See The Forest For The Trees

Alhelí spent two months surrounded by utter pandemonium; a specific brand of chaos that made coming home alive at the end of the day a surprise within itself.

Completely and utterly out of her element, she needed an out the moment she stepped foot into that office. This wasn't the job she had signed up for.

Saving paycheck after paycheck to pay back the transportation and apartment, she leaves the money and a note on her old bed, any courage she once had to face her coworkers one last time, gone. With a final glance at the room, she packs her things and heads out.

Grabbing onto the earliest trolley heading back to the train station, Alhelí is happy to be heading back to somewhere normal.

But...

But, as the trolley bustles along, she can't help but to reflect on her time in the city. Sure, it was riddled with hardships, but was she letting her fear prevent her from recognizing the good this job had done for her?

Was she really going to abandon the city like this? Leave her coworkers- no, friends- without saying goodbye? The people who welcomed her, helped her through thick and thin despite how troublesome it was at times... was she going to throw it all away because she was too afraid to adapt?

Was running away really the right choice?

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Original short story for the #Panic Writing Contest