The Way Out

They said I could go, everything was done, and it would all be fine. They showed me the door and let me out.

The door slammed, and in front of me was a stone spiral staircase, going down to an exit.

Except I could not see the bottom. I had left an office building and was now in a mildewed dark castle turret.

I looked back, and the door I entered this place was gone, the steps ran as far up as they did down, and I could not see the bottom or top. There were no windows. Although it was dark, I could still see, but not as far as I wanted to.

I started counting the steps, scared I might fall or slip. There was no safety rail, and if I fell, I didn't know how far the bottom was, if there was a bottom.

I was now scared. I had been summoned for an interview, but could not remember what it was about. I had definitely entered an office building, signed in at reception, but was now in the dark, wet, stone tower.

I kept going down, but it felt like I had been going down for hours, and nothing had really changed, although I could not see too much. I didn't feel thirsty or hungry, which was odd, as I had not eaten today.

Then I remembered what the interview had been for; it had been a life assessment by the agents of the Supreme Council. They had said that their findings showed I was not fit for purpose.

I now knew I was not on a stairway to heaven, but to the other place, and there was no way out for me.