Olan's Dream

In Olan's dream he is ten again, standing in a sloping field of white poppies, and someone very near is quietly crying. Olan realizes that he is the sad one, they want him to leave soon, a boarding school two towns away, not far, they say. But, Olan wants to hide in the dream forever, then they'll forget their plans, then they'll leave him alone. In Olan's dream, the sun over him burns too warm, but the poppies couldn't be happier.