I ascended the narrow green staircase, placing my right hand against the carpeted wall and brushing absentmindedly along it's side as I walked.
The staircase turned left very sharply and I became certain that if I were just a bit taller or of slightly larger girth that I could quite possibly get stuck. I was thinking these things when I had the sudden overwhelming desire to yank my hand away from the wall. Gone was the somehow pleasantly rough feel of the carpet, now replaced by a disgustingly wet and slimy surface. It was as if I was touching the cold sullen dankness of long buried seaweed pulled relentlessly from the ocean floor and placed against its will upon the wall of this staircase.
That feeling only lasted for a second though because it was at that moment that I came to the top of the staircase and entered the third floor. What greeted me there was a large rectangular room looking very much like the inside of a log cabin. The walls were composed of a very dark wood that looked quite expensive, perhaps mahogany. I couldn't tell where the previous heavy musky smell had been coming from because the third floor smelled very much like cedar and it was quite lovely. I walked around inspecting the walls and found that they were surprisingly cold to the touch. On one side of the room was a closet with no door, the inside of which was also made of wood but of a very different type. In stark contrast to the dark mahogany it appeared to be unfinished particle board. It was a very light and unpleasant color, as if the closet itself was an afterthought somehow slapped on and then placed within the rectangular room. The other side of the third floor was mostly concerned with a tiny square window bursting with light. It held quite an interesting view of the backyard.
I walked over and sat by the window staring at it for some time. The glass was dull, misty, and hard to see through. The view was of the backyard but it wasn't like how I'd last seen it. There were children's toys spread all throughout. There was a jungle gym and a rocking horse and several colorful balls laid out in the grass. I didn't remember any of these things being in our backyard and why should they be? My dad and stepmom had talked about having children but they didn't have any yet, and there were no little kids around here. So what exactly was I seeing through this window? Was this really our backyard?
End of Part 2