Stairs (Short Story) and a Return Notice
Yes!!! I'm alive, believe it or not. XD College is slowly killing me, but I am thriving nonetheless. Although I have written several pieces of fiction that I have yet to had time to post, I'm back and going to begin posting more of these works! I hope you enjoy them over the next week or so.
Be sure to tune in every day this week for that day's new update! That being said, I hope you enjoy "Stairs." This is a potential start to the book my best friend and I will co-write. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments below!
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The footsteps trod on, each falling for a brief moment before hitting the comforting security of the next step. Weightless in an otherwise empty void, the threat of flying away and never reaching the next level of the staircase always loomed.
Each step lower on an eternal staircase required another feat of balance. Though he remembered little of how he came to this desolate existence, he recalled that in the past, he had walked with others beside him. Tonight, however, he took the steps on his own, hoping in a blind act of faith that another step would be below the area where he so trustingly fell.
The footsteps beat in time with his heart, the futility of the endless march ringing fresh in his ears. Again, like he always did, the man paused, stopping on the staircase, turning to stare above him, then again below him. Nothing but darkness presented itself, and he had no idea how much more was left to go or how far he had come.
A faint whispering came from nearby, and he peered into the night, straining his eyes to see if he could pick out another person nearby.
“Hello?” he called. His voice sounded strange to his ears. “Hello?”
He heard a giggle — playful and kind — nearby, and with it, a gust of clean, fresh wind blew by his face. Bolstered on by the thought that an escape was near, the man continued to run down the stairs.
“I hear you!” he called. “I’m here! Don’t leave me alone!” The voice continued, speaking too softly for him to make out the words. It lured him further into the dark, and he followed, heart beating rapidly in time with his steps.
He followed the noise with the hunger of a man who has seen the light. Desperation emboldened him, and he leaped down the darkened staircase two steps at a time. “Where are you?” he called. “Who are you?”
The voice fell silent, and with it, the man stopped as well. However, his heart beat on, reverberating in his chest at an ungodly pace. He dared not speak, for fear he would scare away the other.
Yet then, he heard singing, as tender and fragile as a butterfly’s wing. He took another step down the stairs, entranced, and finally, he could make out the words.
We are the voices
that haunt you by night.
We are the remnants
of all that is right.
We are the ones who
You’ve cast away
And we were the ones who
You needed to save.
Keep running and running
From all that you fear.
Keep running and running
From those you hold near.
No one will love you
‘Til you learn how to love.
No one will climb with you
When there’s no one above.
We are the voices
Of all that you’ve lost.
We are reminders
Of the bloodiest cost.
We are the ones who
Will cast you away.
And you are the one
You needed to save.
The voice faded away, beautiful, yet fleeting in the dark. Though her words hung in the air for long moments more, they disappeared, only a memory left behind.
The man crouched to the step, balancing somehow despite the long drop on either side. “Is that all?” he whispered through partially cracked lips. “Are you leaving me again?”
The voice said nothing. Rising to his feet, he began to stumble forward, plummeting to the steps further below, yet as he stared into the darkness, suddenly it seemed purposeless. He had forgotten why he climbed, and he hesitated.
“Why am I doing this?” he asked aloud, as if his voice would jog his memory.
“Because you are too afraid to stop,” the answer came, as if from far away.
“What lies beyond?” he asked the darkness. This time, the voice did not reply.
A new idea occurred to him, and he turned to the side, staring out into that abyss. “I’m not too afraid,” he murmured. “I can do this.”
He hung one foot out over the edge, as if testing the waters. Then, instead of forward and back, this time, he stepped to the side, and there was no step there to break his fall. As he rushed downward, the voice’s song rose up again, mocking him with its power.
“We are the ones
Who will cast you away.
And you are the one
You needed to save.”
4 comments
Wow I love it! I can't wait to see what happens next.
ReplyDeleteHi, Ash! Nice to see you're still posting, was a lil worried for a sec there. So sorry I was late to your graduation thread :( Loved this, especially the poetry! I always have such a hard time with rhyming. On a totally different note, I'm hosting a series of writing workshops with my local library & compiling a site of writing resources and was hoping to use your short story guide that you posted on the short story thread. If so, I'll definitely credit you, just lmk how you want it! (and i suppose you can respond to this or comment on my blog to reply?)
ReplyDeleteI finally got back into it! :D
DeleteThank you; I'm so glad you liked the story!
That would be absolutely fine! Please credit me as either @Fire_Hazard on ywp.nanowrimo.org or Ashlyn Hayes and link to my blog! :D
I'm so glad you thought it good enough to share!
Beautiful! Really, this is a miniature masterpiece, Ash, and I NEVER cease to get chills when I read the poetry *shivers*
ReplyDelete