"i promise," she said quietly to herself,
"i promise that I won't let them hurt me anymore.
i will be stronger than them."

after so much heartbreak in her life
after so many people came into her home, made a mess and broke things
just to leave and make her clean it up by herself
she locked the doors and built a gated wall.
she leaves her windows open but she never lets people inside.
she is rebuilding her beautiful home,
she is making an astonishingly glorious garden
she is making all the pain into a beautiful mosaic
with a "do not touch" sign underneath.
she is becoming brand new
and it's such a beautiful thing.