Stairway

There once were two little boys who grew up not too far from my old neighborhood. We all went to the same middle school, but they were all grown up by the time I attended. Their exploits, however, had already become something of legend among the student body. One story in particular stands out above the rest and the two boys, Theo and Mike, always maintained that it was the complete and honest truth.

While vacationing with their families out in California, they made a day trip to one of the many national parks and decided to go exploring on their own. They had a lot of fun and spent most of the day out there walking the trails and just goofing off. As they were getting ready to leave the park, however, Theo and Mike made a very unusual discovery.

“Hey, is that a house?” Theo asked as he squinted into the trees. Mike followed his gaze and saw that there, hidden among the trees, was an old white house with blue window panes.

“You’re right,” Mike murmured, puzzled by the sight. “But it doesn’t look like it’s part of the park.”

“It must’ve already been here when they marked off the territory,” Theo reasoned. “Maybe it’s got a plaque or something on it. C’mon, let’s check it out.” Mike shrugged and followed his friend along the old weathered trail that lead straight to the house’s front door. He hadn’t seen the trail before when they first passed this spot, but then of course he hadn’t really been looking for it at the time. Besides, the path was tiny but well-worn, meaning that other people had clearly visited the house before. It probably was just another part of the park they didn’t know about.

As they inched closer to the house, Theo and Mike chatted lightly and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine while the birds sung brightly in the trees all around them. As they neared the house, they started to get a good idea of how old it really was:

The bricks of the chimney had been weathered down to stubs over the years, and sagged precariously away from the second level of the house. The white paint of the house’s walls was dirtied all over in many different spots, and almost all of its windows had broken to form simple spider-web patterns.

At last Theo and Mike reached the rickety front porch and climbed the steps carefully, avoiding the jagged, broken pieces of wood that threatened them with splinters.

“You’d think with the shape it’s in, they would’ve condemned it by now,” Theo quibbled.

“Maybe she’s got a few more secrets in here,” Mike commented lightly and reached for the rusty door knob. It turned easily in his grasp and swung forward just as easily, without him even having to push. He shrugged and added,

"Must be having an Open House,” and Theo chuckled as he followed his friend inside. The house’s interior was in equally terrible condition. Dust floated through the air and had settled on every surface in a thick gray film. What few pieces of furniture remained were scattered throughout the rooms and falling apart.

“I don’t think we’re the only ones who took the tour,” Theo commented as they ventured further inside and started to explore the vast kitchen. He pointed at the wall behind the rusty stinking sink, and Mike saw the graffiti scribbled out in various colors and styles. Many of the words had faded away from age, but a few remained perfectly visible, and Theo and Mike made a game out of trying to read them all.

“’Go Bullfrogs Go’?” Mike read aloud, tilting his head to the side.

“I thought it was ‘Bulldogs,’” Theo said, turning his gaze to another tag.

“How about this one: ‘Teddy Finks Sara.’”

“Uh… I don’t think that’s an ‘I,’ Theo,” Theo eyes widened and he stifled a laugh as he skimmed over more of the graffiti.

“Man some of these are filthy,” he muttered. Then, suddenly, he whipped out his phone from his back pocket and added, “This is going on Facebook.”

“You know you’re going to get flagged,” Mike warned.

“Worth it,” Theo replied, and snapped several pictures in quick succession. When he was done Mike looked around and noticed that a door next to the pantry stood wide open. It was dark with a cool breeze coming up from the inside, and he nudged Theo’s arm.

“Feeling brave enough to check that out?”

“No way, man, you do it.”

“Alright, maybe I will.”

Mike strolled over to the door and stood just before the threshold, looking down into a shadowy stairway that led to the basement. He smelled a light scent of mildew wafting up along the concrete steps, but other than that it wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it would be.

“Well – you gonna go or what?” Theo teased walking up behind him.

“I’m going, I’m going,” replied Mike as he walked slowly down the steps. He made it as far as three steps when he slipped unexpectedly and nearly lost his balance.

“Be careful!” Theo exclaimed as Mike corrected himself.

