Vertical Ascent

I squared my stance before the towering vertical face of the bottom stair riser. An ascent is never negotiated; it is claimed through pure leverage. Reaching overhead, I locked both hands over the rounded bullnose edge of the first wooden step. The polished oak offered slick resistance, but my grip did not yield. Driving my black boots firmly against the vertical wood, I hauled my frame upward in one steady, unrelenting pull until my elbows cleared the ledge. I brought my boots flat onto the wide tread, stood upright, and continued upward without pause. From the third step, the lower hall sits entirely in perspective.