[The problem is that I get interested in different aspects of story, so off I go interluding my way to the grand total of 7. Worse yet, I was lying in bed last night when an interesting idea struck me about the stairway; it even raised a bump on my forehead. However, my wife decided I didn’t need to have my iPad available during sleeping hours for various and sundry reasons; thus I couldn’t write them down. And now I have forgotten. At least unlike Milton I still haven’t gone blind. [The Imp got “blind” in two letters! He’s so clever. Or she, of course.]
Godric, you remember, had struggled through the heat of the flaming doorway and stood at the bottom of the asymmetrical spiral staircase. When he looked down, he saw an odd sign before the first step: Is rift or meddle? What on earth does that mean? He tried to step over it, but his legs would not obey his will. Then a mysterious voice whispered in his ear: it’s an anagram! An anagram? That means those letters need to be transformed into other words that presumably make more sense. Hmm. Meddle could easily become “riddle.” That would leave “i-s-f-t-o-r-m-e”; “I see “for”; that leaves “i-s-t-m-e”; Aha! “times for riddle”? His feet and legs still wouldn’t move; then what about “time for riddles.” Good grief! he thought.
He looked up, and the spiral stair seemed to wind its way up into darkness. He looked down and saw that the next step read, Once upon a time! If I have to solve a riddle for every step I shall never get to the top. Godric thought for a moment, put his foot on “time,” and moved up. He was half afraid to look down. The step said, Hurry up, please, it’s time. Godric grinned and stepped lively. The next step read, Time’s up! Thank goodness, Godric thought and started up. He counted 21 steps to the first landing. The stairs led to another door. Since he could no longer proceed up, he stood on the landing and pushed against the door. Then he saw the sign: Stop! Eve lives here. Complete a palindrome and enter! Eve is actually a palindrome, thought Godric, but to make the entire sentence a palindrome would mean saying, “Here lives Eve. Stop!” He pushed against the door and watched as it slowly opened on to a meadow and forest.
An exquisite woman came towards him out of the woods and across the meadow. She was naked except for a short skirt and bra of leaves. She had long golden hair that fell to her waist, a golden brown complexion on the visible flesh, and intense blue eyes the color of deep summer skies. Her tanned face had pronounced cheek bones, soft red lips and bright white teeth. Godric was not certain where to look and thought perhaps he ought to bow. She certainly was spectacular.
“Have you seen the serpent here?” she asked. “Or Adam, for that matter? Time seems to have gotten away from me, for I was to meet them by the two trees in the center of the woods behind me. There’s a lovely fountain too. I picked an apple from the fruit tree there and bit into it, but it tasted like ashes in my mouth. I couldn’t swallow it and had to spit it out. And it had looked so delicious too. Well, you must come with me and help me look for Adam and the wise serpent. Certainly you have time?” She concluded.
“No, I don’t think I do.” Godric looked into the woods and saw what looked like a large snake weaving through the trees. Once it swung its head around a tree and looked at Godric, who shivered and said to the woman, “I need to be on my way up, I think. Do you know where I can find the stairs again?”
“Why yes,” she said. “It’s right behind you a few steps and through the tree.”
“Did you say through the tree? The tree is a doorway?”
“Yes. At least I think so. I’ve tried it several times but it won’t open for me. Still, if you have time, you are welcome to stay here with us.”
“Thank you, my Lady, but I don’t think so. As far as I know time’s up.” Having said that, he bowed and turned toward the tree. When he approached he could see the outline of a door on its large trunk. He put his fingers into the seam and pulled. The door opened toward him. He had to duck some to enter, but he did and soon found himself back on the landing with the stairs again spiraling above him. When he glanced back, he saw that tree, meadow and Eve had vanished. He looked at the spiraling stairs; there was no writing on the steps that he could see as he started to climb once again.
After another 21 steps he reached the next landing, which led to another door. The sign on this door appeared to be a quote, a warning that said: Edom—No Kingdom There:
“Wildcats shall meet with hyenas,
goat-demons shall call to each other;
there too Lilith shall repose,
and find a place to rest.” Isaiah 34:14
Who is Lilith, he wondered. There seems to be no way up without going through this door, though I would rather not enter. At least there doesn’t appear to be a riddle here. Goat demons? Ah well! Godric pushed the door which swung open easily, too easily.
