I wrote this as a class project.
The prompt we were given was something about a grandmother and her grandson ascending a staircase.
I decided to do something slightly different.
The sound of steel clanging against stone rang out as a small elevator descended into the abyss below. A nervous silence between the miners ensued as they neared the bottom of the shaft, all of their hearts skipping a beat as the familiar odor of coal filled their nostrils. The elevator lurched as it hit the bottom and the doors slowly opened, revealing an impressive system of mining tunnels. The other miners were already hard at work prying precious coal from the stone walls. This was a dangerous job. The treacherous terrain, unstable ceiling, and the winding maze of paths had all contributed to a number of deaths. A young man ventured into the shaft, recalling the numerous corpses that he'd seen pulled from the mine over the years. A sense of dread slowly consumed him as the path he walked grew darker and darker. He'd been assigned to an exploration of a cave system that had been discovered the previous day. He was the first to explore this new system and was given strict instructions not to attempt any mining, lest he
A sense of dread slowly consumed him as the path he walked grew darker and darker. He'd been assigned to an exploration of a cave system that had been discovered the previous day. He was the first to explore this new system and was given strict instructions not to attempt any mining, lest he be the cause of a cave in. The lantern he carried did little to illuminate the path but provided just enough light to prevent total blindness. The miner passed several veins of coal, quickly growing bored with the dull job. That's when he noticed a dim white light shining through the darkness ahead. Curiously, he approached the source, discovering that it was coming through some cracks in the cavern wall. It was mesmerizing, so mesmerizing that the miner quickly disobeyed his strict instructions and began chipping away at the wall with his pick. The light steadily grew brighter, and soon the source was revealed. A crystalline gem the size of a large egg was set within the wall. It shone like a star with all colors of the rainbow and gave off a dim white aura. The miner's heart pounded as he pried the jewel from its resting place, completely oblivious to the spreading cracks in the wall. Finally, it came loose and fell into his grasp, the still clinging stone crumbling into dust around it. It seemed to pulsate in his hands and warmed his cold fingers. He stared at it in awe, imagining just how much a gem like this could be sold for. However, before he even had a chance to pocket it, a thunderous roar echoed throughout the cavern. The poor fool barely had time to scream, barely had time to register the taste of blood in his mouth as the ceiling came crashing down on him.
It was mesmerizing, so mesmerizing that the miner quickly disobeyed his strict instructions and began chipping away at the wall with his pick. The light steadily grew brighter, and soon the source was revealed. A crystalline gem the size of a large egg was set within the wall. It shone like a star with all colors of the rainbow and gave off a dim white aura. The miner's heart pounded as he pried the jewel from its resting place, completely oblivious to the spreading cracks in the wall. Finally, it came loose and fell into his grasp, the still clinging stone crumbling into dust around it. It seemed to pulsate in his hands and warmed his cold fingers. He stared at it in awe, imagining just how much a gem like this could be sold for. However, before he even had a chance to pocket it, a thunderous roar echoed throughout the cavern. The poor fool barely had time to scream, barely had time to register the taste of blood in his mouth as the ceiling came crashing down on him.
He awoke to a bright white light shining in his face. At first, the miner thought it was the gem, but he was quickly proven otherwise. "Grandma?" he asked. His grandmother smiled at him.
"I know this is confusing, sweetheart. Just follow me." David looked at his grandmother in wonder. She seemed to emit that same white light he'd seen in that cave. Dimly, he realized that both he and his grandmother were slightly transparent. He then noticed his surroundings for the first time. An endless expanse of clouds surrounded them, and bright sunlight shone through them. They also appeared to be walking on those very clouds and ahead was a great, marble staircase.
"Are we…"
"Dead." his grandmother finished. "Yes. We are." Before he even had a chance to respond, she continued talking. I've been waiting here for you for many years, you know. You're the last of our family to die. Some of them are waiting for us up that staircase as we speak. Some… weren't so lucky." She then noticed the distraught look on her grandson's face. "What's wrong, honey?"
"It's just strange, you know? Everything I've ever known is gone. I just thought I'd do more with my life before my time came."
"You did plenty," she said, smiling sweetly. "Besides, death is only the beginning." Grandmother Workman reached over and grabbed David's arm. "This part never ceases to amaze me," she said with a slight chuckle. The staircase was steep. So steep that he was nervous that his grandmother would go tumbling off into oblivion, but she leaned against him as they ascended. The voices of an angelic choir echoed across the sky as the fabled pearly gates came into sight.