It was cold the night she left; she looked around the room, certain. This would be the end. She unlocked the door and placed one hand on the cold metal handle, feeling the rust against her fingertips. She held it tight, her breath caught in her chest for a moment. She looked down at her torn jeans and cheap shoes as she pushed down on the handle. The door made a squeak, like a final whimper, pleading for her to stay.

Stepping outside nearly took her breath away. A hallway once filled with laughter, now in the company of silence. She moved swiftly, silently, with trembling hands and heart, making her way out towards the road. The leaves from the shrubs gently brushed against her arms as she moved past them. It felt like they were saying goodbye, guiding her towards change. It felt like they understood. She paused, hearing a whisper in the wind, the same one she still catches on the breeze decades later as she continues to make her way along her path, a song of change sung to the beat of a free soul.

We all have our own journeys, and with that, our own stories, the ones we wrote ourselves, the ones others have written about us, and the remnants of those passed down to us by others. These stories and moments shape us, and they leave traces of themselves behind as they silently whisper their secrets into the world.

Through the power of the blockchain and my Hidden Stories contract, we created a beautiful convergence of my photography and my fascination with hidden stories, allowing collectors to leave their traces behind by adding their own hidden story to each HS NFT they own.

These stories will be cemented onto the blockchain, with another story being added every time they pass hands, connecting us all.