Incredulous, Marie rushed out of the house and into the fields. Her feet slowly picked up pace, eventually succeeding each other in what seemed to be a liberating run. 'This is it,' she thought, 'this is what it's meant to feel like.' The desire to let out the loudest of screams was quickly dampened by the realisation that everyone was still asleep. She would wake them all up. So instead her bare feet ran harder until she reached the lake.
She lowered her body and took a look at her reflection in the water. The hair, messy and free, had never looked so in place before. Her vividly printed skirt, grazing just below the knee, had found an unlikely lover in that seemingly contrasting blouse. Was her blouse whiter than usual? It glistened. 'Welcome back,' she whispered, 'where have you been?'
If it weren't for a firefly that suddenly darted in front of her, she would have never lifted up her head from her reflection in the crystal clear water. Surprised by the little intruder, she fell back on her back and her eyes descended on the other side of the lake. The grass was green on the other side. It was always green. She smiled at it but then stood up, looking at her image in the water, almost extending her arm to the smiling effigy to guide it back home after a long absence.
She turned to make her way back to the house. Letting the first lights of dawn silently guide her feet home, Marie cried tears of joy, for she realised that the grass had always been greener on her side.
