The Staircase

I rose out of bed and went to the window. Though it was still early morning the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. My gaze went from the color of the sky to the horizon, my mouth opened in awe. I could not believe my eyes. Right in front of my window was a pathway of stone it lead up to a staircase. The staircase rose up to the sky as far as my eyes could see. I climbed out of my window and stepped on the path. The breeze blew, the smell of lilacs were in the air. I gripped the banister and just then did I notice the banister was made of nothing but delicate flowers blooming in all shades of colors. The aroma was hypnotizing. I took one step up and then another. Each step bringing me closer to the Heavens above. I did not know why I was so inclined to keep going up, but I continued stopping every few steps to look at the vibrant colors of the sky around me. I looked down and my house was no longer there, the sea replaced it. So calm and serene, I felt no fear as I continued up the staircase. Moving closer to what I thought was the end of the stairs. But they seemed to just keep going up further and further, the end I could not see.

 

As I approached what I thought was the halfway point, I stopped once again to take in the beauty of the world that surrounded me. I noticed a lone figure coming toward me. The woman was dressed all in white and she seemed to glow. I continued up the stairs my eyes never leaving the woman as she continued down. We met in a matter of minutes, and our eyes contacted. She looked at me and smiled a small smile and continued down the stairs. On the steps I noticed gold feathers scattered here and there as if a bird had been molting. I looked down and noticed the wings of the woman, the feathers falling off one by one as she continued down the stairs. I turned my attention back on the stairs and continued heading up. Every so often I would look down and notice that the sea was smaller and smaller and the land I could see no more. I had no idea how long I had been climbing or how high I had gone. As I moved up to the next step I noticed the door on the side of the steps. It seemed to lead to nowhere; I saw no walls, just the door. I slowly opened the door and looked inside, there were some people mingling around, I took the chance and went inside. Everyone greeted me warmly, as if they knew I who I was. Someone asked me what took me so long to get there. I asked them “where is here?” “Where you are suppose to be” I didn’t understand I watched them all in silence as they continued to mingle around the room in search of something it seemed to me. I continued my way through the room it looked as if we would fall if we moved to close to the edge, pulling the clip out of my hair I tossed it toward the sky that I saw in front of me, the clip fell to the ground, I went over to pick it up and felt around I put my hand up where my hand looked like it should meet up with the sky, and to my amazement it was solid. I stepped back trying to think of some explanation of what I was doing here and where was here anyway. It looked as if I had two options I could either go back to the stairs, and continue up, down was not an option I had come this far I needed to know where they led to. Or I could continue down the long corridor that I stood in front of. I chose the latter. I slowly made my way through the corridor. I noticed a lot of things around me seemed familiar, things that for some reason I should know. The corridor was dark with just one light every so often swinging from the ceiling. I began to notice that at each light was something that seemed familiar to me. The first light was a picture of an old woman I couldn’t place where I had seen it but I knew that woman in the picture. At the next light was a rocker, the third a blanket each thing a little more familiar. As I approached the last light I saw a picture of a man in a uniform it looked as if it was about the time of the Second World War. The picture had one word written on it, it said Johnny scrawled out in messy writing. I knew this writing but I couldn’t place where I should know it. The man I had seen before to perhaps in my dreams. I didn’t know where I had seen him at or why he seemed so familiar to me but he did and it at once began to scare me. I knew I had to continue forward, I slowly moved to the door at the end of the corridor. I reached for the knob and turned it, the door opened loudly, I moved through it. I looked around I was back on the stairs, in front of the door, once again serenity came to me. I feared nothing as I moved up the steps.

When at last I reached the top of the stairs I was in the clouds never had I seen something so beautiful? I looked up in front of me and there the clouds had formed what can only be described as a chamber door. I stepped gingerly to the cloud door and slowly moved my hand to feel it, instead of the cushion softness I thought I would feel it felt hard and sturdy, I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed the cloud knocker and clanged it against the doors. They opened heavily. My eyes opened wide at the wonders that I saw. There was a fountain in the front, the stand looked as if it were made of pearl, shiny and smooth to the touch. The water was the bluest blue almost white. I was in tears at the beauty. There were thousands among thousands of doves flying around. The streets were lined with gold. I peered in the distance and that is when I saw him. He looked just as I remembered him, except for the chair, the chair was gone and he moved walked toward me with ease. It was my father. Tears welled in my eyes as he came closer to me, he smiled and my hands went to his face. I knew then I was in Heaven. I don’t know how long I was gone. I rose out of bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, feeling at peace and had no recollection of why.