The Girl with the Purple Dot on the Globe

Ashley Constant

Pedaling away from the only place I knew was the most relieving feeling of my life. The wind was blowing through my hair while my father shouted something from behind me. He often had me pedal in front of him because I always lead our adventures. I was the one with the globe, after all. With my pink helmet and fuchsia backpack, I went as far as my legs could take me. I turned around to make sure my protector was still trailing behind me. He kept up with me pretty well for an old man. He knew by my droopy eyes I was getting tired and hot, so we took a pit stop. We grabbed our water bottles and perched ourselves next to the river to check my globe. According to the map, we were a freckle away from Italy, not too far from my purple house.

“Dadda, Grammy’s waiting for me,” I bellowed. “Well, let’s go see her. Where is she on the globe?” He played along.

I pointed to somewhere in Greenland, not knowing what was actually there, and we went along our way. We swerved down the dirt trail, following along the river until we reached the perfect destination. Trees were hanging over our heads like an umbrella, shielding us from the scorching sun. The burning ball of fire was still too bright for me, so I reached into my bag and grabbed my Chevron sunglasses. They were lopsided and scratched, but perfect for me.

“Did we make it, Squeeto?” my dad chirped at me.

“Almost, it’s just through here!” I exclaimed while we rested our bikes on a stump. My tiny hand reached up to his big calloused one and led him through the brush to my purple house. I discontinued walking without warning, causing my dad to run into me. In the distance, there was the most unique tree an eight-year-old could’ve seen in her whole life. At that moment, I determined that this was where my purple house was. My protector let me play through the trees while I babbled about Grammy and my two dogs, Sparkles and Diamond. Those dogs meant more to me than my actual dog at the time. I stumbled over a root while I was being careless, shouting “ow” before I even hit the ground. My father ran over to me and noticed I had a scrape on my knee. This was when I knew this was the end of our adventures. We made our way back home after he tended to me with the first aid kit. He pedaled next to me this time, asking more questions about Grammy and my house. So I told him all about it in vivid detail.

“So the house is purple, of course. Grammy has her rocking chair on the porch so she can watch me when I play outside,” I gushed. “What about your dogs, Ash?” he questioned me. “Oh, well they are both white and super cute. I play with them every day,” I continued. He stopped interrogating me, which left me with my thoughts – the thoughts that I still have today, about just how much I love my purple house in the woods. These fantasies and images that I had made me flourish when I got older. Even today, I think in color and speak in metaphors, with my wheels always turning. I transferred these images into inspiration for my writing, hoping that, one day, children will realize their imagination is much greater than reality. For myself, I hope to turn the globe that once fit into my backpack into the world I will one day change. Then, I will get back onto my bike and be relieved to go back to the place I have known my whole life.