Dust in the Alley

"Sana nakinig nalang ako"

Azalleya Ashterille Torres was supposed to be a nurse. That was her goal, the ceremony, the graduation stage, the pride in her parents' eyes. But somewhere along the way, she ignored the warnings, she let the wrong distractions take hold, and she watched as her life veered off course.

Now, she finds herself standing in the quiet, dusty corners of an alley, looking back at the wreckage of her choices. She wonders, with a heavy heart, if she had just listened, would she have walked across that stage on time? Would he still be by her side instead of a ghost of a memory? Would her parents still look at her with the pride she was so desperate to earn?

She is left with a choice that feels impossible. She could leave her stethoscope in the dirt, let her dreams be in dust, and walk away from everything she once wanted. Or, she could find the strength to stand up, turn away from the shadows, and walk out of that alley to begin again. Azalleya has to decide if she is finished her dream, or will she change her path to start a new dream?