The Soul's Stairwell

The Stairwell had no beginning that I could remember, and the darkness below promised no end. Each step echoed against the stone that wept with centuries of secrets.

The creatures living in the walls knew that I was coming - I could feel their attention like a weight pressing against my skin . Grotesque things that belonged in nightmares. They watched me from crevices in the wall , these twisted things that should have torn me apart the moment they sensed my presence instead , they stared with something that almost looked like worship. Their malformed faces tilted towards me like flowers seeking sun, and I realized with a chill that even in this nightmare , I was something they found beautiful.

My reflection in a puddle of something I didn't want to identify showed me why. Even I had to admit - Whatever I was , I was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that could stop monsters in their tracks.

“Pihoo” I murmured , and the name echoed off the stone walls like a prayer. It was all I had , all I knew.

I was so lost in the whispered name - my name - that I almost didn't hear it at first.

"Excuse me."

The voice belonged to a woman . Her voice held the careful courtesy of someone who had learnt that good intentions could damn you just as surely as evil ones . Beautiful still, yes, but marred by the physical manifestation of a choice she could never take back.

Her smile was perfect, practiced , haunted . "Please forgive the intrusion" she said with such genuine warmth that for a moment , I forgot we were trapped in a nightmare.