As the family settled into their airplane seats for the next leg of their trip, Katelyn's mother casted a glance at her children with a stir of emotions within her. After a restless night triggered by her daughter's late-night escapades, she felt her maternal instincts kick into overdrive. While Ashley was generally lenient about Katelyn staying out, she felt uneasy about her wandering in an unfamiliar place. And when questioned about what caused her late return, Katelyn vaguely mentioned a "fairy tale play" at the royal palace that had run unexpectedly long. Nevertheless, she had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't telling the whole truth. Alas, she didn't have time to grill on further as they needed to quickly prepare for their morning flight out of Sweden. But she still wanted to get down to the bottom of this and was going to interrogate her daughter later that night no matter what...

Ashley suddenly felt a hand reach over and clasped hers and turned to see her husband smile at her.

"She's okay now. Just take it easy and I'll be the parent today," her husband proposed as he gently placed his palm atop his wife's hand.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before reclining her seat. She did need to catch up on sleep and the two-hour flight provided just enough time for a brief catnap...

Grand Hyatt Berlin. Berlin, Germany

After arriving at the hotel a bit earlier than their check-in time, the family left their bags with the staff who recommended some sightseeing while waiting for their rooms to become available. The concierge were quick to help arrange bike rentals for the two adults and their children. And as the family rolled their new rides out of the hotel lobby, Katelyn's dad turned to his wife and asked.

"Hon, are you sure you're up for this?"

She snapped together the last dangling strap on her bike helmet before nodding at her husband and setting off towards the nearby park; Tiergarten. Under the clear blue skies, the city buzzed with energy - the hum of bicycles and the laughter of others enjoying the open green space. Her gaze drifted to couples strolling along the sidewalk, triggering a sense of nostalgia for her pre-parenting days. Those were blissful times, filled with spontaneous adventures, late-night conversations, and the exhilarating freedom to explore each other's worlds without parental responsibilities. It was a chapter marked by romance, shared dreams, and the unbridled joy of building a life together as a couple...

Ashley briefly turned her head back and saw her kids happily riding behind her; offering reassurance to her still-frayed maternal psyche. As she looked forward, memories flooded back to when they decided to take the next step and form a family. The joy of discovering parenthood together replaced candlelit dinners with sleepless nights and baby giggles. Amidst the chaos of diapers and midnight feedings, her love deepened within the family unit, creating a bond that transformed initial euphoria into a shared journey of nurturing and growth with her children.

The family continued to bike through the park and passed by a grand pillar, the Siegessaule, that stood at the center of a large roundabout. The column was adorned with intricate sculptures and a striking golden statue with historical significance that made it a prominent landmark in the heart of the city. Later on, they journeyed to one end of the park and cycled through the Brandenburg Gate which defined the entrance to a timeless historical landmark in the middle of this urban hub. As she rode beneath the arch, Ashley felt its towering size and grandeur above her diminish her own presence in the world. When got to the other end of the plaza, she paused for a bit and watched as other tourists and locals went about their day. Ashley realized that she, too, was like them, navigating through life with a sense of duty and efficiency but often neglecting to live in the present moment. She had spent the last decade managing her work and life while time and her own life seemingly passed her by. She couldn't help but reflect back on her life up till now. It all felt so fast. It felt so surreal. It felt like she had lost a piece of herself in the past...

Restaurant near the Berliner Fernsehturm

Having reunited with her family and explored the museums on the "island" throughout the afternoon, they wrapped up their day with an early dinner at a nearby restaurant before heading back to their hotel for the night. The family's table was filled with all sorts of traditional German dishes ranging from an assortment of wurst to schnitzels while Ashley and her husband snuggled next to each other as they clinked their cocktails. As she took a sip of her Fizzy Peachtree drink, Ashley glanced through the window behind her daughter and noticed something peculiar.

She lowered her glass and focused in on a series of graffiti art that wrapped around the exterior of the adjacent building. Her eyes traced the twisty glyphs, guiding her to a collection of posters promoting EDM artists beneath a martini glass; unmistakably advertising for a nightclub. Memories flooded back to her undergraduate days when she was part of an infamous sorority group, frequenting clubs around the university. She recalled nights of bar-hopping with her Tri Delta sisters, getting completely immersed in the party scene and flirtatiously engaging with guys who bought them drinks. And it was one of those guys who she quickly became smitten with who was now husband...

