In The Average Fourth Grader Is a Better Poet Than You (and Me Too), Hannah writes: When I was a child I believed that one day I might be allowed to cross into an alternate dimension by walking through a quilt hanging on my living room wall. Reading this reminded me of the things I believed as a child... 2 days, 14 hours ago I was terrified of swallowing seeds because I believed they would grow in my stomach and sprout through my head. I also scrunched up my face whenever someone blew dandelion seeds near me, afraid I'd inhale them. I believed my dad could walk on water. I told the kids at school, and when they doubted me, I went home and told my mother. She was amused that I interpreted what she said in Cantonese literally and clarified that she meant he could tread water. Tread water = 踩水; 踩 means to step on and 水 means water. During my chicken pox quarantine, I lived with my grandmother and watched The Little Mermaid on repeat. I wanted to watch the movie instead of go to bed, so my grandmother told me if I stayed up too late, spirits would come and steal me away. I wanted to see the spirits. For weeks, I lied in bed trying to stay awake, using my fingers to keep my eyes open when I grew sleepy. But I never managed to see them & kept waking up disappointed the next morning instead. "I'm full" were magical words that allowed me to throw away my lunch and go play. I had no idea what they meant. I just knew that all the kids would show the teacher their trays, say these words, and then be allowed to leave the lunch table. When I showed my tray without these words, the teacher would tell me to sit back down and keep eating. These were the first English words I learned to say. After rummaging through my mom's drawers, I found Tic Tacs and believed they were a hidden stash of candy. I sneakily ate them and eventually shared one with a younger cousin. When he ate it, he cried, upset that I fed him toothpaste. He bawled so loud the adults found us, and the Tic Tacs were moved elsewhere. I liked rolling down the car window and leaning against the door. My mother said she had a friend who did the same, and while she drove her, the friend fell out of the car onto the highway. She warned me to stop if I didn't want to fall out too. For a long time after, I kept thinking about the friend. I'd pepper my mom with questions: Did the car door open on its own? Did the other cars hit her? Did she get hurt? Did she die? Did her parents get mad at you? Are you still friends? What do her parents think? My mom's answers were always inconsistent, so I'd keep asking again and again, thinking eventually the answers would align. For years, I believed that butterflies were much larger than they are. I was very disappointed when I finally understood how little they were. I believed that beings lived on the clouds, that there was a whole world there, and if I looked closely & long enough, I would be able to see them. I lied down in the playground and stared at clouds often. I was convinced once that a creature of light noticed me looking & waved at me; I told a teacher and she said I was very lucky to see one. — Blaugust 3/31