^{Designed in Canva}

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It was nearly the golden time of that lazy Sunday afternoon, just at the time when Mara felt herself drawn to the old bench in the park by the side of the pond. Settling on the cold metal seat, she released a soft sigh as the shoulders began to dissolve tense knots of their own accord.

This spot beneath the weeping willow was something like her sacred place for the past several months. Since the day she had lost the job, everything in her life was literally turned upside down. She was floating—she did not know where her life was rolling. Everything had seemed so certain before, yet now—now it all just felt pretty shaky and delicate.

^{Original image taken from the announcement post of the contest}

Somehow, in this forgotten corner of the park, she found a sort of peace and perspective that she found nowhere else. The sun, lowering to cast that warm glow over the pond, dazzled her vision, and she shut her eyes tightly, willing everything to go away.

"Rough day?"

That was before a small gasp had escaped, and she'd opened her eyes to look into a really curious yet kindly expression on the face of an old woman standing at the side of the bench. Mara had not even perceived her coming.

"Oh…I guess," Mara hesitated. She was not that good in making small talk with strangers.

"Do you mind if I sit here for a while? My legs feel like falling off," the woman asked, pointing to the other part of the bench.

Mara nodded, moving her bag to the side for her to sit down, and the woman settled down with a soft groan.

"Nothing like a nice sit under the willows to take the edge off, eh?" she said, closing her eyes and leaning back.

"Yes, surely it is peaceful here," replied Mara, stealing a sidelong glance at her new companion. She had paint stains on her worn hands. Mara wondered if she was an artist.

"By the way, I am Ruth," the woman opened her eyes and stretched out her hand.

"I am Mara."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mara." Ruth offered her a warm handshake before again lapsing into silence.

As they both gazed out at the shimmering pond, Mara felt her worries begin to fade into the background. Having a stranger to share space with made her look at it through new eyes: made her notice the sparkling ripples on the water, the way the light filtered through the willow branches. And then, it struck her suddenly that she had been too tangled up in her mind to even take notice of the simple beauty around her.

"So, what brings you to my favorite thinking spot?" Ruth asked a moment later.

Mara hesitated a moment, gauging how much she could really tell this woman who, at the same time, was a friend and an enigma. After a moment, she shrugged and decided that there was no harm in telling the truth. "My life has sort of been on the rocks. Coming here makes me feel centered again."

Ruth nodded. "Hmmm, yeah, it kind of looks like the pond smoothes over all the rough patches in life, huh? Nature somehow makes it up to your mind."

"That's true," said Mara, in wonderment at her own realization. She saw that it was the same soothing effect the park had over her tangled thoughts.

"You know, sometimes when the road ahead looks all uncertain, the best thing is to stop and look within. Don't rush the journey wherever it takes you next. " Ruth patted gently at Mara's hand before she rose from the bench.

"Enjoy the rest of your sit, dear. And remember, answers have a way of finding you when you least expect." With that, Ruth was on her way, leaving Mara to her last thoughts.

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I trust that you enjoyed reading this story. 😊

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^{I would like to invite @dove11, @patjewell, @waterjoe, @senehasa, @damithudaya, @f2i5, @weisser-rabe, @enrisanti, and @paholags to join this contest through this link, if they have not already taken part in it.}

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^{Author: @waqarahmadshah | Date: 03-Mar-2024 | Achievement 1}