By Megan Gittins
3^rd grade, Placer county
Illustrated by Woodland High School

I had just finished reading about the lost city of Atlantis. As I was climbing into my bed that night, I said to my mom, "Wouldn't it be awful if California just vanished like Atlantis." Suddenly, there was a flash of green light the color of kiwi fruit and my room smelled of compost. California wasn't there any more. It had vanished. I said, "Mom, California is gone!" But she wasn't there either. And, I was standing in the middle of my Grannie's grocery store. She lives in Texas.

I decided to look around the store because I was hungry. Almonds are one of my favorite snacks. They are crunchy and are filled with vitamins and minerals… and LOTS of vitamin E. I went to the nut aisle, but I didn't see any almonds. I asked the store clerk, "Have you seen any of my favorite food called almonds?"

He said, "Sorry, but since California is gone we can't get the almonds."

I really need something to eat, so I tried for my second favorite snack, cling peaches. They are filled with vitamins A and C and are loaded with fiber. They help me reach my goal of 5 a day of fruits and vegetables. I went over to the canned peach section of the store. There were none… I almost fainted.

I saw a shopper walk by. I asked her, "Are there any cling peaches here?"

"No," the lady snapped, "California has vanished. Haven't you been watching the news?" I shrugged my shoulders and walked away.

I went to find some artichokes. My mother loves them. Artichokes are filled with fiber and vitamin C. They look funny and are fun to eat. They also only have 25 calories. When I got to the fruit and vegetable section of the store, there were no artichokes. I almost cried.

Then, I took a closer look. There were no olives, prunes, pistachios or walnuts. The figs, dates, persimmons, and kiwi fruit were gone too. But worst of all, raisins were missing from the shelves. I gasped with horror. Raisins are high in carbohydrates, low in fat, and high in vitamin C. Raisins also are full of phytonutrients and antioxidants which help fight diseases like cancer. What would I put in my oatmeal cookies? Then, I really started to cry.

Suddenly, I felt my mother kissing me good night. And, I realized that California had not really vanished. It was all my imagination. I thought to myself, it is a good thing that California is here, because it is the only place in the United States that can grow all those scrumptious and healthy fruit, nuts, and vegetables that were missing in my dream. I said to my mom, "If California weren't here there would be no lemon walnut pie, no pepperoni and olive pizza, and no oatmeal raisin cookies."

I fell asleep with wonderful dreams of all the good, nutritious food that California provides for our country.