SILENCED!

 SILENCED!

Inspirational Short Stories with lessons - How to overcome the fear of threats and break free of danger.

"Would you keep quiet you silly brat!", he yelled at me. 

I kept struggling, kicking and cursing under my breath.

Irritated by my defence mechanisms, he silenced me with a thunderous slap. I felt intense pains on my cheeks but they were nothing compared to the pains I felt in between my thighs.

He forced himself into me amidst curses. It was more painful than the rest of the days. Perhaps that was my punishment for putting up a defence.

"When would all this end?", I wept silently as he made animalistic noises.

"If someone else gets to know about this,  I would kill you. Don't even try telling your mum unless you want her dead", he warned as he zipped up his pants.

I spat at him.

"Animal! I hate you".

He grinned and whistled as he left the room.

I had so much hatred for him. I wished I could kill him. 

Mum, an American-trained barrister would come home to see my eyes swollen due to prolonged weeping. She would probe me to open up to her but his threats kept me mute.

I just wished she would figure out that her husband, my step-dad has been forcing me into immoral acts with him.

"Christy, please talk to me. Why are you sad?", Mum would ask but I couldn't say a word.

Deep down I wanted to be free from his shackles, molestations and abuses yet I couldn't say a word to voice out my pain.

His threats were like a pin fastened to my throat. It seemed like my mouth was masked up with steel tape.

I needed salvation from my step dad's torment yet I couldn't voice out my pain.

Not until I made a decision...

That night he came to me as usual with his ropes ready to bind my hands so I wouldn't hinder the penetration.

I was prepared for him. I took out my knives from the pillow and threatened to cut him in bits.

We had struggled with the knives until his manly strength overpowered mine. He had his way into me. I sustained bruises and knife cuts due to our struggle.

That midnight, I banged on the door to mum's room. She was surprised to see me half-naked as I walked into the room.

 

"Christy! What is the matter with you?"

I looked at the devil in his pyjamas sleeping comfortably on the king-sized bed and I felt like using a knife to cut off his manly organ, roast it as meat and serve it to him as a meal.

"Christy talk to me", mum shouted.

I showed her the cuts on my body, the severe injuries in between my thighs and so many more.

She screamed in fright. 

"Who did this to my daughter?"

And I told her everything.

Artwork by ParentCo

She woke him up with a slap on his face. The beast was surprised to see my mum & I shedding tears. He saw my unclad body with all bruises visible. And then he knew the river has overflown.

He was arrested that midnight and beaten mercilessly by the human rights officials. Later on, he was prosecuted and given a life sentence.

Hmm...

That was how I got my freedom. I got tired of being silenced and I voiced out.

Many of us are like me.  We find ourselves in terrible pains, situations and challenges. We cry and crave for salvation yet we never open our mouth to tell our problems to God. We expect him to see our pains and troubles and come to our aid.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; to him that knocketh it shall be opened Matthew 7:7-8 

Story Written by Julius Favour Vivian

Lessons from the story

1. Never keep mute when you are cheated. Most threats are fake, it is just to keep the victim mute.

2. If you don't ask for something, you may not receive it.

How to overcome the fear of threats and break free of danger.

Threats of violence can have serious impacts on your mental health. Some of the issues it creates include anxiety, fear, self-blame and lack of concentration. When you are vulnerable to danger, you may also experience physical issues like dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, headaches, chest pains,

 and sleeplessness.

Threats can be in different forms, and each requires a different approach. You’ll often need to quickly evaluate the situation so you can determine how serious the threat is and the best way to address the issue. Any kind of threat is illegal, especially if it involves physical harm just like the story above.

Threats can either be credible or non-credible.

Credible Threat

This kind of threat is true, serious, and real. The person has the ability to carry out the threat if the victim finally discloses the matter.

Non-credible Threat

This kind of threat is not real, the person just wants to enslave the victim so as not to disclose the matter. Just like an illusion, it is false evidence appearing real.

When you are threatened by an individual close to you or even by a stranger, the way you react can vary from becoming aggressive to feeling fearful and unsure of what to do next. Be informed that the way you handle the issue can have a dangerous impact on your life.

Source: gettyimages

Here are steps you need to take whenever you want to break free of threat or you  found yourself in this kind of situation.

What To Do When Someone Threatens you

Stay calm whenever you’re dealing with a threat. When there is a problem,  it is easy to say things you shouldn’t.  and the last thing you want to do is create an evidence trail that could put some of the blame on you. Take it seriously but do not threaten back. Also, be very careful of putting any type of response in form of writing to the person.

Always think before you act, Avoid all things that can have severe, long-term consequences on you or those that are on your side.

Source: pexels

1.Have faith and believe that you will conquer

The way you see yourself in such a situation matters a lot. If you feel defeated within you, there is a problem. But if you can cheer yourself up that God will save you through an individual, you are on your way out of such a predicament. The more you allow fear to occupy your mind, the more difficult such situation will look like. Most threat based on assault is like a shield for the culprit to keep the victim mute and protect himself from punishment or loss of dignity.

2. Gather And Retain All evidence

Firm evidence is needed in this situation. To make it easier to get out of it and for people to believe you, make sure you hold onto all evidence From the moment the threat arises.

Things like messages, screenshots, and record of telephone conversation will be helpful if you need to take legal or civil action. If it happens to be a physical one, you may record the voice of such an individual if you got the opportunity to do so.

3. Tell Someone you trust

Make sure you talk to someone capable about what’s going on. Never deal with a threat on your own. Let he/she be aware of the person who is threatening you and show such person the evidence you have gathered. This should be done wisely. Once you are courageous enough to explain what has happened to someone without the knowledge of the individual who abused you, then you are at a higher edge to overcome the situation.

4. Make Peace 

If you feel the threat is a non-credible one, you may want to reach out to the person who is threatening you. See if you can resolve the issue amicably However, in many cases, this can make things worse. If you decide to take this approach, be cautious so that that step won't exacerbate the situation. Some threats can never be settled amicably due to the situation behind them.

Source: pexels

5. Take a Legal Action

But if the case is a severe one, that is a credible threat. It’s very important and highly recommend to take such threat seriously and do what you need to be on the safer side. If someone threatens you, do your best to remain calm and shrewdly report the case to the police or other law enforcement body dealing with such kind of issues.

Most times, the culprit may be arrested and such individual faces assault charges. This is usually a non-indictable offence, but if it’s serious, it could result in a jail term.

Be informed that some are threats are only empty threats and you only need to take courage and voice out to overcome the fear caused by that threat.

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