[ WP ] Walking along the beach you find two staircases , one leading into the sky , and the other into the sea .

The Sun may have been at its brightest that day. 
 
 I could n't remember the last time that orb in the sky was this resplendent. I probably never paid enough attention. I mean... Have I ever? I remained oblivious through most of my life. Deaf to the words of my lovers, blind to the purity of nature. I spent my days in a haze. 
 
 But I suppose twenty-eight is the age where clarity decides to make an appearance. My brain might have just finished developing. Either way, today marked the beginning. 
 
 Or rather, the end. 
 
 One staircase of translucent glass led into the mouth of the ocean. A staircase of silver metal led into the spacious sky. `` Which to choose,'' I wondered? I was fascinated to say the least. I had no idea that the side effects of my suicidal cocktail of medications would result in such a beautiful pathway to the afterlife. 
 
 I ambled toward the sea-bound stairs. I knelt next to them. I cleared the sand that obscured the very first stair and observed the fish that freely swam beneath. My eyes traced the distant slabs of glass and without stepping in, I peered over. To my amazement, I saw a woman. She gently hovered in the ocean, naked, in a fetal position. Between her arms and breast was a robin. She held it like a newborn. It did n't flap a single wing but it certainly seemed alive. Its quiet gaze met my confounded eyes. 
 
 I stood up. `` Up to door number 2,'' I said to myself with a light chuckle. The other stairs were mere feet away. The enigmatic nature of this experience kept me high on curiosity, to say the least. 
 
 They were n't transparent or even particularly beautiful. Looking up, all I could discern was an endless fleet of peaceful clouds. Time for the next step. 
 
 With great hesitation, I placed my finger on a stair with a surgeon's delicate touch. A sensation rushed through me without warning. My vision brightened. My sense of hearing became attune to the crawling of the crabs among the infinite grains of sand. My heart beat in a melodic tune... like a metronome took the place of this vital organ despite the adrenaline I felt. 
 
 Was it bliss? Or something much more difficult to obtain? Before long, I removed my finger. 
 
 The sensations left me to feel a sober state once again. My head vacillated between the two stairs. Back and forth, back and forth. Then finally, my breath made its way into my chest and back out. My mind had been settled. 
 
 `` James!?'' a distant voice exclaimed. The echo caressed my entire being. The waters of the ocean even rippled. The clouds parted slightly. 
 
 `` Wake up!'' the voice called. And in an instant, the sand became white dust, flowing into the beyond that occupied the landscape behind me. The entire world lost its essence. It became void. Nothing but blankness soon surrounded me. I stood upon nothing. Above me nothing. But in front of me... 
 
 `` This will pass! You're at St. Joachim's Hospital. I do n't know if you can hear me at all, but please, fully open your eyes!! You seem to be nearly in a damn seizure state with the way you're shaking... please, do n't leave us all. You... are...'' 
 
 The decibels of his voice decreased. 
 
 `` Y... ou... are...'' 
 
 What was that? 
 
 `` Not alone.''
