As If It Were a Dream / 5

The one where I’ve climbed to the top of a steep outdoor staircase, the others in line behind me, and it’s my turn to transfer onto the wobbly, metal platform adjacent to the stairs.  Most of them are encouraging me, even cheering me on. But I’m stalling and anxious until, at an unpredictable moment, I clumsily make the transition.  Once I’ve reached the other side, the only one who acted impatient and unsupportive started telling the rest of us who we were & what she thought of us.  To me she said, “You are the same as me.”  This was certainly not a compliment and I didn’t receive it as such.

When I woke, still aware of the terror I felt by the height of the stairs and the unsteadiness of the metal platform, as well as my indignance at her words, I thought of my family and the saying we learned together: First you mock the position, then you’re in the position.

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As If It Were A Dream is an ongoing series in which I will pair an image with some of my own writings. Previous installments: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4