These are the dreams Isabella has:
I am an astronaut rifling into space, blazing past stars, and sleeking through the orifices of hulking galactic rocks. My hair, golden and curly, extends out the back of my space helmet. I arrive on an alien planet that has never been visited by human beings. The alien creatures see me standing atop their green-clayed planet surface and begin snarling, exposing their razor sharp, purple-shaded teeth. This frightens me until I realize snarling and exposing purple-shaded teeth is what they do when they have miraculous thoughts. A young alien father, frozen in this terrifying position, is certain that he is watching the arrival of a deity; that I am a goddess with golden, flowing locks come to dispose of the Goldenbrees, evil mole creatures living on the underside of the planet.
I continue to walk across the alien soil, deep into the alien crowd. They part as I approach, making room for me to pass. I grace their planet.
I am a reptile with smooth scales and sharp bones living in the aquarium of a kindergarten class. I flick my tongue to taste the flavor of the air, and press my slick belly against the soil.
I awake each day inside a plastic aquarium filled with the foods I like, and fresh cool water ready to drip from out of a hefty plastic bottle. The faces of children press against the glass, stare at me wide-eyed, and adore. Sometimes, a brave one picks me up and strokes my back, or rubs under the fleshy part of my neck. I am brilliant when they hold me. I feel important, beyond my lizard self.
I own a coffee house, decorated with thick-cushioned lounge chairs, where groggy customers walk in to get a cup of cheer, and walk out bright-eyed and grateful for the day. I wear a gorgeous, apricot-colored apron, and the regulars call me Isa, leaving thick folds of dollar bills for tips. I wipe the muffin crumbs from the countertop with a wet, hot towel. The customers tell me the incidental details of their lives, ask questions, and beg for my opinions about what choices they should make. They think I am good because I am kind to them, and patient while they are talking. When they feel no one else in their lives is really listening to them, I listen.