"Step one "

I am surrounded by four hot walls
They burn with the fire of love
Every twist inflicts pain
There are no doors to easily walk out
And even if there were, wouldn't they too be in uniform, resonating with the scorching heat of love?
To take the risk of walking out of the door will result in eternal scarring or loss of my hands
There is an opening 220 miles above glass bottom
I begin to believe there is no way out
This must be where I will stay for an eternity
I sit, I wait, I ponder
I sit in confusion
I wait for an answer to all the issues surrounding me in these walls
I wait for the one who left me here
or is it his footsteps I hear outside of these walls through the long lonely nights?
I ponder, of what life would be if I never fell in in the first place, on how to find a way out,to know if it will be worth it to risk disfiguration for a speedy escape
I get a break
After months of captivity I am finally strong enough to sleep through the night
I awake one morning to find a level above me with a ladder leading to an opening in the center of the floor
I climb
I climb
I climb
I reach the level in exhaustion and realize the only way to remain on this level is to stand an inch from a flaming wall
Leaving me with a choice between "safe,give up, sorry" and "suffer,endure,progress"
Upon stepping on the side and feeling the heat seep through my pores I see a message raise through the opening
It reads: Self love to love, confidence, belief , faith, determination, optimism, take a chance
These are all the products of my after hour meditation sessions
Blood rushes through my veins and I begin to speak out loud
"My faith in God will forever remain stable"
And then I begin to shout:
"I love myself!
I love the world!
I am determined to achieve my ultimate goal
I shall never give up despite unfortunate circumstances
The future always has good to bring
And when the opportunity is present I will take a chance
I shall forever live outside of the shadows!"
The ladder disappears and the opening shuts.
Green begins to sprout
I close my eyes to control the illusion and assume this must be from heat exhaustion
So suddenly the heat disappears and I feel a cool breeze on my neck
I open my eyes to a sight of beautiful flowers, a pond and a tree tall enough to climb
There is pen and paper under the shade of its branches
All seems so serene
I am safe. Safe and sound in the middle of the level, drenched in sweat but the repugnant smell of African marigolds reminds me that I am safe
I sit and think to myself
This must be it
This must be the way out
And this is just "Step one"