Hey, I’m Tess and I’m a dreamer. Only one of my dreams has ever come true, but boy is it a big one... It all started with an assignment to create an album of photos from my summer. Just perfect, I thought. I’ll take pictures of me sitting home.
My besties, Elle and Maddy, were heading to Disney with their moms. I could just imagine the photos of them waving from the windows of Cinderella’s castle.
My favorite dreaming spot is on the lawn of the “mall.” That’s short for the National Mall, aka that grass surrounded by all the monuments and government buildings in Washington,DC. It gets visitors from all over the world who are sooooo excited to see our capital city. But to me, it’s just my hometown.
One of the buildings on the mall looks exactly like a castle. I had always wondered what was inside, but was never brave enough to ask. Or maybe I just wanted to keep my dream alive. You know the sort, the dream in which I’m a princess in a beautiful gown and tiara welcoming my guests to a ball.
Anyway, on this day, I got brave! I was ready for adventure. I would storm the castle! Fearless, I marched up the castle steps and knocked on the front door. To my amazement, it opened.
A tall man with a warm smile held the door. “Welcome to the largest museum in the world.” A museum?! I turned to go. I had no money for a ticket, and who wants to spend their summer in a dusty old museum, anyway? But the man called me back. “You must not leave without surveying your treasures!” “Joe,” I said, reading his nametag, “you have the wrong girl.”
But this guy was determined, and I had time to waste, so I took the map he handed me.
The next day, I wandered back to the castle. Joe opened the door with a flourish. “Your Highness.” he said, “did you find your collections in order?” Laughing, I played along. “Why yes, good sir, I see my Hope Diamond has been recently polished and shines quite nicely.” “Very well. And how may I serve you today?” he asked. I told him that earthly treasures bored me, and I wished to see a treasure from another world. He told me where to find a moon rock!No joke, I followed his map to the National Air and Space Museum, and actually got to touch a moon rock. I have to say, it blew my mind. I felt proud—proud that our country had sent astronauts to the moon and returned them home. And I even felt a little special, because I could reach out and touch such a precious treasure. I snapped another picture for my album.
The next morning, bright and early, I breezed through the doorway of the castle. Joe scrambled to keep up with me. Tipping his hat, he asked which parts of my collection I wished to survey today. “Good sir,” I said, in my most adult voice, “I have just learned that the duchess of Virginia has acquired a tiger for her private garden. I must not be outdone. Tell me, do I have a tiger in my collection?” I thought I had him beat, but Joe handed me another map, this time ofthe Smithsonian’s National Zoo. I headed uptown to the Zoo, where I really did see tigers and many more amazing animals. I learned that the Smithsonian does lots of conservation work, helping to protect endangered species. So, yeah, that was pretty cool. Just as one of the tigers opened his mouth andshowed his teeth, I snapped a photo for my album.
I felt awed and humbled by all I had seen. I returned to the castle, but this time I pulled up a chair and sat down next to Joe. I told him about my school project and shared my photos, and he told me all about his work, too. Before I left, I asked him about his favorite item in the collection. “For you,” he said, “Amelia Earhart’s flight googles. You have spunk, like her.” The compliment made me smile. I went to see the googles and learned that Amelia Earhart was a famous and record-setting aviator. As I stared into the goggles she wore during one of the first air races for women, I felt my mind and heart expanding. It was cool to have a collection of treasures, shared with all Americans and visitors from around the world. In my picture next to Amelia Earhart’s goggles, I have a big smile and a dreamy look in my eye.
And so, there you have it. I got to be a princess for a summer, and it was pretty great. Elle and Maddy are gonna love the photos. But I’m not so into princesses anymore. Now, I’m dreaming of becoming a pilot, or maybe a museum curator, or an astronaut, or zoologist. I have time to figure it out—and spunk, too!
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