The parents decided to give their younger daughter the family apartment, since their older daughter already had her own place. However, they were stunned by the unexpected reaction from both daughters.

My sister is infatuated with her career, utterly absorbed in her work, Alice murmured, the words floating like mist in the dream. Shes forty, unmarried, childless. She owns a flat and a carboth gleaming but hollow. She rarely reaches out to me or to our parents, yet waits for something from them.

Since childhood, Alice and her older sister had shared a chilly distance, rooted in their startlingly different natures and appearances. Alice was gentle, rooted, comfortably married from a young agewith three children bustling aboutand she devoted herself to managing the household. Meanwhile, her older sister, Fiona, blazed determined and ambitious: always striving, always moving forward. Fionas business trips seemed endless, leaving her familys voices echoing faintly, especially during the festive gatherings at their parents house.

Alices bond with her parents drifted like warm steam: they helped with the children, escorted them to school plays and village fairs, celebrations filling the rooms of their capacious three-bedroom flat in London.

Yet now, Alice and her family found themselves squeezed into a modest one-room cottage, the walls pressed closer each night. Recognising the crowding, Alices parents pondered the dilemmaday after dayuntil finally, they decided to offer Alice a flat swap. Their own one-bedroom flat no longer suited their needs, but it was impossible for them to enlarge it or secure a mortgage, as only Alices husband worked. So, they resolved to help their daughter by exchanging flats and transferring ownership to Alice at once.

But they hadnt expected Fionas response. Her voice echoed through the dream, sharp and bewildered: So, Alice gets the entire flat? And what about me? Am I not your daughter too? Their mother tried to explain, words tumbling into soft clouds: Sweetheart, see our position. We arent neglecting you. Youve achieved everything alone, and were certain youll manage if you need more. Alices situation is urgent. She has a family, children, and lives in a tiny flat.

Despite her mothers gentle reasoning, Fiona felt the icy prickle of neglect and resentment seep in, growing with every shadow. Alice interjected, mocking with the strange logic of dreams: Shes acting like a child denied a sweetI mean, really, Mums right. We need more space. Fiona has everything. Does she want another trip to Ibiza? She barely answers the phone for weeks. Shes selfish.

The question drifted before them: Was Fiona egocentric for overlooking Alices needs, or did her independence and rights as their daughter deserve attention regarding the family flat? The answer swirled elusive, unfixedas if the entire story had been written in fog on the River Thames, fading each time you tried to look closer.