Her eyes rose to take in the long path ahead. At first, she wasn’t sure what she saw, moving in and out between the sunlight and dappled shadows. She had only seen a snake in the forest once before, many years ago, when everything had meaning. Perhaps she was being visited again. She felt something stir within, something familiar yet barely recognizable, it had been so long. Was that hope she was feeling? The snake snaked its way and she felt the stirring again. Maybe transformation was possible after all. But then the snake rose up. And as it moved towards her, she began to see the silhouette of a woman. Closer she came, until the shadows gave way to clarity.

              “It’s you,” I hear myself gasp and lay down my pen. I look into the eyes of this snake-woman on the page and I see my own reflection…