Stairway to Infinity

It had been a late night last night, and the morning didn't seem any better, I just lay in my bed with the worst of headaches. In my aching mind I wanted to get up, but my body didn't respond. With slow agony I finally left the bed and moved toward the bathroom. I tripped and slammed into every wall on the way. I reached the bathroom, opened the cabinet door for an aspirin, and a stream of bright light nailed me in the face. I jumped and fell back into the bathtub. While contemplating on my next move, I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes to sunlight beaming through a crack in the stained-glass window. I felt light as if in an elevator, I just passed a quick explanation across my mind. I moved toward my room, without the aspirin, and leaned over to move my chair to the computer when a quick and sudden weight pushed me off balance. I stood and rushed out into my living room, wondering exactly what happened. I opened the front door and a second bright light hit me. It couldn't be the sun, I was facing south. The light came from no where, or at least somewhere unknown to me.

As my eyes became accustomed to the light, I saw a long staircase before me. I heard a scream, so I started to climb the stairs toward its origin, I was very cautious. I started wondering more and more about the stairs. Unanswered mysteries and questions needing little thought ran through my mind and were solved in seconds. I was thinking at an accelerated pace. My mind began to burn. I realized the knowledge I was accumulating. Man's origin was told to me. Properties of the universe I had wondered about were implanted in my memory. I didn't notice but I was being forced slowly up the stairs. Ahead I saw an end to all this pain, the end of the stairs.

I reached the platform at the top and my mind began to settle somewhat. In front of me stood a mirror, which didn't contain my image, but reflected the stairs behind me. I peered into the mirror with no other thing to occupy my resting mind. Then I saw, in the mirror, my own image at the bottom of the staircase in the doorway as I had been earlier. I screamed to alert him not to come inside. He rushed in, because of my mistake. I could see his amazement and watched curiosity take over his will. He moved up the stairs. I watched as he started his agony. He grasped his head in the pain. Onward he moved. I wanted to help, just walk to him, but I couldn't. He finally reached the top of the stairs, and we faced each other. I started to cry. He just stared in the mirror.

Then I noticed he wasn't looking at me, he was looking beyond me down the stairs. He screamed, and as he did I turned around to find out why. Behind me walked another image of myself. He walked up the stairs with amazement and then agony, just as the first image did., just as I did, just as whoever came before me had done. I sat down and wished to be rid of this torture. The madness continued until I fell asleep to the sweet screams, echoing forever. An infinite sleep. I still remember.