The Chance to Answer

She answered questions for six hours. She did not defend every decision. She named the places where fear had become a method.

At the end, a patient asked, “Why should we believe you now?”

Mara answered, “You should not believe me because I am sorry. You should believe only what can be checked.”

The council accepted the answer as a beginning, not a verdict.

Room Fifty-Three opened beneath the council table.