The light in your nightmares

They are coming down the strange staircase.

The stone blocks devoid of floral tapestry are gray, arranged like puzzle pieces. The whole space is so tiny that it squeezes the two.

Their shoulders grazing the stone all the way.

From time to time, candles fixed by an iron fixture illuminate the crevices between the stones.

Everything there seems used, abandonned and then forgotten, but the secret passage is nevertheless spared by dust and cobwebs.

Doors soon appear.

Small entrances, often placed in a wobbly position and which require a little gymnastics to be reached.

it is difficult to walk next to each other without colliding.

Dust prefers to stay behind, watching his companion, too confident for his taste, approach the first handle.

The opening is made with an abrupt creak, the almost oblique wooden frame trembles as the dark interior is revealed.

Red's head tilts to the side as he surveys the scene.

Curious Dust two steps above leans over and sees the back of a cupboard.

The ray of light coming from the room illuminates Red's face.

This is one of the countless rooms in this castle.

Needless to say, the boy doesn't like this turn of events.

Someone could have entered his room without him knowing if he had fallen asleep there...

Everything is confirmed at the following doors.

Some give access to bathrooms, others to living rooms, or directly behind the bed of one of the apartments they previously searched.

-For what goal can such a staircase be used ?

Dust whispers.

Red goes downstairs and puts forward his own hypothesis:

-Maybe it's for the servants. This type of hidden passage is quite common in castles.

He does not lower his voice which causes his voice to repeat in the vertical tunnel because of the resonance.

Dust raises a doubtful eyebrow at him:

-There are no servants here.

The man shrugs his shoulders once more:

-It's not because we haven't seen them that it doesn't exist. Someone needs to properly prepare our baths and clean.

The descent seems interminable, the taller of the two not being able to stop opening all the doors and thus blocking the smaller one.

Dust digests the idea that... others could be lurking around without everyone knowing.

Invisible people, Invisible dangers....

Does the red haired man answer all his questions and doubts by saying the word "invisible"?

And he also wonders why he agreed to come to this creepy place. Hadn't he already had enough with the swamp and the mine?

It's possible, he thinks, that he's getting too carried away by Red's ideas. He does everything the other decides. Finally, isn't he always giving this man the power to command him ? He looks a bit like Follower with Princess...

All these thoughts manage to annoy him in a slightly frustrated tone he comments:

-Why continue? This staircase may not lead to anything...

Red stops, a little more solomnal, or should the boy say more theatrical? He is starting to see a pattern here. Yes, he knows the guy a bit now.

-Every path leads to an exit.

It definitely sounds philosophical. Which finally convinces the youngest. Yes, his companion likes to be dramatic.

So, to provoke him, Dust goes against him:

-If that were the case there would be no dead end.

For 5 seconds, 5 seconds that makes the boy smile, the man with red hair seems to be searching for words.

It's satisfying.

Then as if to close the subject, Red takes on his mysterious tone that Dust can no longer take seriously:

-Everything has a purpose Dust. Everything...

The last word is stretched out in length.

After countless steps they reach what appears to be the last level.

When they open the door they find themselves in the dining room, where the group waiting is staring at them

Very surprised that the two latecomers emerged from the wall which seemed to have no entrance.

-Where do you come from?

The question is rhetorical; the duo doesn't bother to answer Potatoes.

Red naturally steps forward first, his broad shoulders blocking the field of vision of the smaller of the two.

He is also the one who takes the initiative to explain himself.

The boy is more than grateful to him.

The man has his faults but he also has qualities that erase Dust's own defaults.

An extrovert and an introvert are perfect teammates.

Although this one faithfully explained himself without really explaining.

It's short, straight to the point but not very informative for everyone else:

-We found a staircase.

Behind them the heavy wooden door closes heavily. Like a full stop to this simple sentence.

Dust jumps, surprised by the noise, turns around, almost expecting to see a shadow jump at him but all he sees is a wall, with no visible entrance.

Frowning and narrowing his brown eyes he manages to see a thin, almost undetectable dark line between the engraved wooden plaques that decorate the walls of the dining room.

There is no handle to open it.

he should have put a wedge to block the door.

-We saw.

Pony replies.

The group looks into each other's eyes for a moment.

The old man clears his throat when no one else react.

He looks at Red then at Dust.

-What does the staircase lead to?

His gray irises weigh on the boy's forehead.

No doubt he would like Dust to explain rather than his companion. But the smaller of the two pretends not to understand while the taller ignores the silent exchange:

-Apparently in all rooms.

-Apparently?

Two insists.

Red shrugs:

-We haven't searched everything. It goes high. And this staircase only leads to the rooms of one of the two wings. If everything is symmetrical there must be another one.

The bald man scratches his head.

His nails were bitten until they bled, Dust notes.