That night after the cleansing,
I fell asleep quicker than I expected —
no tossing,
no fear creeping in as the lights dimmed,
no waiting for the man with the K-Way hat
to step out of the shadows of my mind.
I closed my eyes
and drifted.
For the first time in years,
my dream wasn’t a warning
or a replay of the past.
It was quiet.
I found myself standing on a wide, open field.
Sunlight — real sunlight —
not the kind that blinds or burns
but the kind that feels soft on your skin,
warming you without demanding anything.
A gentle breeze moved through the grass,
and I felt light…
like my spirit had finally taken a breath
after holding it for years.
In the distance,
I saw the outline of my grandmother,
wrapped in a shawl,
standing beside a large fig tree.
She didn’t call
