THE STAIRS

I'm woken up by a loud bang, I suspect it's from the kitchen because it must have been a pan on the hard travertine floor, the rest of the house is covered by marble tiles. I have one cat, Mix and one dog, Match. One of which is curled up at the edge of the bed, unaffected. That damn cat!? I curse and shift my pillow so it lays on top of my arm. Why is it this cold in my room? Is it the fan? I doubt, but heck, I'm not waking up to check if it's still on or if the bathroom window is closed. To be honest, I want to, but the thought of standing and losing some precious seconds of sleep on a weekday irks me. I pull the sheet so it covers more of my upper body. I must have fallen asleep immediately because I'm woken up again, this time the sound coming from somewhere closer. It's a bang on one of the doors that leads to my room, I can swear the thin sweat that has formed on my forehead is because of my blood that has been boiling for a good two minutes now. I pick myself up from the bed ready to go out there and lock Mix in one of the empty rooms, there are plenty. I've recently moved into this apartment because of work, relocation and all that, but my other things are supposed to come tomorrow. The moving company said something about conflicting schedules that I didn't care about so much, as long as they had my belongings here before Friday. As I move my leg on the floor in desperation, with the aim of finding one of my missing slippers, the bare sole of my foot runs across something soft, warm and furry before I hear an extended meow. Mix? I notice Match is still curled up at the edge of the bed. They are both in here with me. My heart skips a beat and I look at my bedroom door immediately, it's still shut. I checked the neighborhood four times on various sites before moving here, I even checked the reviews on the apartment complex and all of them said security was tight. Am I being robbed? I doubt. Do I have the courage to go check? Perhaps. I walk towards the door with great caution, my footsteps silent and my heart in my mouth. The door isn't locked so it's easy to draw it back a little and take a peek. There's nothing out there except the light that's coming from the stairs, did I leave the lights on down there? Wait, I hear something, albeit indistinct. A soft, continuous splash of waves hitting a wall. The sound that frequents walled beaches. Is it a television? I doubt, because mine comes tomorrow, but this also isn't the type of apartment where a neighbour's television sounds can pass through walls. I'm a little worried, frightened even. I walk back to the cabinet and take my baseball bat, I couldn't have travelled without it. I have hit people with this bat before and I am not afraid to use it again. I open the door just enough to squeeze through on the tip of my toes. The only thing on my mind is whether I should swing with my left or right hand, I have never really figured out my dominant hand outside writing and eating. Come to think of it, I may just be ambidextrous. I'm embarrassed it took me twenty five years of my life to notice. I've also noticed that as I have neared the stairs, the lights have dimmed and the sound of the waves has gotten louder. The floor is ice cold and damp, the smell in the air is enveloping and warm, reminiscent of a resinous aroma of pine trees, seaweed and wet sand. I'm confused. Are there leaks? I have already paid two months deposit and my belongings are mere hours away. I stop and call out as loudly as I can, "Get out." Nothing changes, not the lights nor the smell nor the cold floor. I have no other option but to proceed, with caution yes. The lights go off and suddenly I'm in a pitch black hallway with no idea where the light switches are. The sound of the waves is gone, so has the smell of the beach and the floor has warmed up a bit. Am I dreaming? I have no time for questions. I dash back to my bedroom and flick the lights on. I do the same for the hallway and all the other rooms. I do not slack in my inspection of the rooms on the upper floor. I have to check downstairs too but something about it frightens me. Maybe it's the stairs. All the lights are on, and my phone's flashlight is at it's maximum but it just can't seem to illuminate past the first two steps. It's pitch black and dizzying, almost as if there is nothing past the steps. I'm not curious enough to go down there so I call my landlord. When she doesn't pick after the fourth time, I give up. I leave the lights on and head back to my room. I check the time before reluctantly sliding between the sheets, it says a quarter past three. Mix and Match are still asleep, I wonder how they'd managed to remain so through everything. Usually, Match would have been the one to wake me up at the slightest of sounds. I close my eyes but I can't find sleep, everything is so quiet it's unsettling. I take my phone from the side stool to play a tune, any slow song. The Slumber Jacks are best suited for the job, I reckon. Before that, I hear a giggle just outside my room. Now, I am not one to be easily scared but I'm losing my mind. Frantic with fear, a frenetic pace of activity sees me pick the bat and charge blindly into the hallway. I can't proceed though, the lights which I had left on are off and the light from the stairs is the only thing that