The Crown, the Mirror, and the Garden

It starts in a forest. Not the fairytale kind. This one’s full of skeletal trees, their branches weighed down with broken ornaments, memories of joy that slipped through my fingers. You’d think they’d fall, shatter completely. But no, they just hang there, waiting for me to notice them. I pick up the pieces, one by one, realizing: this forest? It’s not just where I’ve been. It’s where I am.

Then there’s the figure. Dressed in red, towering, hollow. You know the type, something you trusted once, long ago, before you knew better. I looked to it for protection, but it stood there, offering nothing. That’s when I got it: safety isn’t found. It’s made. And I’ve been making it for myself ever since.

The corridor comes next. Endless lockers, creaking open like they know my secrets. Each one holds a memory, some so sharp they cut, others so soft I almost can’t bear them. But I open them all. I carry them all. Heavy? Yeah. But heavy can feel like strength if you let it.

Then there’s her. The queen. Faceless. Dripping in gold. A crown so heavy it’s crushing. She’s not me...she’s the version of me everyone told me to be. Perfect. Polished. Exhausting. I lay down the crown. She crumbles. It’s liberating, really. Watching her fall.

And then, the castle. Cold, distant, lonely. A fortress I built as a kid when I didn’t know how else to survive. Inside, the walls are etched with every fear, every dream I’ve ever had. I kneel there, whispering to the child I left behind: “I see you. I’m here now.” The ice starts to melt.

The mirror? Neon glow, fractured at first, but when I lean in, I see someone whole. Not perfect. Whole. Becoming. That’s the word. Becoming.

And then the garden. Soft, warm, filled with something I’ve never held before: love. Real love. The kind I’ve learned to give myself. And waiting beyond it all is Norah, my daughter, her laughter piercing the silence, breaking me open in the best way. She’s proof that healing doesn’t just happen in me It’s something I can pass on. Something we can grow together.