Echoes on the Stone Steps

I moved past the hallway and reached the concrete stairwell landing. The space opened up tall and hollow above me. Below, the dark metal railing spiraled downward like an uncoiled wire. I walked to the edge of the first step and found a loose copper coin resting in the groove of the anti-slip tread. I pushed it with my foot. It tipped over the edge, bounced once against the riser, and settled with a bright, ringing spin on the lower landing. The echo reverberated upward through the central shaft, decaying slowly into silence. I sat on the cold concrete step and listened until the reverberation was completely gone.