I returned to my village, where shortages, unpaid debts at the local grocer, and relentless hardship still shaped life. Yet hope remained. My younger sister excelled at school, while my brother and I studied at university in the city. One afternoon, as I watched my sister study, my brother Nurbek burst through the door. A massive protest had erupted in the city center, he said. Before I could grasp his words, I found myself standing in those very streets. A group of men rushed from a nearby house, stirring the crowd into a frenzy. Beside me stood Nurbek, Sulton, Olmos, and one of our young apprentices. Furious, my brothers moved to join the march. I tried to stop them, but the crowd swallowed them before they could hear me. Lost at the edge of the chaos, I was suddenly embraced by a beautiful young woman. Her hair brushed my face as she whispered in Turkish, “We love each other, don't we?” I had never seen her before, yet she held me with an almost supernatural calm. No matter how often I asked her to let go, she refused. Together we drifted behind the demonstrators, unnoticed by the crowd. For a moment, I surrendered to a strange, intoxicating peace. Suddenly, panic swept through the crowd, and the young woman vanished. Alone, I ran after the others until an elderly woman in a green coat reached for my hand. Frail and deeply wrinkled, she pleaded, “Son, please give me a little money for bread. I have no one.” Blinded by fear, I pulled away and kept running. Soon the crowd stopped and slowly turned back. Their faces reflected both revelation and despair, as though they had uncovered a terrible truth. “What happened?” I shouted. A middle-aged man seized me by the shoulders. “It's because of you!” he shouted. “All of us are guilty!” “What happened?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Your hidden life—every wasted hour, every secret habit, every shameful desire—was revealed. We were all forced to witness one another's sins.” A wave of terror swept over me. That girl—and every hidden sin I had buried—flashed before my eyes. It was as though an invisible screen had stretched across the sky, revealing every soul's darkest secrets. Around me, people lowered their heads, unable to face those they had betrayed. Even the least guilty stood in silent shame. An older man wearing glasses approached me. “Did you see an old woman in a green coat by the road?” “Yes,” I whispered. In that instant, the truth struck me. Had I stopped to help her, perhaps my sins would have remained hidden. I ran back and found her resting on a large stone, leaning on her walking stick. “Please,” I asked, struggling to catch my breath. “Tell me what is happening.” She met my eyes with quiet authority. “While God was leading you toward the right path, did you ever stop to see the condition of your parents—the ones who believed in you? Have you abandoned the dreams you once carried? Have you surrendered to life's small hardships?” She knew everything. It was as if she could read the map of my soul. Then she asked, “That girl you were with earlier... have you known her long?” I froze. She knew about her too. “Change where you sleep,” she continued. “Distance yourself from harmful people, and walk away from toxic places.” These were no ordinary words. I knew, with absolute certainty, that my merciful Creator was giving me a second chance—a chance to turn back before I lost my way forever. “Thank You, God,” I whispered in my heart. Overcome with remorse, I lowered my head. A moment later, I heard my brothers calling. “Brother, are we going? What have you been doing here alone for the past hour?” I turned. The old woman was gone. Just then, a middle-aged woman in a long dress approached us. “Excuse me,” she asked. “Did you see an old woman nearby?” “I did,” I replied. “We spoke for a while.” “Was she wearing a green coat?” “Yes.” She smiled gently. “Then she has returned to her duties.” In that quiet moment, I understood. This had been no coincidence. Whether she was a stranger, a messenger, or something beyond my understanding, she had appeared when I needed her most. She did not simply reveal my failures—she reminded me of the life I was meant to live. That day, I was given a second chance. I chose not to waste it.