Art Exhibition

Sitting in the quiet of her parked car, Carol feels her hands trembling as she clutches her phone. Her mind spins, flooded with memories she can't quite piece together. They begin with flashes of her parents’ cold words and harsh voices, memories that evoke a deep sadness she’s carried her whole life. She recalls herself as a small girl, clutching a stuffed toy behind a rocking chair, tears silently streaming down her face. But everything beyond that? It’s all a fog.

Then, there are memories she can picture more vividly—terrifying, murky images of herself underwater, flailing as she saw her mother and stepfather standing on the shore, laughing. But when she tries to recall when, where, or why these things happened, the edges blur. She can’t seem to connect the dots, to pull the fragmented images into a single, coherent story.

Outside the doctor’s office, she sits for a while, unable to start the car. In the aftermath of the visit, she can’t shake the fear bubbling up inside her. Is sh