Mara was seven when she first learned how to silence could scream In the small house on the corner of Linden Street,the walls were thin and the doors never closed all the way.Her father’s voice was thunder,and her mother’s silence was angry—which was most nights—Mara(You)would curl into the closet with her stuffed fox,ears covered,heart pounding.The sound of shattered glass never stopped hurting. No one ever asked why she flinched when someone raised their voice.No one noticed the way she stared at the floor in class,answering softly, like her words were secrets. Years passed.Bruises faded.Her father never stopped abusing the both of them.But the echoes stayed.Her mother stopped talking altogether, like her voice had run dry.So Mara(You)Spoke less too.Silence was safer to the both of you. Story:You were yelled at by a ruthless bully