You enter a dimly lit room and see flights of stairs spiraling up to a lit doorway. As you approach the base of the stairs, you notice something peculiar. The stairway begins to grow taller the closer you get. You turn away, discouraged by the impossibility of climbing such a sheer wall. In the corner of your eye, you notice they recede to normal stairs. You also notice an odd effect, a glitch maybe, the stairs will flicker between the two states of impossible wall and regular stairs the more you take interest.
Intrigued, a thought sparks in your mind. Focus only on the goal of reaching the top. The transformation of the stairs seems to have stopped growing but only for a second as this revelation creates ripples in your concentration.
What was your goal? Reaching the doorway? What’s even up there? You can see light coming through it so it must be something. Why are you here in the first place? Who built these stai… You notice stairs are slowly rising above your eye line, the smooth stone blocking your view of the doorway. A feeling of despair fills your chest as the light of the doorway is occluded by the growing wall. It feels as though you are sinking. You can’t give up now, the way forward is so close.
You walk a few steps away. Taking a slow deep breath as you close your eyes, you try to clear your mind. Think only of the doorway. Climb the stairs. Get to the top.
tap tap tap tap… you hear footsteps echoing off the walls. Are you alone? You haven’t moved yet. Before you finish that thought and open your eyes, you see a person climbing up the stairs. They have seemingly progressed halfway up.
“How did you get up there?”, you say in a loud voice.
They pause, startled by your question. They look down to reply, “I just walked up”
“Is there a trick to it? I get closer and they grow into a wall.”
“Grow?”, the stranger says in an inquisitive tone. “I have climbed these stairs every day and I have not seen them…grow. Just take a step up, the stairs are fine”
They continue up, the sound of their footsteps growing quieter as they ascend. You notice you are squinting. Has the door gotten closer? The door does seem closer than it was. Maybe you are imagining things, surely stairs can’t grow.
You approach the base of the stairs. So far, no change. You take a step up. Still, no change. Another step and another. It feels natural, one foot after the other. Progress! How long have you been here? five minutes? ten? hours? Hard to tell since you lost your watch. You start ascending the stairs and see that the stranger has already reached the last flight of stairs. Which, by the way, is further up than it seemed just a minute ago.
By the time the stranger reaches the door, you look down to see you have made some progress. You feel as if it has been a few seconds, but you have made it up three flights. Looking up, you can almost feel the warmth of the light through the doorway.
After a minute or two of walking, you can’t help but notice an archway leading to a dimly lit hallway. You stop to look down the hall then up towards the lit doorway. Oh no. The stairs are now gone. The familiar despair wells up again, but not before you notice the flickering you saw earlier.
The stair’s changing of states is unsettling. For a couple seconds it’s the normal stairs then to a wall for a couple more. If only you could get up before it changes. You focus your mind. Waiting for the right opportunity. Anticipating the pattern, you take a step forward. That hallway is familiar. As you think the wall is going to change, your momentum takes you face first into the stone.
Smack! The shock is more painful than hitting the wall. You did everything right. Right? Just walk up like the stranger said. Check. Focus on the goal. Check? What’s down the hallway? Che-…wait. Now all that fills your mind is this mysterious new path. But what about the door at the top of the stairs? pfft. The stranger made it up just fine and does it every day. I could come back! I’ll just figure out why this hallway is so familiar, there could be a shortcut.
As you peer into the dim hallway, your eyes adjust, and you see a door at the end. Walking towards the door you feel a tender bump on your forehead developing. Ouch. You approach the door which looks like the one at the top of the stairs but is closed. Taking your hand off your head you turn the knob and push the door open.
You enter a dimly lit room …
Apologies for the wall of text. I was inspired by this meme and had to write something about it.
You enter a dimly lit room and see flights of stairs spiraling up to a lit doorway. As you approach the base of the stairs, you notice something peculiar. The stairway begins to grow taller the closer you get. You turn away, discouraged by the impossibility of climbing such a sheer wall. In the corner of your eye, you notice they recede to normal stairs. You also notice an odd effect, a glitch maybe, the stairs will flicker between the two states of impossible wall and regular stairs the more you take interest.
Intrigued, a thought sparks in your mind. Focus only on the goal of reaching the top. The transformation of the stairs seems to have stopped growing but only for a second as this revelation creates ripples in your concentration.
What was your goal? Reaching the doorway? What’s even up there? You can see light coming through it so it must be something. Why are you here in the first place? Who built these stai… You notice stairs are slowly rising above your eye line, the smooth stone blocking your view of the doorway. A feeling of despair fills your chest as the light of the doorway is occluded by the growing wall. It feels as though you are sinking. You can’t give up now, the way forward is so close.
You walk a few steps away. Taking a slow deep breath as you close your eyes, you try to clear your mind. Think only of the doorway. Climb the stairs. Get to the top.
tap tap tap tap… you hear footsteps echoing off the walls. Are you alone? You haven’t moved yet. Before you finish that thought and open your eyes, you see a person climbing up the stairs. They have seemingly progressed halfway up.
“How did you get up there?”, you say in a loud voice.
They pause, startled by your question. They look down to reply, “I just walked up”
“Is there a trick to it? I get closer and they grow into a wall.”
“Grow?”, the stranger says in an inquisitive tone. “I have climbed these stairs every day and I have not seen them…grow. Just take a step up, the stairs are fine”
They continue up, the sound of their footsteps growing quieter as they ascend. You notice you are squinting. Has the door gotten closer? The door does seem closer than it was. Maybe you are imagining things, surely stairs can’t grow.
You approach the base of the stairs. So far, no change. You take a step up. Still, no change. Another step and another. It feels natural, one foot after the other. Progress! How long have you been here? five minutes? ten? hours? Hard to tell since you lost your watch. You start ascending the stairs and see that the stranger has already reached the last flight of stairs. Which, by the way, is further up than it seemed just a minute ago.
By the time the stranger reaches the door, you look down to see you have made some progress. You feel as if it has been a few seconds, but you have made it up three flights. Looking up, you can almost feel the warmth of the light through the doorway.
After a minute or two of walking, you can’t help but notice an archway leading to a dimly lit hallway. You stop to look down the hall then up towards the lit doorway. Oh no. The stairs are now gone. The familiar despair wells up again, but not before you notice the flickering you saw earlier.
The stair’s changing of states is unsettling. For a couple seconds it’s the normal stairs then to a wall for a couple more. If only you could get up before it changes. You focus your mind. Waiting for the right opportunity. Anticipating the pattern, you take a step forward. That hallway is familiar. As you think the wall is going to change, your momentum takes you face first into the stone.
Smack! The shock is more painful than hitting the wall. You did everything right. Right? Just walk up like the stranger said. Check. Focus on the goal. Check? What’s down the hallway? Che-…wait. Now all that fills your mind is this mysterious new path. But what about the door at the top of the stairs? pfft. The stranger made it up just fine and does it every day. I could come back! I’ll just figure out why this hallway is so familiar, there could be a shortcut.
As you peer into the dim hallway, your eyes adjust, and you see a door at the end. Walking towards the door you feel a tender bump on your forehead developing. Ouch. You approach the door which looks like the one at the top of the stairs but is closed. Taking your hand off your head you turn the knob and push the door open.
You enter a dimly lit room …
Apologies for the wall of text. I was inspired by this meme and had to write something about it.
No apologies needed! It kinda made me want to play a DnD game with you as DM =P