The Impossible Stairwell
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Etsugoya realized he had lost track of the time. He had sat down at a small table in the far back corner of the library with a thick, dusty tome on philosophy. After flipping through it for a while, he had dozed off, once again forgetting about the Astronomy Club room key still in his pocket. At some point, Tsubakihara had come back to the library and woke him up. “Um, I’m sorry, Etsugoya-kun,” she said, looking terrified. “I really didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“It’s okay,”the half-awake Etsugoya mumbled, and yawned.
“No, it’s not—I mean, oh, I’m just really sorry!” she apologized, and then ran off.
Etsugoya drifted back off to sleep a couple minutes later. Waking at the sound of the librarian’s squeaking book-cart being moved off in the distance, he checked his watch. 5:43. Seventeen minutes before campus closes. Muttering a curse under his breath, he gathered his things and left the library. The stairwell at the north end of the main building was a few meters down the hallway from the library. Etsugoya ran into Namano as he was about the ascend the stairway. “Campus is about to close now, Etsugoya-kun.” He spoke with unusual emphasis.
It did not register with Etsugoya. “I know, sensei. I just need to go upstairs real quick. It won’t take five minutes.”
Namano nodded. “Go handle your errand.”
Etsugoya thanked him, and headed up. In the stairwell he passed the captain and co-captain of the Swim Team, who were both upperclassmen, third-year students. They were with a couple of third-year girls, Akita Mari and Tanogami Yukiko. Etsugoya had not had much opportunity to meet many third-year students, and did not yet know any of their names.
Akita rolled her eyes at him, and muttered, “Idiot.”
Tanogami smiled at Etsugoya, though. “Can’t stay away, huh?”
Etsugoya, puzzled by their reaction to seeing him, avoided eye contact and kept on ascending as they descended.
As expected, the third floor was all but unoccupied, and Etsugoya headed straight for the break room. He found it as he remembered it, with a row of vending machines, a padded bench, a trash can, and a water fountain along the far wall. On the wall, opposite the vending machines, was a painting of Mount Fuji that some student had done some years ago. On past the break room was the door labeled Custodial Staff Only. Beyond that there was just the wall, or at least that is what appeared at first glance.
Etsugoya felt a powerful urge to turn back, but his curiosity overrode it. As he walked past the custodian’s storeroom, he could see that the hallway did indeed extend further than it appeared to at first. Its exact length was disguised by the odd shape and the lighting. An optic illusion, Etsugoya thought. Cool. There was a corner, which led to an odd-shaped corridor. Not two meters past that on the west wall, which should have been the exterior wall, there was a simple steel door.
“That shouldn’t be there,” Etsugoya muttered to himself, and after a quick glance around to make sure he was not being watched, he opened the door.
Just as the floor plan indicated, there was indeed a stairwell there. There was a landing, with a clock on the wall that read 5:46, with a fire extinguisher mounted below it. Going up, there were eight steps and then a landing, then eight more steps. Going down, it was the same.
Etsugoya knew that the main building only had three floors, so if the stairwell went up, it had to go to the roof. He was more interested in where the stairwell came out on the second floor. Curiosity driving him, Etsugoya descended one floor. Here, there was another door leading back into the main building, another clock on the wall, and another fire extinguisher. The stairwell continued downward. Etsugoya glanced at the clock, but assigned no significance to the fact that it read 4:46, and then went out the door.
According to the floor plans, on the west side of the main building, below the third-floor break room and custodian’s storeroom, there was a classroom, Room 220. However, that was not where Etsugoya found himself. He was standing in an odd-shaped hallway, identical to the one beyond the custodian’s storeroom above. From around the corner, Etsugoya could hear voices.
Something’s not right. Etsugoya crept up to the corner. He dared not peek around the corner, lest he was spotted, as he recognized the voices as belonging to the upperclassmen on the Kendô Team, including that of Sôyama Atsumu, the Kendô Team captain. Etsugoya had seen Sôyama around campus a few times, and thought that Sôyama looked too old to still be a student, even for a third-year. Regardless of how Sôyama looked, he was, at best, a bully. While Etsugoya had not yet been his target, he had heard enough stories to fill him with dread at the prospect of running afoul of Sôyama.
But why are they still hanging out here? Etsugoya wondered. Campus is about to close, and besides, this is the second floor. They’ve got their own break room on the third floor. It doesn’t matter. I’ll just take the stairs down to the first floor.
Etsugoya turned and went back into the stairwell, went down another floor to what he assumed was the first floor, and found the landing area identical to the two above it, except the clock on the wall read 3:48. Etsugoya checked his watch, and saw that it read 5:49. He looked down the stairwell, which appeared to go down at least one more floor to what he assumed was the basement, and then exited out the door.
According to the school’s floor plan, below the third-floor break room on the first floor was the faculty offices, but instead, Etsugoya found himself again in an odd-shaped hallway, just like on the two floors above. Again, around the corner, Etsugoya could hear voices, this time of a pair of girls that he did not recognize. Standing just out of sight, he listened in on what they were saying.
