Patience in Wonder Meadow — John Abeln

Imagine combining The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland in the 21st Century! Patience in Wonder Meadow is a fable about a curious teenager Patience, her dog Daisy and their other-worldly and comical adventures. It's a dreary Saturday afternoon and Patience is bored. Her mother warns Patience to be wary of strangers while visiting her favorite mall. Patience and Daisy enter the mall with excitement surrounded by the holiday music and families shopping for gifts, quickly forgetting her mother's precautionary words. Little does Patience realize that Daisy will lead her on a wild chase after she follows a squirrel which escapes in the false waterfall! Patience follows Daisy and the Squirrel as they scamper away. Welcome to Wonder Meadow! Inside is an unknown land of cowboys, talking squirrels, singers and an explosive game of chess! This story is a child's story, an allegory and political satire rolled into a quick-moving short story.