It was dusk. Amanda sighed. She knew that she should head back soon. A dismal chuckle escaped her lips. She was 21 and still living with her dysfunctional parents. What was she ever going to amount to if she couldn’t even get out of the house?
She shook her head. No getting depressed, no thoughts like that. It was like shooting herself in the foot.
She dropped the butt of her cigarette and stepped on it. Pushing off the rock Amanda stuffed her hands into her pockets and began the trek back to her house.

Stars were twinkling above her. The young woman looked up at them and was shocked by the sheer number. She turned in circles looking up through the trees. The stars were everywhere, covering the heavens, as if they had clustered above the forest.
Her forest.

looking up at the bright sky Amanda felt nothing but hope. She blinked and saw thousands of possibilities for herself in a flash. She didn’t know why, but she walked back into the forest, her eyes never leaving the sky.

It was the beginning of a dream