Mara stood before the mirror. The glass was cold. It was not just cold. It was an abyss. The room around her did not exist. Only the reflection. Only the eyes. They were red. Not with anger. With hunger. The hunger was hers. It had been hers for years. She wore a white dress. It was stained. The stain was brown. It looked like rust. It looked like dried blood. She did not care. The stain was part of the truth. The truth was heavy. It sat on her chest. It pressed against her ribs. She could not breathe easily. The air was thick. The air was sweet. It smelled of lilies. Lilies rot in the vase. The vase was on the table. The table was wooden. The wood was dark. It was walnut. It was old. It was her father’s. Her father was gone. He had gone to the other side. The other side was quiet. The other side was white. Mara did not want to go there. Not yet. She had work to do. She had a choice to make. The choice was simple. The choice was terrible. She looked at her hands. They were small. They were pale. The nails were short. She had cut them. She cut them sharp. She used the scissors. The scissors were silver. They gleamed in the dim light. The light came from a single bulb. The bulb was bare. It buzzed. It hummed a low note. The note was the note of fear. The note was the note of end. She moved. She moved slowly. The floor creaked. The floor was old. The floor was tired. It remembered feet. It remembered many feet. It remembered her brother’s feet. Her brother was here. He was always here. He was in the walls. He was in the air. He was in the silence. He was the weight. He was the debt. She owed him. She owed him everything. She owed him her soul. She owed him her life. She would pay. She would pay the price. The price was high. The price was final. She raised her hand. She touched the glass. Her finger left a smudge. The smudge was clear. It was wet. It was her. She wiped it away. She wiped it with a cloth. The cloth was soft. The cloth was blue. It was her mother’s. Her mother was kind. Her mother was weak. Her mother had wept. Her mother had cried. She had cried for years. The tears had dried. The tears had become dust. The dust was on the floor. The dust was on the bed. The dust was on her skin. Mara felt the dust. She felt it in her hair. She felt it in her throat. It tickled. It burned. It was the taste of time. Time was a thief. Time stole the years. Time stole the hope. Time stole the love. It left only the bone. The bone was white. The bone was hard. The bone was strong. She was the bone. She was the strong one. She was the one who stayed. She was the one who held. She held the line. She held the door. She held the secret. The secret was in the box. The box was on the shelf. The box was small. The box was red. It was a jewelry box. It was her father’s. She opened it. The lid creaked. The sound was loud. The sound was a scream. She heard it. She heard it in her head. It was a warning. It was a promise. She looked inside. The box was empty. It was not empty. There was a ring. The ring was gold. It was heavy. It was warm. It was not warm. It was cold. It was ice. It was death. She picked it up. The ring slipped. It fell. It hit the floor. It made a sound. The sound was a thud. The thud was a heart. The heart stopped. The heart beat again. The heart beat faster. She picked it up again. She held it tight. She held it in her palm. The metal bit into her skin. It hurt. The hurt was good. The hurt was real. The hurt was hers. She looked at the mirror again. The reflection looked back. The reflection smiled. The smile was wide. The smile was sharp. The teeth were white. The teeth were knives. She did not smile back. She did not move. She stood still. She stood firm. She was the stone. She was the wall. She was the end. The door opened. The door was white. The door was light. The light spilled out. The light was blinding. The light was pure. The light was clean. A figure stood there. The figure was tall. The figure was dark. The figure was her. It was not her. It was someone else. It was the stranger. It was the one who waited. It was the one who watched. It was the one who knew. The stranger stepped in. The stranger wore black. The black was deep. The black was void. The stranger had no face. The stranger had no eyes. The stranger had no mouth. The stranger was the shadow. The shadow was long. The shadow was wide. The shadow covered the room. The shadow covered her. The shadow covered the mirror. The mirror cracked. The crack was thin. The crack was white. The crack was a line. The line was a scar. The scar was on her face. The scar was on her soul. The scar was the mark. The mark was the name. The name was Mara. The name was the curse. The name was the chain. The chain was gold. The chain was the ring. The ring was the key. The key opened the door. The door led to the night. The night was dark. The night was deep. The night was full of stars. The stars were cold. The stars were distant. The stars were indifferent. They did not care. They did not see. They did not feel. They only shone. They only burned. They only died. Mara walked to the door. She walked slowly. She walked with purpose. She walked with grace. She walked with pain. She did not look back. She did not need to. The mirror was behind her. The mirror was broken. The reflection was gone. The reflection was free. The reflection was at peace. The reflection was gone. Mara stepped out. The air was cold. The air was fresh. The air was new. She breathed. She breathed deep. She breathed in. She breathed out. The breath was long. The breath was last. The breath was the end. The end was not death. The end was birth. The birth was new. The new was free. The free was light. The light was bright. The bright was true. The true was real. The real was here. Here was now. Now was time. Time was gone. Time was done. The story was done. The story was over. The story was complete. The circle was closed. The loop was broken. The cycle was ended. The nightmare was over. The dream was over. The wake was here. She was awake. She was alone. She was free. She was Mara. She was the one. She was the last. She was the first. She was the all. She was the nothing. She was the everything. She was the silence. She was the sound. She was the voice. She was the word. She was the name. She was the truth. The truth was simple. The truth was clear. The truth was bright. The truth was light. The light was life. The life was love. The love was family. The family was bond. The bond was tie. The tie was knot. The knot was tight. The knot was strong. The knot was unbreakable. The knot was eternal. The eternal was forever. Forever was now. Now was then. Then was when. When was where. Where was here. Here was there. There was nowhere. Nowhere was everywhere. Everywhere was nowhere. The nothing was everything. The everything was nothing. The loop was closed. The cycle was ended. The nightmare was over.