Victory

April's rays of sunshine have awakened the trees from their hibernation. The prunus wears a petticoat of pink blossoms, the lawn is a nursery of newborn colorful flowers.

With the blood rushing wildly in her ears, the demons return. The prunus turns into an alien monster. She quickly closes the dark curtains. In the twilight of her safe living room, she regains her self-control. The winter months have been bearable. Skeletons of bare trees and shrubs hide nothing. But spring has come. Her winter will last until November.

 The horror of July 2019 still haunts her every night. Eventually, even her husband dumped her. Her cat has remained faithful to her. For her, she is still alive. Agrostophobia, the doctor labelled her. Vegetation anxiety, in plain language. Here is your prescription. And you should go outside more often.

The loser.

The ocean in her ears soothes. Her pinging Facebook startles her. The contact request takes her thoughts back to the past. Summer holidays in Silvershore, a long-forgotten little town nearby the sea, surrounded by meadows and apple orchards. Picking apples, catching fish, hide and seek in the dried-up ditch. Jenny and Caroline, her summer friends. Less than a minute after she tapped 'accept' she receives a call. Contrary to her habit, she answers. At the end of the difficult conversation, Jenny insists on visiting her. Immediately. With Caroline. No, don't bother for food. They're going on a trip.

The orchard, the meadow, the dry ditch, the summer house, it seems as if time has frozen for the last thirty years.

“Come on, let's take a look around.” Her friends carefully take her into the meadow.

Her fears evaporate in the mixed aroma of grass and salty sea air. Her memories float back, to the safety of the past. She used to hide in the ditch for fun. Today her hide and seek will end. Her friends reach out to her, and she climbs up. Up from her own mental hiding place.

She will succeed!