THE PRISON UNGUARDED

Ivy Nyambura

Round and round his eyes spinned as he tried to steady himself on the cold hard ground. He could hardly see the next few inches right in front of him, and the heaviness of his head threatened to wear him down even further.

Summoning every little ounce of strength still within him, he lifted himself from the cold hard concrete and stood, puzzled. Where am I? His eyes seemed to question.

Surrounded by four towering walls with the only source of light being a small square hole at the very top of the ceiling, his heart immediately filled with despair. Not long after, however, did the despair give way to anger entwined with frustration at his unfortunate situation.

Looking around, the only item he could see, located squarely in the middle of the room was a hammer. He went over, curious why it stood there, so lonely against the backdrop of a narrow, isolated room.

He picked it up, and with a sudden rush of adrenalin began swinging it back and forth, hitting the walls. Frankly, it was annoying seeing as there was no considerable change arising from the effort being applied.

He threw the hammer down with an exasperated sigh…why’d the wall have to be so hard? He soliloquised.

He wished that sleep would come and ferry him elsewhere, back to the home he knew, surrounded by the people he loved. But no, sleep, too, had proven quite elusive, and he retreated, sprawled on the floor…waiting…waiting…waiting…for someone to lift him from this dark pit he’d found himself in

On the third day of doing virtually nothing, he finally began to ponder the reality that perhaps no one was coming to his rescue.

Painful it was, for he had lived life in the care of those who always seemed to know what they were doing. The bitter truth was finally beginning to sink in; He could not just wake up, this was not a dream.

Realising that he himself was the only hope of his own redemption, he decided it was time to pull himself together and fight for his life.

Swinging the hammer once more brought again those very feelings of helplessness, for it was akin to attacking a diamond with a wooden spoon.

Indeed it took him a while to realise that trying to break through the wall would be almost impossible no matter how hard he would try. He had to use a different approach, he figured.

Aaaaaargh…he groaned when he realised that the only way to leave that dreaded place would be through the top, meaning he’d have to climb out of the room. The process would call for great levels of stamina and internal push, to finally get to the top.

He swung the hammer, concentrating his swings at a central place to create a deep enough dent for him to hold on to. For every little dent formed he sweated buckets. For hours on end he worked, drained and devoid of energy but nonetheless eager to cheat death.

Each day he worked…into the nights and the early mornings he would sweat and scream and yell and shout…and still only make a miniscule improvement. For the longest time, this went on, with tears in his eyes and blisters in hand he had reached the peak levels of chronic exhaustion. But still he had to swing that hammer…it was up to no one else but him.

Whenever he’d give up the hammer would loosen from his grasp and fall back squarely on the ground as he had first found it, and he’d be forced to descend to pick it up and begin once more the grueling task.

The heat of the unforgiving sun, penetrating through the little opening at the top offered no respite nor heeded to his woes…it let in the sweltering heat and baked him alive as he worked in the daytime, while at night it created such a pitch darkness all around him, enveloping him in a loneliness like no other.

After many long, endless days that transcended into nights, he finally got near the top. All he needed to do now was push open the large translucent glass board and he could finally enjoy the freedom his heart so longed for.

It was a mountainous task that called for extreme amounts of patience and grit. He gave up and gave in to the voice within him saying that the task ahead was not even worth contemplating, it was impossible, he reasoned out.

He was stuck. The worst thing was he remained stuck there yet with each passing minute, every passing hour, his body got weaker from struggling to hold his weight up.

It was not until he finally inwardly decided that he would brave through all his fears and believe even despite the impossible nature of the job that lay ahead, did he finally witness a change.

He struggled…used the little skill and knowledge within himself to

manipulate the glass into sliding…and then finally pushing it out!

It was a moment of great joy and exuberance when he finally did it… He felt so proud of himself and his cumulative efforts. Pushing aside the glass he finally came out into the open and caught sight of the world around him. He had escaped from his dungeon!

Outside there he stood on top of the cell he had managed to conquer, and turning round and round realized that he was surrounded by people in similar cells each at a different level of building their ladder out. Some were seated on the ground feeling utterly helpless, having long given up, even beginning to waste away.

Others were near the end but were struggling to find the thrust to propel them forward. Strangely, there was no guard outside any one of the cells. The prisoners were basically free…save for the walls only they could climb.

The man sat down and began to think… it all became clear…the truth finally dawned on him….

You see, everyone is stuck in a prison that he or she must overcome. Hardly anyone has an easy route to achieving what they truly want, that is, getting to the pinnacle of achievement in whichever arena.

Most times, success is the product of the little, consistent struggles that are often overlooked. Thus, the biggest challenge in today’s world is that people dream really big but fail to put in the work consistently. People believe in overnight success that requires minimum possible effort. Yet the reality tells quite a different

story…every swing of the hammer, every effort, is instrumental in ultimately bringing about the change we dream of. Every late night and early morning does count, the consequences of the little choices we make actually compound.

The culture rapidly spreading round the world of instant gratification must be stamped out and replaced with a spirit of grit, focus and a greater appreciation for delayed gratification.

Every person is fighting a certain battle, and it is of utmost importance that one remains true to themselves in their own journey and fights to the very end to reach their full potential.

You will come to realize that there indeed is no one stopping you from achieving your fullest potential…you are probably just stuck in your prison…no one is holding you back.

The prison you are in is unguarded, and only you can save yourself from it.