Tapiwa had a long dream, not a nightmare, but one that helped her see the light. She felt enlightened, as if she were a frog in a well.
She felt like a joke for the first time in her life, and she was ashamed of her bad thoughts.
To think that she once considered ending it all, leaving this planet because she couldn't stand it any longer.
She couldn't stand the oppression any longer. When she decided to divorce, she was quite conflicted for a long time, and if it hadn't been for the intimidation that those vixens kept prodding her with, she wouldn't have dared to do it.
Suffering in a marriage in this era was still preferable to living as a divorcee, but she felt hopeful after women were granted the right to establish their own households and start their families.
However, life did not improve after the divorce since she continued to feel pressurized and considered herself a failure, making her uncomfortable to even see others and smile around other women.
She looked down on herself so much that after this long dream; it was as if the light had finally shone upon her, enlightened her, and opened her eyes to see the wonderful things the world has to give.
In her extended dream, she was fortunate enough to witness the lives of ten different women of various social classes.
Other women were very rich, some were poor, some were in the middle, and what was more interesting was that she was the only one who knew this world, which she now labeled as a historical or ancient era because there was no technology or modern appliances like she saw in some of the worlds she saw in her dreams.
Her planet may also be described as a magical world, given that people in her world could practice magic, although inhabitants in some of the other worlds she visited knew nothing of the like.
One of the worlds she visited, the person she saw that planet with, was a fan of reading novels, and she learned a lot from those novels.
For those living in the modern world, such as that girl who enjoyed reading, a world like the one she was living in was referred to as a fantasy world, and Tapiwa thought the description was extremely appropriate.
She also discovered that people can reincarnate, be reborn, or transmigrate depending on circumstances, and that all of these might be seen as receiving a second chance.
And all the characters she read about, especially the main ones who weren't villains, would always do good with the opportunities they were given.
Some would be given systems to aid in conquest by assigning missions and rewarding hosts. Some would be given dimensional spaces to keep their belongings, while others would be given spiritual springs with water that could cure any ailment or make crops grow faster.
All of these amazing things were referred to as golden fingers, and as she read these various tales, she hoped for something similar. Wouldn't her life improve if she could have something as wonderful as that?
On another planet, similar to hers, humans have powers, but not all of them. She saw life through the eyes of a woman who lacked an ability and the resources to awaken.
She was, nonetheless, tenacious and worked tirelessly to realize her ambition. While viewing this woman, Tapiwa was astounded to discover that, what was required to awaken was extremely limited and scarce in that world, yet in her own world, it was plentiful and regarded as trash.
Tapiwa's heart ached when she realized she could become a mage or an awakened by doing what she witnessed those individuals do to finish the ritual.
Tapiwa had been living in horror and shame, living in the shadows of her younger sister since other mages didn't matter to her, and finally seeing a way to become like her or even surpass the other, she couldn't overcome her happiness.
This world spoke to her so deeply that she took everything seriously, and by the time the lady died and her access to that world was shut off, she was resentful.
Tapiwa learned a lot in every world she lived in; a woman can also express her opinions and make herself known.
Even the seemingly impossible will become achievable if she persists in the pursuit of her objective.
She should not let anyone stomp on her or look down on her. The first step was to establish self-confidence, and the rest will fall into place.
She felt humiliated as she reflected on how she had lived her life thus far. And after seeing these ladies in different cultures, she realized she was more fortunate than others. At the very least, she saw something that most ladies would not.
And with the knowledge she gained from seeing other women, she was certain that if she copied some of those concepts, her life and the lives of other women would be changed.
And when she opened her eyes that morning, she was astonished, shaken, and most of all relieved that her long dream had come to an end. Especially after discovering that the memories of the several worlds she had visited were still strongly engraved in her mind.
Tapiwa could already see herself soaring high like an eagle with this strength at her disposal.
She had been truly blessed by the heavens, and this prize and gift were so valuable to her that she felt she wasn't actually deserving of it.
However, as wonderful as this news was, what really made Tapiwa feel as if she was still dreaming and caused her to sit cross-legged earlier for hours was the golden finger that was bestowed on her, which she only realized later after pinching herself several times to ensure that everything was real.
Despite the darkness, she had a contented smile on her face. It was late and the optimum moment for her to leave the room and cook some food because she hadn't eaten all day, but that wasn't what she had in mind right now.
With a single thought, Tapiwa's body, which should have been in the room, vanished.