When the door closed behind him this time, there were no meadows or forests but a vast desert spread out before him with only one tree visible, an olive tree with no fruit and a small pool of water near the base of the tree. An owl sat on one of the branches with its large saucer eyes open and fixed on him. Above the owl sat a raven. At first Godric thought the black bird was Philip, but no such luck. Growing near the pool were a series of nasty looking plants, weeds, more likely, thistles, nettles, a thorn bush. Godric stood his ground, uncertain about what was required of him.
When he looked away from the strange oasis, he saw an ostrich coming to drink; in the distance he heard the cries of jackals; their yelping and whining reminded him of dogs. From somewhere behind the oasis he saw a figure approaching, a woman with shining black hair. The woman was tall; her hair fell about her shoulders; her eyes seemed to be silver. She was beautiful like Eve though Godric sensed there was something unsettling about her.
Godric bowed slightly, feeling at a loss for words in her presence. She was indeed, like Eve, a statuesque beauty. She stood across from him, wearing a long diaphonis black robe, her sandals shifting sand as she restlessly shuffled her feet. “I am from the Nephilim, an outcast. I was the first wife of Adam, though that relationship did not work, and I was banished to this God-forsaken desert place, Edom it is called, though there is No Kingdom here. Have you come to live with me, lie with me, or perhaps release me? I know all the arts of love-making and could make you happy and satisfy your every wish and desire. I would no longer be lonely. Nor would you.”
“Well,” said Godric, trying to be polite, “that is very kind of you to offer, though I am only looking for a way through this desert and back to the spiral stair. Can you help me with that?”
The silver in her eyes grew more intense and two very long sharp fangs descended from her mouth. “I am a goddess and not to be trifled with, not your servant. If you will not stay or release me, find your own way out.”
When she took a step towards him, Godric put his hand on the hilt of his sword. She looked at his hand and took another step. Godric drew the sword from its sheath. The sword immediately burst into flame. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I am leaving one way or another. I need you to show me the way out of this desert.” Godric pointed the sword at her; she retracted the teeth, and glared at him. She looked quite strong; however, Godric raised the sword and took a step towards her. The flames rippled up the edge of the sword and seemed ready to leap towards her.
“Wait!” she cried. “Don’t let the fire touch me. Your blue flame would consume me, send me to a worse Hell than Edom! I would rather be alone than be there where there is no hope at all and no time.”
“How then can I leave?”
“Not through wood, nor fire, nor air, but through water.” She glanced at the pool of water under the olive tree. The owl and raven watched Godric, intently. The ostrich stepped back from its drink. The jackals cried in the distance. Godric kept the point of the fiery sword pointed toward Lilith as he walked to the pool. When he looked into the blue water he saw nothing but blue water as far down as he could see. He looked up at Lilith who smiled at him.
“Are you frightened Prince? Afraid to take a chance on my word? Afraid you might drown? Afraid that when you sheath your sword I might come in after you and follow you out?”
Godric stood at the edge of the pool, sword still in hand. “I think that if you could follow me out you would have gone long ago. I’m sorry I cannot help you but you have nothing I desire, and I have no time to waste.” That said, he thrust the sword into its sheath, took a deep breath and jumped. The blue water turned startling white as he descended, revealing strange forms and shapes, creatures and persons, some of the persons showing wings. When his feet hit something solid, he took a deep breath and found himself on the landing with the spiral stair circling up into light.
He started to climb the next set of steps. When he was close to the next landing, the steps had changed color from the brown polished wood to white, black and red. He looked at the white step and saw himself reflected there. On the black step he saw nothing except darkness swirling in the blackness. He put his foot down carefully, half afraid the nothingness would pull him in. He quickly moved to the red step. When he looked down, he saw an image of himself bleeding from the arm where he had been wounded. He felt his arm and found it still healed. He stepped onto the third landing.
The sign on this door read,
“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 44:1
Godric pushed the door open and entered.