“How long does the Swim Team practice?” one of them asked.
“Two hours, every day,” the other said.
“We’re going to have to wait for two hours?”
“Maybe not. Sometimes they let out early, whenever the captain gets bored.”
“Ugh. I hate waiting on Miki-chan. Five thirty is going to take forever to get here!”
“I know, but Miki-chan’s really serious about going to the tournaments this summer.”
“Should we go wait on her at the pool?”
“No, they don’t let anyone who’s not on the Swim Team hang out there while they’re practicing. Miki-chan told us she’d meet us here as soon as she got out of practice.”
Etsugoya frowned, confused. They were waiting for the Swim Team to let out? He had seen the Swim Team captain and co-captain just a few minutes earlier, in the north stairwell. They had been in their regular uniforms, no doubt heading for home. Etsugoya chanced a glance around the corner.
It was the two girls he had seen in the stairwell earlier, Akita and Tanogami. They both were sitting on the bench in front of the vending machines, Akita with her legs stretched out in front of her, Tanogami sitting cross-legged, her empty shoes laying on the floor in front of her. Each nursed a can of diet cola.
Behind them was the painting of Mount Fuji. Etsugoya blinked, looked again. Wait, that painting is one-of-a-kind, and I know I saw it upstairs, on the third floor. How can it be here?
“Who’s back there?” Tanogami asked, leaning over to get a better view around the corner.
Etsugoya froze. They knew he was there. Not knowing what else to do, he stepped out where they could see him. To his side was a door labeled Custodial Staff Only. “Uh, sorry, I just had to...uh...looking for the custodian.” He pointed to the storeroom.
“Well, you came to the wrong place, if you’re looking for him,” Tanogami said. “Nobody uses that room. The custodian doesn’t even have a key to it. But you better go, before the guys catch you up here.”
“That’s right,” Akita said. “Third floor is off-limits to underclassmen, and the boys can be really mean sometimes.”
“Right. Uh, thank you very much,” Etsugoya said with a bow, and then retreated back into the stairwell.
The clock on the wall of the stairwell read 3:49, while Etsugoya’s watch read 5:50. He did not notice either. Wait, I started on the third floor, and went down two floors. That means I’m on the first floor right now. So why did those two upperclasswomen warn me about being on the third floor? Why was that painting down here? Why was there another break room here? The only vending machines on the first floor are in the corridor next to the cafeteria. Why were they waiting for the Swim Team to let out when it has already let out? Campus is about to close, isn’t it?
Etsugoya looked up. The roof. Maybe I should check the roof? I need to check the roof. With a burst of energy, Etsugoya bounded up the stairs. After ascending three flights, he knew he should be at the roof level, but the stairwell continued up at least another flight. The clock there read 6:50, but again, Etsugoya did not notice.
Going through the door there, Etsugoya found himself not on the roof, but in a darkened hallway the same odd shape as the ones on the three floors below it. Etsugoya could hear nothing, and when the door to the stairwell shut itself behind him, he was cast into darkness.
But the darkness was not absolute. Around the corner, the row of vending machines provided dim, multicolored illumination, and he could make out the door to the custodian’s storeroom and the painting of Mount Fuji hanging on the wall opposite. As Etsugoya’s eyes adjusted to the dark, he made his way down the corridor, and into the main hallway.
All the rooms in the main building had three digit numbers. All those on the first floor were numbered in the 100s, those on the second floor in the 200s, and those on the third floor the 300s. He took note of the numbers on the plaques above each door as he passed them. Along the east side of the hallway he saw Rooms 313, 311, 309, 307. Wait, this is the third floor? Did I miscount? It doesn’t matter. I need to check the roof. Etsugoya traced his steps back to the strange extra stairwell, and ascended another floor.
On the landing he noticed that the stairs went up yet another floor, and the clock on the wall read 7:58, while his watch read 5:59. Every clock is set an hour apart, Etsugoya noticed, and then dismissed that bit of information as irrelevant. I’ve got to get back to the first floor before the campus closes, or I’m going to be in big trouble.
Etsugoya went through the door and found himself in the odd-shaped hallway. Once again, it was dark, illuminated only by the light from the stairwell while the door was open, and by the light from the vending machines otherwise. There’s the door to the custodian’s storeroom, Etsugoya thought, looking around. Same painting of Mount Fuji on the wall. Stepping into the hallway, he noted with confusion that the rooms on the east side of the hall were numbered 313, 311, 309, 307, and so on.
Impossible. Etsugoya stopped there in the dark, trying to figure out where he had went wrong. Okay, I started on the third floor, went down one floor to where the Kendô Team was hanging out, then down another to the ground floor where the two upperclasswomen were waiting, then up three floors to the roof, then up another floor to the...whatever was above the roof. So, to get back where I started, I just need to go down three floors.
