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She saw her future just a little past the lake.
It called to her from across the water
She started towards the future that sat on the other side
As she took her first steps towards the water
She felt her past pulling her back
The past that was following close behind
Her past kept her in place for so many years
It held her in a tar pit of her own guilt, fear, and regret
The past pulled on her hard
The few steps she took she lost
The future continued to call to her
The bright beautiful future
The calm clean water lay before her
She took a few more steps forward and felt the past tighten its grip
She pulled hard against the past
The past pulled back claiming her once more
It began to wrap itself around her
The past was prepared to consume the girl
She felt stuck to her past
She pulled hard against the past
But the past pulled her in
The past with its tar-like substance grabbed her feet
It quickly began to climb up her legs
She felt herself being lost to it
The future started to fade out of sight
She started to succumb to the past and allow the tar to swallow her
But the future called to her
It sang out to her
The future sang songs of possibilities
The girl felt a renewed determination
And she knew she could make it
She took a deep breath
She screamed out at the past
Cursing its hold on her
She pulled at the tar that had wrapped itself around her waist
She pulled off the guilt that wrapped her legs
The fear that held her throat
The regret that held her feet
She pulled herself free
She ran toward the future
She felt pieces of the tar stuck to her
Pieces of her past
She knew the past was a part of her
She didn’t pull against it
She rubbed the tar against her skin
She let herself absorb the past
She knew she had to accept the past
Without letting it consume her
She took her steps forward to the water
At the edge, she saw the future
She took a deep breath
And leapt to her future