A chill runs up your spine and your eyes fly open. You take a step forward but gasp when your foot feels nothing and you fall down. In confusion, you quickly stand up and look in all directions. A cold and mysterious mist blurs your vision and encases you. Your breath escapes your lungs, and your sanity escapes your consciousness.

You take half a step forward in question of reality but are reassured by something: you feel an elevated step. Wait.. an elevated step? You rub your eyes and take a fearful step backward because there is nothing in front of you. To reassure your sanity, you kick the mist to clarify to yourself that there is nothing there, but once again, your foot hits an elevated step. While pondering this phenomenon, you lift your foot up onto the elevated step.

The mist floating all around you seems to whisper, “Up you go.” And so without further question, you take another brave step upward. A smile spreads across your face, and you laugh histarically. Your slow steps become an upward dash as the mist urges you farther and farther up. Time escapes your senses, and your sanity seems to be growing instead of diminishing.

Suddenly, your head pierces the top of the mist, and your eyes grow wide as you slowly walk up the final steps.

The stars were always there; they were just pleading to be found.