“I know, I know,” Mike muttered, “Hang on a sec.” He reached into his jacket pocket and found his own phone. He yanked it out and turned on the built in flashlight. He shined the bright white beam around and along the surface of the steps. They were dewy and slightly damp, explaining his reason for slipping, and then, with careful movements, he resumed his course down into the depths of the old basement.

“Watch your step,” Mike said over his shoulder. “It’s really slick right there.” Theo turned on his own flashlight and slowly followed his friend down.

For some reason the staircase to the basement was a lot longer than either of them had anticipated. It seemed to take them forever just to get to the ground again. But however long the staircase was they finally reached the basement and slowly looked around, marveling at the size of the place. Theo let out a long whistle as he shined his light around.

“I didn’t think this house was that big,” he said.

“It doesn’t look like it from the outside.”

“It must be longer than we thought it was,” Mike suggested, “We did only see it from the front. We never looked around at the sides or the back.” Theo nodded in agreement and remained silent – until his light fell on something that sent chills down his spine.

“Uh, Mike,” he mumbled uneasily, “I think we’d better go.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

Mike turned around and saw that his best friend was as white as a sheet. Theo’s eyes darted over to him and then back to the wall to which he was staring. He raised one hand and pointed straight ahead.

“That’s what’s wrong,” he replied nervously. Mike followed Theo’s gaze and saw even more graffiti drawn out on the cement walls. But these tags were far from amusing.

Large, lopsided pentagrams lined the wall, each pattern over-lapping the other as if drawn out frantically by some half-crazed soul. Some of the designs were painted in black ink, and others were drawn out in red. And a few others had been carved into the cement, as if someone had just taken a chisel and scratched it deep into the surface. Mike had never been one believe in that kind of superstitious stuff – either something existed or it didn’t – but the sight of those patterns, arranged in that way, made him more than just a little uneasy.

“Uh, yeah,” Mike finally agreed, “Let’s get out of here. I think this Open House is closed.” The two slowly backed away and headed for the stairs. Suddenly, at that moment, they heard a low growl rumbling from one of the darkened corners.

“What was that?” Mike whispered as he raised his flashlight.

“No don’t!” Theo pleaded reaching around and covering Mike’s light.

“Don’t do it,” Theo said again, his blue eyes wide and round with fear. “I’ve got a really bad feeling about it. Let’s – let’s just go, okay?” Mike gulped and nodded his head.

“R-right,” he said thickly, “let’s go.” The boys then turned their backs and hurried for the stairs, all the while ignoring the growls that only grew louder and more ferocious with every step they took. As they raced back up the stairs, Mike tried to ignore the fact that his body was trembling all over – and the fact that he was horribly tempted to look back. It was almost irresistible, but neither Mike nor Theo dared to turn around, as it would’ve been the end of them for sure.

At last they came to the top of the stairs and raced through the basement door. Theo spun around and slammed the door shut with all of his strength. He and Mike backed away slowly, almost too afraid to turn their backs on the door. After a moment of silence, when it seemed that the thing in the basement would not follow them, Mike let out a sigh and finally relaxed a little.

“Come on,” he said, “We’d better get back before it gets too late.” Theo didn’t say a word and only nodded agreeably. They turned and walked through the kitchen, heading down the hallway that had brought them there.

“Wait a minute,” Theo said suddenly. He wrinkled his brow in confusion and looked this way and that.

“I think we got turned around somehow.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, I know this is the way we came inside. But – but the front door is gone. I mean, it’s not here, where it should be.” Mike took a step forward and put one hand on the wall that now stood where the front door should have been. It was cold and solid brick, and seemed to be as old as rest of the house. Mike gulped involuntarily. He glanced around and looked to the left, where the hallway opened up into a little dining room.

“Let’s try this way then,” he suggested, leading the way, “I think this is one of those rooms that leads to the kitchen. We can go out the backdoor instead.”

They hurried through the dining room, carefully navigating around the broken dusty chairs that had toppled to the floor. But when they came out through the opposite doorway, the one that should have led them back to the kitchen, they walked straight into a small library. All of the walls were lined with ancient wooden shelves, each one filled with moldy and yellowing books that were no longer even legible.

“I don’t understand,” Theo breathed, “How is this possible?”

