Middle School Miniature

Chapter 8, I didn't fall down the stairs

The only thing is where?

And how, for that fact.  And what do I do? and ... I really should have been thinking about this while I was complaining about being bored.

Great.

I looked back up to the paper above me and calculated the distance. I could totally reach that. So, I  jumped up and caught one of my fingers in the air holes, tearing the paper a bit in the process of coming back down. Pulling the stiff stuff down further, it created a sort of ramp.

Might as well go for it. I climbed onto and up the paper ramp, caving it in a little bit, but I was able to get a handle on the side of the jar. I hoisted a leg over the side. I'm sure I looked ridiculous and I'm glad that guy left because I know he would have laughed at my patheticness. I lowered myself over the outside, stretching my arm to see if my tippy toes could touch the ground but ended up letting go and dropping the rest of the way.

I looked around the desk for a simple way off and jogged toward a tape roll. I yanked the roll out of its dispenser and grabbed the end, where I stuck it on the edge of the desk. I looked over the edge and gasped, it was like 100 feet down!

Ok, maybe I was exaggerating a little, it was probably like half of that, which was still fully capable of killing me if I fell. Yikes.

I, for a brief and insane moment of desperation, thought of closing my eyes and jumping off but immediately denied that thought, horrified at even thinking of doing that.

I instead, unstuck the edge of the tape with a tough yank and went over to the desk leg that was closest to me (the desk only had one drawer under the top). I tore off a big piece of tape and held it while I re-stuck the tape to the desk. Then I put the first piece onto the second one for a little extra safety to anchor the tape on the table and slid the roll on my right arm.

I took a deep breath, sitting on the edge of the desk, clutching the tape roll on my arm.Then I pushed off and swung down to the leg, almost fumbling the roll of tape for a heart-wrenching moment, and started climbing down with the resistance of the tape holding most of my weight, the rest of it resting on me hugging the post with my other arm.

After an arm-aching minute of slowly descending, the roll of tape came to a halt abruptly. It ran out of tape! My arm slipped out causing me to slide a little ways down until my hugging of the pole slowed me down enough to regain a grip and not fall to my death. I looked down in fear that I would have to jump.

I, in fact, did not have to jump because I was a little less than two (of my) feet to the ground. (A little more than half a meter ... I think, just don't quote me on that) 

"Well, that was easy," I said out loud, dusting myself off. Nervously laughing at my poor attempt at a joke, I looked around for anything that caught my eye as helpful.

"Welp. Now what?" I started walking across the springy-ish rug toward the giant doorway because that seemed like the best way to get out of there.

I thought back to my time in the coat pocket to maybe reflect on what obstacles are ahead to fully escape. I tilt my head and look up to the right. I think... there were stairs? So I'm on the second floor? Any other details? Ugg, I have a terrible memory.

At the doorway that was conveniently left open a crack, I saw a dark-ish hallway that stretched in both directions. As far as I could see, there were two ways to go. One way had a dead-end closed door and the other way had an opening with light pouring in it from another area. I guess we go for the opening then.

I walked at first and then changed into a jog, it was taking a maddeningly long time just to get down the hallway.

Turning around the corner with light, a stairway down opened before my out-of-breath self. I sighed with exasperation, there's a reason p.e. is not my favorite period.

Getting down the stairs appeared to be easier than it would have been going up the stairs, lucky for me. All I had to do was just drop down a ledge about as tall as I was and I could continue to the next step. Easy, right?

Maybe it was doable but it was quite physically demanding. I had to pause halfway down to take a breather and the whole time I was looking over my shoulder, paranoid that someone would turn the corner and I would be spotted or stepped on. I lost count of steps, mostly because I wasn't counting. There were no cracks in the walls or spots that might lead outside along the way, which was a bummer but nothing I couldn't handle. I could hear the sounds of conversation and the occasional clinking noises, so I assumed that the giants were eating dinner. I barely could handle one giant, I shuddered when I was thinking of confronting a whole family of them.

Over there! Reaching the end of the staircase, I saw my salvation from this giant house two football fields away. The front door. That path unfortunately crossed in direct sight of the giant dinner.

~♢~
Hi.

Still here. More chapters to come, hope you enjoy.

~EMA