Sometimes the hardest ciphers are just love letters from our younger selves, written in a language only time can translate.
“Try write hymns, pig’s howl… own… age twelve?”
And below, in her grandmother’s hand: “Say it with a lisp, child. TY-WRYYT → ‘Try writ.’ HMPZ HGDWL → ‘Hm, pigs howl?’ No. Read it as one word: TYWRYYTHMPZHGDWLWNH12.” Lena sounded it out slowly. ty-wryyt hmpz hgdwl - -wnh 12
It became clear English:
Lena shifted the text in reverse.
It looks like the phrase you provided — — appears to be encoded, possibly with a simple substitution cipher (like shifting letters, e.g., Atbash or Caesar).
Inside, not a portrait — a folded paper with the same letters: . Sometimes the hardest ciphers are just love letters
“The right answer hides — own age twelve.”