Mary slowly opened her eyes.
For a moment, she didn't know where she was. Her breath came in short gasps, heart pounding like a drum in her chest. Had she woken up from a dream—or returned from somewhere beyond?
She lay still, feeling the soft fabric beneath her. The familiar walls, the faint light pouring in through a half-open window… She wasn't in the forest anymore.
She was home.But something had changed.
Her gaze settled on the wall in front of her. Three frames hung there.The first, green, bore a single word: "Hope" —the color of young spring leaves, calming and gentle.
The second, bright yellow, displayed the word: "Doubt" —like a warning light flickering inside her thoughts.
And between them, a third frame.A black wolf, staring from the darkness with glowing eyes. Beneath it, the word: "Fear."
Mary stared at the frames, unmoving.Everything she had gone through — the dark woods, the glowing insects, the girl in green — rushed back like a wave. Her lips curved into a soft smile. These words, these images... they were parts of her.Hope, Doubt, and Fear—locked in a battle within.
She got up and walked toward the window. Slowly, she opened it. A cool breeze whispered in, brushing her hair aside. The glow of streetlights fell across her face.
All was quiet.And yet, deep inside, her voice whispered:
"Am I ready to begin again?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, the night stretched before her — empty streets, distant lights twinkling in the dark. Life was still moving forward.
Everything depended on her now.And for the first time, Mary wasn't afraid.Not of the past.Not of the future.Not even of herself.
Mary (softly, with resolve):Now it's my turn...