ethan_d_bana
At some point, we all step into a forest without realizing it.
For some, it is a season of doubt. For others, it is loneliness, responsibility, faith, identity, or the quiet weight of becoming who we are meant to be.
This is not a story about perfection.
It is a story about confusion. About growth. About losing certainty and discovering something deeper in its place.
Inspired by the idea that sometimes we must lose our way to find ourselves, Brief Flames follows a journey through expectation, leadership, faith, rejection, and the quiet battles no one sees.
Into the forest I went - not knowing I would leave different.
Submitted for the Open Novella Contest 2026
Prompt 16 - "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."
#ONC2026 #ONC16