copyright © 2003, all rights reserved.
first performed 11/01/03
All around you is darkness. And it is silent here as well. There may have been a noise in the distance for a moment, but you can't be sure. The air is thick with a cold fog, and soon you see a glow in the heavens above.
The glow is whitish and is hid behind a cloud. The clouds soon begin to part, and the glow is revealed to be the full moon shining overhead.
The moon gives a nice soft light to the place where you stand. You are in a dark field someplace. And the field extends as far as you can see in every direction. There may be woods in the distance, or the flat field may continue all the way to the horizon.
There are upright stones here, and they are inscribed with names and dates.
For a moment you think you hear an animal howling in the distance. Then all is silent again. A dark bird flies in the sky overhead -- or is it a flapping bat, eating insects in the dimly lit sky?
The sky continues to clear, and soon the moon is well-exposed. The shaft of light grows brighter in the field ahead of you. Soon, it looks as though a spotlight is shining on the ground before you.
The mist seems to gather in swirls in the beam of moonlight. And the swirls climb higher and higher still. Soon, the swirls of mist become so thick, it appears to be simply a bright column of whiteness reaching up to the celestial orb above.
Then, the lower parts of mist start to clear, as the upper parts become thicker. In the thinning area below you see a white spiral staircase reaching up into the mist above. The mist continues flying upward, and as it does you see more of the spiral staircase, reaching up as far into the heavens as you can see.
The cool wind behind you picks up and pushes you ahead toward the staircase. And there is another silent howl in the distance.
The staircase glistens with brightness and appears to be both here and in another realm far away from here. It's image is almost ghostlike and you can see through it in places.
You decide to climb the stairs, and so you approach the staircase and begin going upward. As you touch the handrail, you notice that you can't really feel it, but it has the impression of being very cold. The stairs feel solid, as though they are made of stone grounded deep within the earth. And the staircase feels like a well-traveled road to you.
You climb up the staircase, feeling the weight of your self becoming slightly lighter as you climb. At first, the climbing is difficult, but it gets easier the higher you go. Before too long you feel half your weight and soon you feel light as a feather.
The stairs beneath your feet are still stiff as a board as you continue your journey upward to the silvery moon. As you look below you, the moonlight provides very little light to make out any of the terrain below. You seem to simply be climbing above a sea of blackness, upward toward an equally black sky, with only a tiny part in the clouds for the moon to peak through.
The air is calm and cold here. It is as though the winds simply travel around the staircase, but do not touch it. And the only sound now is the gentle tapping of your feet on the white steps.
There seems to be mist outside the staircase, and you realize that you are transcending the clouds now. The mist gets thicker and darker for a moment. Then it clears and you are in a sea of bright stars, shining against the blackness. And the brightness of the moon is gone. Yet your staircase continues on for a very far distance ahead.
Upward in silence. And upward still. Walking forever in a dark, cold sea of stars...
Suddenly, there is a bright flash behind you, and the stairs before you are illuminated by the bright light. You turn around to see the sun peeking over the dark curve of the earth.
Now the stairs before you are not simply white stairs, they are brightly lit colors, climbing ahead like a rainbow stairwell. The colors continue ahead as far as you can see.
The light is warm on your back, and soon the stairs begin radiating a gentle warmth as well. The gentle heat reaches a comfortable level as you continue climbing.
It is not quite so silent any more. There is a gentle sound of noise -- perhaps music -- in the distance ahead. And soon your journey seems to be not so lonely.
The music echoes softly through the staircase and seems to carry you along into the firmament of the sky. And the sunlight shines brightly in the wakening day.
As you look around you, there are bright comets and colorful planets all spinning and whirling in their orbits, lit brightly by the brilliant sunshine.
The music and the whirling spheres seem to dance together in the dark sky around you. And before long you begin dancing up the stairs as well.
The sunlight is very strong now. And everything has a very distinct look to it. If you look at the planets closely, you can see the swirling patterns of clouds. You may even see brief tempests and lightning storms.
Everything seems to be so vibrant now. Then the light seems to grow old with age. And soon, it takes on tones of orange and red, dimming ever so slightly. And as the light fades, so too does the music of your dance.
The planets and comets now begin fading from view. Dimmer, dimmer still. The colors of the staircase fade to the dim whiteness they were before. And the sun once again disppears behind the curve of the earth.
It is once again silent. And the darkness brings a cold chill to your footsteps. You begin to feel a slight increase in your weight as you move upward along the stairs. And now you are simply in a sea of stars, gently climbing the dim stairs.
Above you is a black disk. You can only make it out as it blots out the stars from your view, but you are approaching it rapidly. Your weight is growing stronger as you continue to climb, and soon it will be at your normal walking weight once again.
As the black circle gets closer you discover that it is not another world, but a tunnel or darkness. Yet you cannot make out what is on the other side.
The stairs take you deep into the tunnel. It is still dark here, but you have the feeling that you will very soon reach the other side of the tunnel. And so you continue climbing the steps. Your gentle footsteps are the only sound here -- or are they?
There seems to be a muffled howl in the distance. And you are emerging from the tunnel. The staircase ends, just as you reach the land.
You are once again in the dark field where you began your journey. The sky is overcast in the dark night. And soon, the mist begins to thicken in its cold spray once again, till all is dark and cloudy around you once again.
Created by Guides Chandonn, Hypatia X, and Sophia X Pharou
Last modified: 06/20/2009