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Those steps loomed before me, a seemingly endless corkscrew spinning upward into the unknown.
“If my mouse wants to heal, then I must go up these stairs. I must find out what lies beyond. And I must face whatever it is, ready or not.”
The silence that followed was a heavy, contemplative one as if each of them were wrestling their own demons, their own fears.
But my decision was made.
I was going to climb those stairs, whether they were ready to deal with it or not.
I turned back to my mouse’s alters. My eyes scanned the faces of each person in the hallway, taking in their varied expressions. Concern furrowed brows, fear widened eyes, and curiosity sparked inquisitive glances.
But it was the little girl, huddled in the shadows near me with her stuffed lion tightly held to her chest, who caught my attention most. She stood there quietly, observing the intense debate unfolding before her, a small innocent bystander in a sea of heated emotions.
But hold on. . .she looks young, but she is not actually young. She is older than the alters in this hallway.
I gave her a sad smile. “What do you think?”
She darted her gaze from the stairs, or wall, to me, then back to the stairs again. She seemed to have a faraway look in her eyes as if she were seeing herself climb them in her mind’s eye.
Still, I sensed the fear radiating from her small frame but also something else.
Determination?
Hope?
“I. . .I think,” she stammered, the words breaking through her trembling lips, “I think you should go.”
M let out a heavy sigh, looked down at the little girl, and then his eyes met mine.
For some reason, Pavel’s face softened as he glanced at the little girl.
To push the point further, I whispered to him, “Think of Paolo.”
Pavel studied the little girl some more. “We go upstairs, see what is there, and then we leave.”
“Yes.”
“You said yes before and ignored everything.”
“We leave once we see what is up there, but we must know. Truly know, so I can tell my mouse.”
M rubbed his beard some more. “Then, when she returns to us, we will show her the wall. . .I mean. . .the stairs.”
Lunita reached her hands toward the stairs again.
M gasped. “Ungodly. Your fingers just. . .go through it.”
Lunita took a step forward, getting her feet close to the stairs.
The little girl edged back. “Some of Lunita’s body is going inside of the wall.”
Lunita dropped her hand and inched back. “I’m going with you, nasty lion. I can protect you.”
I smirked. “Can you now?”
“I’m the fighter.” Lunita fisted her hands. “Everyone knows that.”
I nodded. “Then, let us go. I have already been here long enough.”
