The Missing Stair
When every person in the world woke up the next day, there was a staircase right outside their doorway stretching up to the sky, spiralling and criss-crossing each other like ramen noodles in a soup bowl. Didn't matter if they lived in an apartment, a house in the country, or even in a box under a bridge, it was there in front of them. The wise-asses who tried climbing through windows to try to avoid the stairs found that as soon as their feet touched down, they were standing on the first step. So when The Voice said "Climb," that's what we chose to do. We went up together, my husband on the right, me on the left, and our son holding onto our hands, swinging them back and forth in between.
The steps were shallow in height and wide, but we didn't get tired, at least not physically. We soon settled into a rhythm to help us on the journey up: step up,three paces across, repeat. It gave us a lot of time to think, and it gave a little boy a lot of time to ask questions as the novelty of the climb wore off.
"Are we there yet?"
"No, Ming."
"Can you see the top Daddy?"
"Not yet."
"Mommy, is this the way to Heaven?"
"Don't know honey. Perhaps." I didn't want to admit it, but I was scared, worried that we'd made a mistake following The Voice's command. Ming was silent for another two hours before he spoke again.
"Daddy, if we ask for help to get to the top, will we get it?"
"Think we're supposed to do this on our own son."
Our son stopped abruptly and knelt. "Well, I'm going to ask. We're supposed to ask when we need help." He closed his eyes, and whispered something we couldn't hear. The sky turned to night around us, and a little above us, a door opened, bathing us with a golden light. Laughing, Ming jumped up and ran to the door, turning just before going through. "Mommy,Daddy, come on!"
Shaking his head, my husband followed, grabbing Ming's outstretched hand as I looked on, unbelieving. It couldn't be so easy.
"Honey, come on."
I went to put my foot on the last stair, then flung myself back from the starlit gap between me an my family. I trembled, terrified at how close I came to dying.
"Honey."
My husband held my eyes.
"You need to have a little faith."
My son, looked at me anxiously.
"You can do it, right Mommy?"
I close my eyes and step forward.
The steps were shallow in height and wide, but we didn't get tired, at least not physically. We soon settled into a rhythm to help us on the journey up: step up,three paces across, repeat. It gave us a lot of time to think, and it gave a little boy a lot of time to ask questions as the novelty of the climb wore off.
"Are we there yet?"
"No, Ming."
"Can you see the top Daddy?"
"Not yet."
"Mommy, is this the way to Heaven?"
"Don't know honey. Perhaps." I didn't want to admit it, but I was scared, worried that we'd made a mistake following The Voice's command. Ming was silent for another two hours before he spoke again.
"Daddy, if we ask for help to get to the top, will we get it?"
"Think we're supposed to do this on our own son."
Our son stopped abruptly and knelt. "Well, I'm going to ask. We're supposed to ask when we need help." He closed his eyes, and whispered something we couldn't hear. The sky turned to night around us, and a little above us, a door opened, bathing us with a golden light. Laughing, Ming jumped up and ran to the door, turning just before going through. "Mommy,Daddy, come on!"
Shaking his head, my husband followed, grabbing Ming's outstretched hand as I looked on, unbelieving. It couldn't be so easy.
"Honey, come on."
I went to put my foot on the last stair, then flung myself back from the starlit gap between me an my family. I trembled, terrified at how close I came to dying.
"Honey."
My husband held my eyes.
"You need to have a little faith."
My son, looked at me anxiously.
"You can do it, right Mommy?"
I close my eyes and step forward.