HOME?

MARIANNE

The water felt heavy, like the weight of the world pressing me deeper into the abyss. My limbs thrashed, desperate to reach the surface, but the more I struggled, the farther away it seemed.

Then, like a sinister veil being lifted, the water turned crimson, the deep red staining everything around me. My arms became numb, the pain gnawing through my body. I gasped, the choking sensation of water filling my lungs, blurring the line between life and death.

And then, stillness.

My body stopped fighting, and I felt myself sinking, the darkness swallowing me whole. I closed my eyes, accepting what seemed inevitable. This was the end of the road for me.

But suddenly, my eyes shot open, and I sat upright. My heart raced, a wild, erratic drumbeat in my chest.

"It was just a nightmare, Anne," I whispered to myself, trying to calm the frantic pounding of my heart. But even as I said it, I knew better. It wasn't a nightmare—it was a memory. One I wished I could forget, but