"Strongholds"

Short Story | Fiction | by ReDDVoice

Sometimes things that happen in the past can become strongholds, trapping us in a life of spiritual bondage. A dark place, plagued by negative thoughts and defiant behavior. Maya knew this dark place all too well. She was haunted by the demons of her past. To dull the pain, she started drinking alcohol when she was just a teenager. She dropped out of high school and gave up on her dreams of becoming an attorney. Maya's life was out of control.

A Troubled Past...
When Maya was only eleven, she was molested by her step-dad. Because her mother worked a lot, she was occasionally left at home alone with him. One day he decided to target her. His efforts were premeditated, as he waited until her mother went to work one night. He caught Maya in the hallway and pulled her into her mother's room. She tried to fight him off, but he was just too strong. He threw her down on the bed, tied her hands to the bedpost and force himself on her. Trying to get away, she kicked and screamed, moving her hips rapidly from side to side in protest. But he kept grinding her, trying to force his penis between her legs. She can remember the nauseating smell of his hot, stinky breath as he tried to kiss her on the face and neck. After several agonizing minutes, he finally gave up trying to rape her. In shock, Maya managed to get up and run. She stayed in her room crying for the rest of the day with the door locked. She kept the incident a secret and never told anyone out of fear she would hurt her mother. Maya never recovered from that day. Her spirit was broken and her life was changed forever.

A Turn For The Worse...
Over the next twenty years, Maya struggled with her addiction and was in and out of jail for DUI's and disorderly conduct. Family and friends no longer wanted to help her because they were tired of dealing with her reckless behavior. Searching for acceptance, Maya started hanging out with a motorcycle gang at a local bar. They were the kind of rough neck crew who were involved with murder and organized crime. She started doing drugs with them and was passed around like trash, having sex with multiple members and serving at their pleasure. Occasionally, she was forced to do drug runs. But on one occasion, she was caught trying to smuggle ten kilos of cocaine hidden inside her luggage. Maya was convicted to twenty years in prison, where she would finally get the help that she needed. In prison, she received medication to help curve her cravings. Now without the alcohol and drugs, Maya was forced to face her demons.

A Negative Into a Positive...
Getting arrested may have taken Maya's freedom, but being incarcerated enabled her to get sober and to take a deeper look at her life. Maya was committed to her recovery and eventually got involved in the prison church ministry. She shared her testimony with other women and found solace in knowing that she wasn't alone. At age 51, Maya had served her time and was released from federal prison. She joined a support group for sexual abused victims and started seeing a therapist for her PTSD. Although the journey would be a long one, after forty years Maya finally found the courage to confront the strongholds that ultimately took her freedom.