Decolonized | Novella

A woman in her early thirties battles a relentless need for cleanliness and a mysterious skin condition that defies medical explanation, driving her through a cycle of failed treatments and growing frustration. As she searches for answers, her journey leads her back to her Aunt’s sprawling garden—a place rich with herbal remedies, family tensions, and buried secrets. Flashbacks to her childhood surface complex memories, adding new layers to her search for understanding. Navigating between conventional medicine, alternative therapies, and introspective healing, she grapples with questions of control, perception, and the body’s way of speaking when words fall short. Her search builds toward one final attempt at healing, where a simple act reveals deeper roots than she ever expected. Weaving together themes of memory, identity, and the struggle for self-understanding, the story explores how the body carries pain and the quiet strength it takes to release it.

[completed | unpublished | seeking representation]