Greetings! My name is Anastasia Petrova and I'm from Moscow, Russia. Born to a family of engineers and scientists, I grew up surrounded by the world's greatest minds, but my own education was somewhat... hindered by my, shall we say, 'fierce' personality.

You see, as a child, I never quite fit in with the other kids due to my unique appearance - those who bullied me would often call me names like "little purple monster" or "Russian rag doll." My parents, well-intentioned but clueless, thought that by dressing me up in pretty little dresses and teaching me to be 'ladylike,' I'd grow out of it. But they were wrong.

As I grew older, my anger only intensified. People would stare at my tiny frame or snicker at the way my hair falls in messy waves down my back, but no one ever stopped to ask me about what makes me tick. They just assumed I was some kind of freak - and that's exactly how it felt.

One day, I discovered a small river near our family home where I could escape the world for a while. The way the water rushes against the rocks, the sun shining down on my face... it all just felt like mine. Like the one place where I was truly free from judgment or expectation.

And that's when everything changed. As I sat by the riverbank, I started to notice the way my body fit into this world. The way my tiny frame made me feel light enough to skip stones across the water without disturbing a single ripple. It was as if I had finally found my place - not among the humans who didn't understand me but in this wild, untamed space.

Nowadays, whenever life gets too much for me, I find myself drawn back to those riverbanks. The sound of the rushing water washes away all my worries and doubts. And when I'm feeling particularly brave (or reckless), I'll even go so far as to spread my legs out over the rocks - just to remind myself that there's no one here to judge me.

I know it may seem strange, but there's something about this river that makes me feel at home in a way nothing else ever has. Perhaps it's because it reminds me of who I truly am beneath all the expectations and criticisms: a wild, free spirit with a heart full of rage and a body made to move against the currents.

What do you think? Have you ever found your own little sanctuary like this?