One hundred and sixty eight steps

Felix Duncan

*A small amount of backstory, Alec is a man who is constantly on fire and has to wear a suit to contain it. He has just returned to his home at a complex for super abled individuals. * Thank you and enjoy My shoulder slouch as I read the sign in front of me “elevator broke, use stairs please”. I didn’t have much of a choice, I thought, looking at the desolate stairwell. Not that anyone else did. Except for Agnus, but she never left her room anyways. I lurch my way on over to the stairwell and readjust the thousand piece puzzle under my arm. I hold the handrail and stare at the top of the steps. I stand there thinking about lifting my foot. The thought of it makes me tired.

Twelve stairs each set, two per floor and seven floors to make it up.

One hundred and sixty eight steps

I stand there for a bit more. I’m passed by people I know only by face. They take the first step and then the second, third, forth, fifth, until they’re at the top and turn the corner out of view. I can still hear the footsteps echoing in the stairwell. I lift my left foot above that first seven and a half inches and place it down. I drag myself up with the railing. I lift my right foot up behind me and drag it all the same behind me. One. I take another step, I lift my left foot this time. Seven and a half inches up and then down onto the concrete step. I try to drag my foot behind me. I really did try.

My suit is just so heavy.

I stand, left foot on the second and right on the first. It took me a few minutes but I dragged my foot up the stair. I close my eyes shut and bend my knee. I make it to the third step, both feet, on the third step. I can do this. one hundred and sixty more steps. That was nothing, a small number. Heck, my puzzle had ten times as many pieces than that. One hundred and sixty wasn’t too bad when you really think about it. I only had seven more sets of stairs and I was one eighth done with the first set. Eight isn’t a big number, it’s only one more than seven. Not even in the double digits.

I stand on the third step for a few minutes. Twelve.

I take a breath in and step, another breath, step, another and step, and another breath, and another breath, and another and another and another. I sink down against the wall, hitting my helmet on the handrail. I look down and count. One, two , three, four, five, six, seven….I was more than half way up. I’ll just sit here for a second. I didn’t really have anywhere to be. All I had planned today was to build my puzzle. I set the box onto my lap. The puzzle was a picture of the redwoods. I’ve always wanted to go there. Into the forest, the trees, towering so tall. I was rather sick of here with all the concrete. All the noise of the city when I was out and the deafening silence of my room.

It’s perfect there.

Maybe

Or maybe that’s just the image I’ve built in my head about it. Fictitious. Whatever it was, it was most certainly better than here. I’ll get there, even if I have to run on foot… . If I’m going to run I have to walk first. I’ll do that. As I go to stand my puzzle falls out of my lap. It tumbles down the stairs. Down all the stairs.

Down

All the way down

So far down

I vapor fogs up the visor of my helmet as tears made of pure exhaustion roll down my face. My breath is shaky as I draw it in. I take a step down…..another step down. My boots slamming down echoes through the stairwell. Until I reach the bottom. All the way down. I unceremoniously bend down to grab my puzzle. I ran my hand along the corner of the box that caved in. I look back at the stairs. I look at the puzzle, then back at the stairs. I don’t want to look at those stairs anymore. I don’t. So I won’t. My hand tightens around the railing and my eyelids close. I think about the trees. The trees that were bigger than any stupid staircase. The trees that I want to sit and rest under. Just rest.

“Alec?”

I look around to see one of the doctors, Dr. Halls, at the top of the stairs in front of me.

“H-hi..Hello Dr. Halls,” I say, clearing my throat.

“Are you going up the stairs Alec?” She says beckoning her hand to someone out of view.

“Yeah.” I clench my puzzle, “ Elevators broken.”

“No it’s not,” She said as footsteps slowly started, “One of the residents, Thomas von, the young man with the fish in his lungs, put up the sign as a bit of a prank, a real rascal he is.”

“It-it,it’s not?” I questioned.

“Heavens no, we run a sophisticated operation here, no elevator is breaking down here,” she chuckled, turning her attention to someone else, “Hello dear, see? It wasn’t that bad now was it!”

I see Agnus stand by Dr.Hall. because of her beak she couldn’t really frown but her eyes said enough. She just kind of nodded, folding her wings tighter onto her back.

“Alec, ooh! I see you got your puzzle,” she says smiling, “Goodie, does this mean you’re going back up to your room?”

I nod.

“You and Agnus are on the same floor, right?” she questioned but continued before I could answer, “ would you accompany agnus back to her room before you dig into that puzzle?”

I nod again. Agnus slowly walked down the stairs and stood in front of me. We walked slowly over to the elevators. I reach out and press the button. We stand in silence as we stare at the doors.

“I like your puzzle,’’ Agnus says, still looking forward to the elevator doors.

I hold the box up to look at the picture, “ I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“It looks nice, maybe one day, get out of this concrete castle,” she said.

The elevator doors open.

“That would be nice,” I say, pressing the button to the seventh floor.

We stand in silence again as the doors close.

“How many pieces?”

“One thousand five hundred.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to build it with me?”

“....sure.”