03/11/2024
The Stairway
By Spencer Smith
You're lying in a hospital bed. Your loving family is with you. You've led a decent life and now you're coming to the grand finale. Slowly, the lights of the room begin to fade to darkness. You close your eyes. All you hear is the beeping and hissing life support machines. Beep...hiss...beep...hiss...beep.....beep...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. You sit up in the bed. You still see your family around your bed but you turn around and see the empty husk of your former body lying there, motionless and cold. Behind you, a doorway opens in the wall that hadn't been there before. There is a brilliant, ethereal light coming from it that beckons you forward. There's no turning back now. Before you stands a golden staircase. You turn back but the door is gone. Nowhere to go but up. You begin climbing the stairs but you notice that the pain and stiffness is gone. You breathe better than you have in decades as you start to sprint up the stairs. Up ahead, you see a figure silhouetted against the bright light. As you approach, you see a large afro and you begin to smell paint. The smiling, bearded visage of Bob Ross greets you. He looks back from his painting and says, "You took the time to enjoy the little mistakes in life. Take this painting with you as a reminder to see the beauty in the brokenness." You continue climbing the stairs and shortly you see another figure. As you approach, You see Steve Irwin in his khaki shorts. He is holding something in his hand. He stands to his full height and says, "G'day, mate! You were kind to animals throughout your life. Take this baby crocodile with you so that you can remember to always be kind to all creatures, no matter what they look like on the outside." Even though it feels like you have been climbing the stairs for hours, you're still not even the least bit tired. Up ahead, another figure waves to you. You see a man in a crisp tailored suit and shiny black shoes. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr 's deep voice reverberates around the staircase. He says, "It was my dream that all people would treat each other like brothers and sisters regardless of their skin color. You helped keep my dream alive in your life. Take this Bible with you, so you will always remember to love your fellow man for what is in his heart rather than what is on his skin." As the stairs keep going further up towards the light, you see another figure. You see a large golden gate at the top of the stairs behind him. As you approach, his arms open wide. "I just want to let you know that I'm so very proud of you. You made the world a better place simply by being a part of it. But it is not yet your time to join this neighborhood. You still have work to do in yours. Take this hug back with you and give it freely to everyone you come across who needs one." You feel a gentle tug as if an invisible lasso had just been cinched tightly around your waist. You feel like you're being gently tugged backward. Back down the stairs. And then suddenly, you can hear the beeping and hissing sounds again. The bright light is fading. You open your eyes to the blurry faces of your family. You're back in your body. You sit up and begin to give out the hugs from the little man in the red sweater. For now, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
