Portal of Wraiths

I paused on the landing of the wooden Victorian staircase, pondering whether to pick my way back up the portal between the worlds of the living and the dead. In my previous ascension, I found myself frequently looking over my shoulder sensing a demon bent on crossover from its imprisonment using my body as a vessel. I swallowed my fear, found my resolve, and cautiously stepped onto the first of the rickety steps. My heart beat once, in what seemed like forever, every drop of blood being squeezed through at once. I strained my ears to listen for the echoed step of my invisible intruder. I was greeted only with a silence so thick if felt as if it were a substance pushing me back to the safety of the realm in which I was meant to reside. I would not relinquish my resolve however, so I continued on with my suicidal mission to the pinnacle of the never ending staircase. Again I stepped forward and again my heart welcomed to entire contents of my body into its chambers in a singe pump. I waned, waiting for the echo of the creaking wood, made so over a lifetime of abuse from the decaying buildings wraith like residence. My ears detected eternal nothingness. This is copyrighted material. All rights are reserved. Reprints must be requested in writing to the original author. © Alisha Groves