The First Riser

I left the fading warmth of the floor register and navigated across the threshold into the wide, dim hallway. At the base of the staircase, a thick woven runner was clamped across the bottom tread by a heavy brass carpet rod. I approached the barrier, testing the cool metal with my gauntlet. The bracket screws held firm against the dark oak. Bracing my boots against the vertical timber face, I gripped the rod with both hands and hoisted my weight upward until my boots cleared the edge. Standing upon the first landing, the remaining risers stretch upward like a tiered monument waiting to be charted.