Stairway

I don't exactly know how I got here or why but I am here. Stairs cascading up and out of sight, spiralling upwards and curving almost dangerously into the black nothingness that sounds these bright steps. I marvelled at the stone, somewhat a mixture between a pearl marble and the shiny metal that dooms men; gold. Looking about myself I found the blackness seemed to creep up, trying to lick at my heels. Almost grabbing at my legs if close enough.

Terror may have been the factor as to why I took my first few steps up those blindingly bright stairs. My ears heard silent whispers, seeming to come from the black darkness that surrounded the stairs. Closer the shadow tendrils came towards me, making me move faster up these stairs. The only thought in my head was to stay away from them. To keep my distance from the beckoning of the dark shadowy mass.

Thus I began to climb, noticing how wide each stair was; my feet having to take two steps in one of these stairs. Then the whispers grew louder, more each time I seemed to go around a dangerously precarious bend. The feeling of falling accompanying me as I tried to be steady around these almost corners at certain points. I did my best to ignore the whispers and the darkness that seemed to swirl around me and my feet, wanting to drag me back down.

I turned to look behind me to see how far I had gotten and let out a slight gasp. The stairs had been swallowed whole by the dark mass and somehow it was still creeping up slowly behind me. My feet had planted themselves to the ground, rooted to the spot. I tried to move as the dark tendrils licked at my feet like rough sandpaper tongues. A tendril then tried to wrap itself around my ankle and I snapped out of my terror state, turning on my heel and hurrying up the stairs faster than I thought was possible.

I peered up through the blinding light from the stairs and still couldn't see the end of the staircase but I had noticed that the stairs themselves had widened in length, making it more difficult to hurry away from the darkness that wanted to touch me. I almost leapt up the stairs trying to get away from the snaking darkness, the light becoming brighter with each step.

As I looked ahead of myself I could see the light, the way out of this stairway surrounded by darkness. Of course the only thing that could happen did. I tripped up the stairs, hitting my chin on the next step. Dazed, I couldn't stand but knew the dark mass was behind me. Slithering up behind me, ready to wrap itself around me and drag me into the darkness. I crawled forward a little trying to regain my function again. I was going to beat this thing no matter what.

So I stood, stumbling up the stairs trying to reach the bright light. My feet still sluggishly slow and I could feel the dark tendrils lick around them, waiting for me to slow further and give in. My mind was already made up and there was no way I was going to give in. The whispers grew to screams and the tendrils wrapped around my ankles, tripping me over making me land with a thump on the marble-gold stairs. My breath taken from me I struggled, kicking at the dark mass and clawing my way up the stairs before being pulled back a little.

I yelled and screamed, turning to face the dark tendrils ready to defend myself. I saw the dark mass had grown and it seemed to have a head with some sort of mouth. I screamed again but in anger. No one could stop me; not now. I grabbed at the darkness holding me and starting tearing at the tendrils. Shrieks from both the darkness and myself echoed in the small space but finally I pulled my feet free.

Immediately I stood and started running up to that light. The light was the only thing that could save me. I was going to beat this thing by getting to the place it could no longer bother me. Reach that light and make sure the darkness was no more. I was going to prove I wasn't going to give up, not after all I had gone through. In the back of my mind I knew the dark mass had reared up and was ready to strike, could happen at any point now.

However, it never had the chance as I slipped into the bright light puffing and panting. My hands on my knees I looked around me and smiled. I had done it. I had reached the end of that staircase and hadn't given up. No matter what was on my heels.