Etsugoya checked his watch. 6:00. His time was up, or so he thought. He descended three flights, and the moment he stepped out into the odd-shaped hallway, he could hear Vice Principal Ikenoue’s powerful voice. “Fighting will not be tolerated, gentlemen. Not one bit.”
Sôyama, the Kendô Team’s captain, spoke up. “We were just playing around, sensei.”
“This isn’t a playground, either,” Ikenoue declared. “If you’ve got the energy to be rough-housing, why aren’t any of you in practice?” There was a long pause where no one answered her, and then Ikenoue continued, “I appreciate that you take your schoolwork seriously. You’re one of our top students, and that reflects well on you, and your triumphs at the kendô competitions last year are admirable, Sôyama-kun. However, resting on your laurels like this will not help you. Rest assured that the other schools’ teams are practicing hard with intent to take your title away from you at this year’s tournaments, and I will be most disappointed if they do. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sôyama said.
There was silence for a moment, then Ikenoue continued. “If you want to loaf around, do it at home. If you truly care anything about the Kendô Team, you’ll get to your practice hall.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sôyama muttered.
Etsugoya hurried back into the stairwell, intending to be quiet lest he attract the attention of the Kendô Team, or worse, that of Ikenoue. In his haste, he let the door slam, the sound echoing through the stairwell. Oh, great. Ikenoue-sensei heard that for sure! She’s making her final check of the campus before locking up. I’ve got to get out before she spots me or I’m finished!
Moving fast, Etsugoya ran down the stairs to the floor below, out the door there, and around the corner, where the two upperclasswomen, Tanogami and Akita, were waiting by the vending machines. They looked up at Etsugoya, Akita still sitting with her legs outstretched and with a puzzled look on her face, Tanogami still cross-legged and amused at the sight of Etsugoya. Tanogami said, “Are you lost, first-year?”
Etsugoya was not certain how to answer that question. Down two floors from the third floor, then up four, then down three...or was it two? Instead of trying to explain all that, Etsugoya decided to warn them of the vice principal. “Sorry, but Ikenoue-sensei is locking up. If she catches us here—”
Akita stood, alarmed. “What do you mean, she’s locking up?”
Tanogami’s amusement turned to something akin to dread. “Yeah, it’s only four o’clock. Campus doesn’t close for another couple hours.”
Etsugoya checked his watch. 6:02. “No, it’s a minute past six.”
The two girls took their cell phones out of her pockets. “You’re wrong,” Tanogami said, and held her phone out so that Etsugoya could see. On its screen, the time was displayed in large numbers. 4:01.
“But,” Etsugoya protested, pointing up to the floor above, “I just heard Ikenoue-sensei—”
Akita frowned and crossed her arms. “Is this some sort of joke?”
“No,” Etsugoya said.
Tanogami stepped closer to Etsugoya, grabbed his wrist, and looked at his watch. “That’s a cool watch, but the time is wrong. You forgot to wind it. Those kinds of watches you have to wind.”
Etsugoya blinked.
“Check your phone,” Tanogami said.
Etsugoya reached into his back pocket, and pulled out his phone. As he was looking at it, it changed from 5:01 to 5:02. Is that it? I’ve forgotten to wind it before, but... No, that can’t be it. Even if my watch was set to the wrong time, that doesn’t explain the weird stairwell.
“You really ought to go back downstairs,” Tanogami said.
“Right,” Etsugoya said, and gave them a short bow. “Sorry to bother you.”
He did not return to the weird stairwell, but instead headed for the main stairwell in the middle of the building, which was closer. He noted the room numbers as he passed. All were in the 300s. There were more than a few students in the hall, all upperclassmen and -women, many of whom gave Etsugoya sour looks. Etsugoya averted his gaze and hurried to the stairwell.
Reaching the first floor, Etsugoya turned the corner to head to the building’s front entrance, and bumped into Ikenoue. “Etsugoya-kun, watch where you are going,” she snapped.
Confused, Etsugoya stepped back and bowed. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I was looking at the floor plans and I lost track of time. I’m leaving right now—”
“Well, that’s no excuse for rushing about,” Ikenoue said.
Etsugoya shook his head. “But, ma’am, isn’t campus about to close?”
“No, it isn’t,” Ikenoue said, a slight trace of worry crossing her face. “Campus doesn’t close until eighteen-hundred. It is only...” She checked her watch. “Sixteen zero three. You’ve another two hours, so stop running about. It is disrespectful and dangerous.”
Etsugoya looked around. There was still a large number of students present in the halls. Earlier, when he left the library, the halls had been all but deserted. Two hours? He paused to do the conversion. 16:03 in military time is 4:03 p.m.... “Two hours? Are you sure, ma’am?”
Ikenoue narrowed her eyes. “Are you quite all right, Etsugoya-kun?”
Etsugoya did not know what to say, so he answered, “No.”