“I don’t think it is,” Mike replied quietly, “At least it shouldn’t be.” They looked around again and saw that their only way out of the library was through another open door way.

"Let’s go this way,” Mike insisted as Theo followed him, “Maybe this house is laid out like a race-track or something: the rooms just open up into one big loop.” They hurried on and this time came to a parlor that opened up into a conservatory, filled dead and rotting plants. Mike and Theo searched all over the conservatory, but failed to find a door that led to the outside.

“I don’t like this, Mike,” Theo stated nervously, his heart racing faster and faster the longer they were trapped. “I don’t like this at all.”

“I know me neither. We’ve just got to get out of here, and fast.”

“Let’s just break one of these windows.” Theo proposed looking around the room. “There’s got to be something heavy around here – something strong enough to break glass!” They looked and looked but found nothing nearby that was big enough or heavy enough to get the job done. The wicker furniture that lined the room was just as rotten as the dead plants, practically disintegrating at their touch. And the iron fixtures that held the shelves in place along the glass walls might have worked perfectly, but they were still bolted tightly into place.

“There’s got to be something, anything!” Theo exclaimed, growing more and more disturbed. He looked back at the door they had come in from and started for it.

“I’m going back to check the…”

“No, wait Theo!” Mike exclaimed chasing after him, “We shouldn’t split up in this place. What if we…” he didn’t want to finish his sentence because he knew it sounded total ridiculous: what if they split up in this house and never saw each other again? But Theo seemed to share in Mike’s unease and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you’re right. In that case let’s… well, let’s find something heavy we can use to bust through a window.” Mike nodded and followed his friend back out of the conservatory and into the parlor, and then, miraculously, back into the kitchen once more.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Theo cried in frustration. “How the hell did we end up here again!?”

“Hey, a kitchen means pots and pans,” Mike pointed out, trying to stay calm. He searched quickly through the shelves and cabinets, and added over his shoulder, “At least one of them has got to be heavy enough to…” his voice caught in his throat and his eyes widened as they rested on the opened door to the basement.

“T-Theo,” he stammered, “didn’t you shut that door earlier.” Theo turned slowly and went completely pale, as if the life had totally drained out of him. Whatever had been down there with them, whatever had been growling hungrily for them from the depths of the shadows, it had followed them up. It was still hunting them – and now they were trapped.

Theo and Mike locked eyes for a split second and then hurried about the kitchen, searching for anything that could save them from that ghoulish, growling monster. Theo managed to find a knife tucked away inside a drawer; its blade was starting to rust from years of neglect, but at least it was still sharp enough to use for a single strike. Mike found a heavy, cast-iron skillet, the biggest one he had ever seen in his life. It almost made him feel foolish that they were arming themselves with kitchenware for protection, but at least it was better than nothing.

Then, without ever saying a word, and without ever taking their eyes from the basement door, Theo and Mike slowly backed out of the kitchen and broke out into a full run once they made it back into the parlor. They raced past the moth-eaten chairs and paintings and headed straight for what they thought would be the conservatory. To their dismay, they came instead into a little den; one with no windows and no open door ways.

“No!” Theo shouted angrily, “Seriously!!?”

“This can’t be happening,” Mike muttered frantically, “Oh God, this can’t be happening. This can’t be real!”

The den, for some reason, was in relatively better shape than the rest of the house. Though seemingly just as old, all the furniture was still intact and sat at the ready in their proper places. Two small bookshelves flanked the oak desk that sat off to the left, while to the right two plushy leather armchairs faced each other, partially covered by a worn white sheet. It looked more like a home-office than the den to a haunted house, and that thought alone was somehow incredibly comforting. But as Mike and Theo looked straight head at the closed door, perfectly centered in the middle of the wall, a profound sense of foreboding over took them both.

“Let’s just go back,” Mike stammered, “We can try to find the conservatory again and get out from there.” They both spun around but were shocked to see that the doorway they had entered from had inexplicably vanished. Neither said anything and only backed away further and further into the office-den. Theo glanced over his shoulder at the closed door.

“Only one way left to go,” he murmured calmly. He and Mike walked slowly for the door. Within moments, as Theo reached for the handled, Mike gulped and asked him very quietly,

“What do you think is in there?” Theo paused and thought for a moment.