She snapped herself out of her daydream and turned towards her husband, who had since grown some strands of gray hair, and watched as he engaged their kids.

She sighed to herself and thought, "Hmm... where has the time gone?"

Grand Hyatt Berlin. Berlin, Germany

Back at their hotel room, Ashley had changed into a white turtle neck and shorts while curled up on a futon and gazing out at the darkening city skyline. Since coming back to their hotel, she continued to ponder over the chain of memories and soon found herself on the brink of a mini mid-life crisis. She couldn't help but feel like she was loosing control of her family; first with her daughter's absence last night and eventually when she goes to university.

Ashley turned to her husband, who was mindlessly scrolling through his phone, and asked, "once the kids are asleep, why don't you and I go out?"

"Maybe tomorrow, hun. I'm kinda tired after all that traveling," he replied without breaking his attention from his phone.

Ashley slumped into her seat and pondered her next move. Despite her husband's weariness, she felt energized and ready to get up and move. After a minute, she indeed rise from her chair and picked up a pair of keycards resting on the room's only desk.

"Sweetheart, where are you off to?" Her husband asked as she put on her patent black sandals.

As her handle rested atop the doorknob she replied, "going to check on the kids."

With that, she stepped into the brightly lit hallway and made her way to the elevator down the hall. Unlike their stay in Sweden, their current hotel did not provide adjoining rooms for suites and regular rooms. Instead, the hotel staff arranged the two closest rooms, with just two floors between them.

Upon reaching her children's floor, she approached their door and used the other keycard to get herself in. As soon as she stepped inside, she was met with a dense cloud of steam billowing from the connected bathroom, with her daughter's clothes casually strewn beside the door. She removed her shoes and entered the bedroom to see her son and daughter's luggage haphazardly thrown about. Her daughter's suitcase lay open on her bed, while her son's belongings were scattered at the foot of his twin-sized bed.

"Nothing ever changes," she muttered to herself as she strolled over to her son and gave him a big hug as he played on his handheld game console.

"How's my angel doing?" She asked as she squeezed her child.

"I'm bored, mommy. Katelyn doesn't wanna play games with me!" He complained. "Maybe dad would wanna play?"

Right after the idea hit him, he squirmed out of his mother's arms and picked up a spare keycard for his parent's room and leave her mother and daughter behind in the room. As she saw her son leave, she sighed to herself and tossed her pair of keycards in front of the room's TV. She then turned her attention to the mess that her kids had created with their stuff all scattered about. Unlike their short stay in Sweden, their Berlin visit was planned for two nights, granting her children the freedom to settle in as if it were their own space.

With one of her kids gone, she opted to stay and wait for her daughter to finish her shower so she could have a heart-to-heart with her about the night before. While she waited, she turned to her son's stuff and was about to pickup a pair of his tossed socks but suddenly froze in her tracks. She got a whiff of distinct scent coming from her daughter's side of the room and quickly pivoted to investigate. As she followed her nose, she was vaguely reminded of what her daughter's room smelled like in the morning; albeit less pungent this time. She always wondered about that aroma since she knew her daughter took care of herself. At first, she thought it was coming from her daughter's worn clothes near the bathroom but her nose led her to her daughter's purse. She leaned in closer and unzipped her purse to reveal something unexpected. At the bottom of her daughter's purse sat a pair of wooden face masks, lifeless and waiting for someone's embrace.

"What a nice souvenir..." Ashley thought to herself as she picked one up and held it in her hands.

The mask had a substantial weight, feeling like an authentic carved wooden piece with a metal bar at its nose. She brought the mask close to her face and sniffed around its edges; checking if the scent came from it. Alas, all she detected was a subtle hint of pine wood.

But out from the corner of her eye, she noticed a soothing glow coming from the other mask in her daughter's purse. Ashley delicately exchanged the masks in her hands, cradling the new mask's wooden cheeks in her palms. Once in her hand, she could definitely tell that the scent was coming from this object and leaned in to take another whiff. As she lifted it closer to her nose, the mask's green glow began to radiate through its wooden cracks and prepared itself for another night with another woman within its grasp.

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