SOUTH STAIRWELL Chapter 1 : Everything’s normal, for now. It was a dusky afternoon at 5:00 PM. I was finishing up some science work in the after-school room. I looked outside and thought it was high time and I needed to get home, my mom would be angry at me for being late anyways. I tried getting out of the room, but the 95% sleepy teacher said I needed to take the stairwell since the lifts were under maintenance, great, just great. I knew that if I came home any later than this, it would be off with my head. I made my way to the stairwell through the sleepy, warm and hazy hallway, filled with the settling drowsy air. I finally got to the nearest stairwell, the South Stairwell. Chapter 2 : Something feels off… As I entered the stairwell, a sense of uneasiness hit me, and it was unusually dark, even though all the stairwells have windows. I turned on my phone flashlight, the only source of light I had. “Great, only two floors to descend and I can make my way home.” I thought to myself. As soon as I took the first step downwards, the door slammed behind me like some invisible force had acted upon it. I thought it was just physics with hot air and cold air and without paying heed I descended into darkness. As I made my way two floors down, I came across a strange symbol, it looked like a zero paired with a 1. I thought I was dreaming because I was feeling drowsy in the after-school room. But when I opened the door, I came into a whole different world, and in the distance I could hear an inhumane roar. In a panic I closed the door and ran two floors up, but the 2nd floor symbol was gone, replaced by a 0 with an interlocked 3. “Oh no, this cannot be happening.” I thought to myself, I tried to snap myself out of the dream, pinching myself, not blinking my eyes for as long as possible, but none of those worked. And then, “ROARR” I heard coming 10 floors below me, and I heard loud thundering steps coming towards me. Chapter 3 : What Stairwell ? I sprinted to the very top of the stairwell and threw open the door, and then I came to the hallway I was once in, sleepy, hazy, and warm. I banged the door behind me, and a few kids scattered across the hallway turned to look at me. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. When I opened the door behind me, the darkness was gone, replaced by dim sunlight piercing through the window. “This cannot be possible, one moment it was dark, and the next moment-" I was thinking when suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped up in fear, almost banging my head against the ceiling. Turns out, it was just my friend Maxine. She had seen me scared and asked me what happened. “I dunno, but the South Stairwell was all weird.” I replied. “South Stairwell ? Lamp, are you in another world? We don’t have a stairwell on the south side of this building. Look, that’s the Janitor’s cupboard.” She said, I was dumbfounded. I threw open the door to show her it was a stairwell, but it really was a cupboard. “I- But- Th-the- S-stair.” I stuttered. “Oh, you must be tired after working so hard on the science project. The lifts are a few steps away” She giggled & pointed in the opposite direction of the hallway. “Ah finally, I get to go home. Thanks for telling me.” I told Maxine. “Wait up, I’m coming with you. You really must be scared after that experience.” Maxine hurriedly said as she packed her stuff frantically. “Oh, it’s nothing really, but anyways, thanks.” I told her. Chapter 4 : Back Home I got back home safely, my mom sitting in the living room with a worried look on her face. “Oh honey, where have you been ?” She asked me. I was taken aback, as she was usually not in her usual emotion. “I got a call from Maxine saying you had a stairwell episode. Is that true ?” She asked. “Yes ma, but I’m fine now.” I replied. “Oh, thank god you are safe. Now go change your dress and eat your meal in the kitchen.” She told me. I changed and I came down to eat, but just as I went into the kitchen, it suddenly struck me. Why did I mistake a cupboard for a stairwell ? And even if it was a dream, it felt crystal clear and pinching myself actually hurt. I tried not to think about it, and went about my day. But I knew that one thought lingering in my mind will always stay with me. “Was it real, or a dream ?” To this day, I don’t know. But after that day, things got back to normal. I'm just happy things are the way they are. Oh, by the way, I need to work on the science project with Maxine. I’ll have to study for now, but I'll see you later in the next story, Bye ! The End
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