The Magical Stairway

• Abigail Sambell, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2021

The stairway

The colourful stairs spiralled through the air into the clouds. There were colourful flowers blooming on the dark wood. I rushed up the stairs to see what was at the top. I tripped on a tree root and fell off the side into the water. I fell deeper and deeper. I woke up and immediately started to cough. I looked around and it was pitch black. Oh, I thought, I must’ve woken up early. I started to turn restlessly there was something sharp poking into my back. I sat up and felt cold water splash onto my face. Where was I?

I saw a little white light dancing. I stood up to go see what it was. My feet felt very light, as if I was floating to the doorway. I followed the little white light through the door and down the hallway. I felt something around my ankle. I looked to the ground and when I walked I felt something crunch beneath my feet. I crouched down and picked up something it was sand. I started to breath quickly, my heartbeat was fastening. As I breathed bubbles came out of my mouth I was so shocked I fell over. I’m not in my house I said inside my head. The stairway was not a dream, I am indeed in the ocean. How am I breathing underwater I thought but I pushed that away from my mind. Wait, that little light Is not a light it’s an anglerfish!!! I started to run down the hallway and my heartbeat was thumping like a drum, this is a dream, this is a dream, I thought. But this wasn’t a dream, this was real.

Calm down Bella, calm down! I told to myself. But it wasn’t working I still felt scared. Then I felt something scaly slid across my leg. Two mermaids flew in front of me. They fought off the angler fish. Then turned to me, “Are you ok?” The two mermaids asked “Yeah,” I said. Then I explained I needed to get to get to the surface. “Oh we can do that for you,” they both said in unison. “Anyway, I’m Stacy and this is Rebecca,” said Stacy.
“We can help you get to the surface,” said Rebecca. Phew, I thought. Finally I can go home.

Stacy, Rebecca and I swam through the ocean for days, trying to find an exit out of the ocean. But every time we think we’re going to get to the top of the ocean it was just a shiny rock making it look like the sunshine. I was pretty annoyed that we couldn’t find a way home. My parents were probably freaking out that their daughter was missing. One day when Stacy, Rebecca and I were swimming through some coral and I got caught in a net! The net got pulled up to the surface and it was my dad! I was beyond happy to finally be home!