lights the long hallway. The smell of the beach is back, and the floor is as cold as ever. I feel nauseated to the bone so I take a few steps back, until my back hits the wall. I slide down slowly until my backside is on the floor. It doesn't take too long to make up my mind. I will not face my fears right now, I'll go back to my bed and sleep it off. A slight problem in the form of my bedroom door not opening materialises before me. No matter how hard I turn the knob or pull or push or kick the door, it won't budge. I hear the giggle again, it sounds coarser this time and piercing, I feel it run down my spine and tickle the hairs on my arms, but I try to hold the fear in regardless. I don't know what to do and it seems my hands are shaking, my legs lack the strength to hold my body up so I fall to my knees, I am not ashamed to admit I am scared. I close my eyes to say a prayer, I've always wanted to repent. I may be the dumbest person in the entire world right now because my mind is telling me to go to the stairs and I am suspiciously willing to comply. The thought of knowing what is going on right now is too compelling. With the bat held firmly in my hands, I make for the lights that keep dimming as I approach. I don't even know if I'm in control of my body anymore, I'm usually not this curious, brave and stupid. The smell of the beach pervades the entire hallway not sparing my lungs, the sound of the waves fills my desolate mind and the cold graciously kisses the exposed parts of my body as I approach the corner that leads to the stairs. I don't remember the last time I blinked. I finally see it, the stairs. I don't know how but it is full of water, there's sand too on the steps where the water ends. I cannot see how I can go downstairs. There are mini waves hitting the walls and the steps, hence the sound. It's beautiful, all of it. I see the dim light but it's far from me, and it's partially submerged in the water. It looks like a lantern of some sort, I don't know. My thoughts are scrambled, I should be scared, I should be running away from this bizarre phenomenon, instead I am mesmerized by it, fascinated even. I can feel my pupils dilate and my mouth water as the light draws near. It's unbelievably ravishing, so much that I'm getting aroused. Have I lost my mind? No, I think anyone would feel the same. The light is completely out of the water, indeed it's a lantern. It sits comfortably in the chest of what or who seems to be a woman. I can see the shape of her breasts and nothing more. I see her face, "Misaa?" Oh, I remember her. I was nineteen, she was seventeen. We'd been together since our pre-teens and we'd sworn we'd be with each other to our deaths. Silly little promises were made, childish vows were exchanged. I remember piercing my thumb and giving it to her to lick the blood off of, she did the same to me, I was twelve. I went to college on the mainland, she stayed back on that small island where everyone was so naive to the ways of the outside world. I met someone from my course, a smart and lovely girl. We got together and I took her back to meet my parents, she had a baby on the way by then. We went back to the mainland where our jobs waited. My mother called me weeks later talking about how Misaa had ended her life. She had jumped from a cliff into the ocean, I think they said she hit her head on the rocks. I went to her funeral, I remember crying for her out of both guilt and love. That was the same day my wife drowned in the bathtub, taking both her and the baby's life. I attended two funerals that week, or three? That was the first time I had thought about killing myself because of my feelings for somebody, no, that's not right, my feelings for people. I filled the tub with enough water and took a toaster in there with me, the only thing that stopped me was my lack of resolve. I was a coward and an i***t. Here she is, Misaa, with her hands outstretched as if calling for me. She looks so young, beautiful and ethereal. I used to love her, maybe I still do because my heart is yearning for her. I reach for her hand and she pulls me into her arms. She is cold but her skin is soft and tender. Her palm is too slippery for me to hold on to. Her stench is putrid, like that of rotting fish with lavender undertones but I love how it hits my nose with a strange nostalgia, "I'm sorry." I don't notice myself say that. She doesn't reply, just pulls me into her arms and deeper into the waters. It's as cold as I had imagined, but I don't care, I'm with her. I can hear Match barking behind me, but I don't want to raise my head from Misaa's chest. The heart truly does know deeper seasons than our memories. I'm in love with her. We go deeper into the water until I am fully submerged. Her light is as bright and as beautiful as a her smile. Match continues to bark but it's not loud enough, I think it's being consumed by the water. I feel the air running out of my lungs and my nose being obstructed in the extreme. I cannot let go of Misaa, I want to be with her. Maybe I am on the last of my breaths, because I can feel the life running out of my body. My fingers grow pale and cold, my chest becomes swollen from the water and my eyesight starts to fade. I can only make out the light and the rotten face of the creature that is holding me in it's arms. END.