Splinters

My elder daughter started to walk all of a sudden on her first birthday.  As proud parents, we rushed to nearest mall and bought her some fancy (and rather expensive) pair of shoes.  She walked all day around the house with the fancy shoe box around her waist.  I stopped her and asked - 'What's in the box'?  Instead of her, my wife responded, "Dreams, I sell dreams and that's what's in the box".
That thought stayed with me for a while and evolved into this story.

Sample:

“What kind of dreams? How much do they cost?”
“All kinds of dreams—riches, love, happiness—and they cost nothing.” Her reply was accompanied with a grin on her face.
“So they are free?” I could not help being amused by her innocence.
“Well, sort of.”
“In that case, can I have two?” I asked jokingly.
“You can have as many as you want. But you’ll have to pay for them.”
“Earlier you said they were free, and now you say I’ll have to pay for them?” I teased, knowing fully well that this conversation was similar in nature to the tea parties I had with my daughter.