Lauren--Part Forty-Four

Splog # 155

Forty-Four

   Lauren decided that she had been thinking too much. The best thing to do at the moment was finish making her ascent and see if the summit provided any clue as to what should be her next step. She left the window and started climbing determinedly. To keep her mind from wandering, she counted steps. After one hundred, she was breathing heavily and when she reached one hundred and fifty, she stopped for a rest. She hoped she wasn't making a futile effort. She didn't know how much higher she would have to go, and then there was the descent ahead, although that should prove much easier. She had counted another forty-five steps when she heard the bell above her begin to chime again. Actually, it merely chimed once when she stepped on the forty-fifth step (she quickly noted that it was step one hundred and ninety-five since she had started counting). She resumed climbing and counting and the bell chimed again when she touched step two hundred and eight, and then on steps two hundred and twenty-one, two hundred and thirty-four, two hundred and forty-seven and two hundred and sixty, which step brought her up to a landing where the stairway ended. The view was open all around her and there was a belfrey above in which she could see the bell but there was no rope to pull in order to make it ring. There was, however, centered below the bell, a white rocking chair, the twin of the one below. She dropped into it exhausted, too weary to take in the view around her. Her legs felt as though every muscle and tendon had been tightened and released over and over until they were useless for any practical purposes. She didn't even rock herself but merely sat and let her legs drag. She put her head back and looked up at the bell. It had sounded when she'd touched the top step but was now completely silent. She could see the clapper hanging motionless, as if it hadn't moved for ages. There in the shadow of the belfrey, a tiny glint of light appeared on the clapper. It moved in a circular motion which made the clapper seem as though it were spinning in the center of the bell. And then another glint sparked on the rim of the bell and began circling widdershins as the gleam on the clapper spun clockwise. Lauren's head leaned against the chair and she watched the two sparks of light chase around each other above her. The atmosphere began to darken as though clouds were gathering for a storm. And then, without any impetus from Lauren, the rocking chair began to slowly seesaw back and forth. She felt as though everything was proceeding in slow motion. The chair brought her back so that her legs lifted off the ground and then, just as she feared it would overbalance, she found herself falling forward, too slowly for gravity to be a factor in the process. When her feet touched the ground and her eyes had rolled up in her head to remain fixed on the lights above her, a bell sounded, though the clapper her eyes were fixed on never moved. And in the tone of the bell the word "one" came to her ears quite clearly. The cycle slowly repeated and when she came forward again, she heard two bells chime and the words "one" and "two" sounded simultaneously. So Lauren was slowly carried backwards and forwards and the lights ran around each other above her and each time her feet touched the flooor one more bell was added to the pealing and each bell spoke its own number simultaneously. By the tenth repetition, Lauren was in a daze and the ringing of the bells had risen in volume, though not unpleasasntly. And in the back of her mind, Lauren knew that this would climax with the thirteenth pealing, but in what fashion? She was sure something would happen, but she felt as though she were falling asleep and didn't have the energy or will to prepare for the coming event. And the darkness had increased to a nighttime level  so falling asleep seemed entirely appropriate. Numbers from one to twelve rang through her and she felt herself falling backward. The lights were spinning around at a fabulous speed and she felt as though her backwards motion would never end. Then there was the minute pause of suspension and now she was falling forward. She could feel air moving by on her arms and face. The lights seemed to become a blur making her vision fuzzy. And then her feet touched the floor and for an instant she heard the bells and the numbers but almost instantly everything was drowned in a loud thunderclap that sounded as though it had struck all around her. She focused her eyes ahead of her and there was the doorway to the plain, although it was so dark outside that it was difficult to perceive where walls ended and outside began. Yes. She was back on the ground floor. She got up from the rocking chair. She no longer felt drowsy but perfectly alert. When she reached the doorway, she could see that the sky was covered with clouds so dark they were practically black and there was a mighty wind blowing towards the mountains.