sink. Now was the best time of the day. Everything turned golden and the breeze carried the fluff of the dandelions on its wings like a faerie's pony. The little girl hid her book and climbed down from the mow. Outside, she took a deep breath and danced in circles all the way down her driveway and out past sadness. Out to where the dandelions grew.