“We’re about to find out,” he answered.

He turned the handled and it opened soundlessly. He carefully, quietly, yanked the door open and the boys looked up to see another set of stairs which lead to the second floor of the house. Mike let out a dry, scared little laugh.

“Ready for round two?”

Theo didn’t answer him but only gripped his knife tighter as he led the way up the stairs.

They walked in silence up the stairs. Only the sounds of their heavy, frightened breathing seemed to fill air around them. The stairs were surprisingly sturdy for a house so old, but creaked loudly every so often. At last they came to another closed door at the top of the stairs. Mike prayed, in the back of his mind, for the door to be open. Though another part of him hoped that it was sealed tightly shut, in case that thing from the basement sat there waiting for them on the other side – just waiting for them to walk into its jaws.

Theo reached out and tested the handled. It was unlocked. He turned it and pushed inwards, allowing the door to creak open on its own. They walked straight through and found themselves standing in the hallway of the second floor. The white doors to all the other rooms stood open and waited for them.

“Okay, okay,” Mike sighed, relieved, “This isn’t too bad.” They walked cautiously down the hall, looking through each and every room.

“But now the question is,” Theo said darkly. “Will we be able to go back the way we came?” To this Mike had no retort. They passed one empty room after another, slowly making their way toward the end of the hall where sunlight filtered in through a circular window, patterned in the shape of a flower. It was a comforting sight; one that seemed to promise a way out.

They finally came to the last room on the right and cautiously peered inside. It looked like someone’s bedroom, and was completely empty except for the old metal bed frame that sat in the corner. Theo let out a sigh of relief. He turned around to face Mike and was about to say something, when Mike’s eyes widened and he let out a horrified scream. Theo spun around and to his horror saw a furry thing with shining red eyes peering in at them from outside the dirty window!

Its head was shaped like an animal with two curved horns growing from the top of its head and it gripped the side of the house with two massive, human-like hands. It disappeared from view almost as soon as it was spotted, but those horrible red eyes were forever burned into Theo’s memory. Screaming and without thinking, the boys dropped their weapons and raced back down the hallway towards the stairs. The door slammed shut on its own and refused to budge as they pulled and pulled at the handle. Finally they managed to pry it open and sprinted down the stairs, still screaming at the top of their lungs. They reached the bottom and flung themselves through second door, landing face first into the dewy green grass of the national park. They were outside once again!

Theo and Mike scrambled to their feet and looked around to see that the house had suddenly vanished… all except for the old wooden stair case that brought them face to face with a monster.

“What the – what the..?!” Mike stammered disbelievingly.

“Wait!” Theo cried as he dug out his phone again. He unlocked it and searched through his archive of pictures. The ones he had taken of the graffiti in the kitchen were all blacked out, and no longer existed. They both stared at the photos, horrified and stunned into silence.

“Hey, what do you boys think you’re doing?” a voice called out from behind. They turned around and saw a park ranger coming toward them and scrambled to their feet.

“We, uh, well, uh,” Theo stammered.

“We just – wanted to check out this exhibit!” Mike blurted out, not knowing what else to say. The Ranger looked at them curiously and then up at the stand-alone staircase.

“This exhibit?” he repeated. “Huh,” he added as he examined it very carefully. “Well now – this place is just full of surprises.”

“What do you mean?” Theo asked uneasily, “hasn’t it always been here?”

“No, not that I know of,” the Ranger answered. “I’ve worked in this park for almost 12 year now, and never saw this thing before until today. I wonder where it came from…. hey, you two okay?” he asked as he examined their petrified faces. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

Theo and Mike returned to their families shortly after that, and vowed to never set foot in that same park ever again. And, as far as I know, they’ve been good to their word. When they returned home, they told every one of their exploits and the story has been passed down from kid to kid in all that time.

Meanwhile the stairway, it is said, still stands to this day.

No one really knows how it got there, where it came from, or why it’s even there. The only thing that anyone knows for certain is that it is there, waiting patiently in the forest; waiting patiently to be found by the next unfortunate soul. And what exactly they will discover there, no one can ever say.