Imagine you were abducted. Taken without anyone knowing. Completely gone. Vanished. 

Your captors have taken you to a dark, damp and cold room in the middle of nowhere. You're terrified and have no idea what to think. You feel so alone and frightened that you think nobody can save you. 

Months go by, it feels like years. The people who have you captive, beat you daily to within an inch of your life. Forcing you to do things you don't want to do. They burn you and scold you and they enjoy it. The only thing you can think of is how your friends and family are worrying about you. And that you want this to stop. 

You start begging with your captors to kill you. End you. Put you out of your misery because you just can't take anymore. They refuse. Laughing at you because of the heightened inadequacy you're going through. It's excruciatingly incapacitating. 

It feels like forever has gone by. It hits a breaking point and you start screaming and crying and lashing out at your captors. They finally see the damage they have done. An underlying sense of guilt kicks in. 

They decide to leave, but when they leave, they keep you bound. But only slightly...

And then, you see it; a beacon of hope. The door is still unlocked. 

You see light creeping through underneath it. So, you fight! You really fight to get to that door, you give it everything you can fathom, just to understand what fresh air feels like again. To see sunshine and not worry about if you're gonna be hurt today. To see your loved ones and to know that they have you back. 

After you break out of your shackles by shattering your wrists and ankles, you slowly crawl to the door. You gradually open it and you realise: You've made it! Freedom. 

You get a second chance and a new perspective on life in the mere seconds you brace yourself into the outside world again. 

Some time passes, you realise that the outside world has changed. People aren't really sure what to make of you. They believe that you're probably a broken soul who will only complain about their torture. It's a cruel world knowing that people are more concerned about their own feelings than someone who has truly suffered. 

The thoughts of your mistreat will never go away. The damage is permanent as is the scars you now wear. People will judge you because of these scars. They just don't know how to talk to you.

How could they? They only see the shell of what you used to be. They have no idea the amount of suffering you've gone through. They only know that you were gone and you're not the same anymore. You've changed against your will and everyone else has changed in your eyes due to something that was entirely out of your control and now you torture yourself, internally. 

In the meantime, you'll find support in unlikely places. You'll believe that even though you went through hell, you're still here. Understanding the ordeal helps, but it's through love and compassion that you'll progress. 

You live your new life, but you'll never forget the anguish. 