The dark and dreary cement staircase spiraled up with no end in sight. Each passing step, the temperature seemed to rise and the darkness faded ever so slightly, until finally daylight could once again be seen, just a few flights above. As I rested to catch my breath, I noticed how humid and heavy the air felt as it flowed through my lungs. It seemed almost foreign compared to the damp thin air trapped inside the darkness of the claustrophobic staircase I had just spent the last few minuets feverishly climbing.

The treacherous climb however, was well worth it, as the view from the top balcony was beautiful. Looking out a window I noticed a crumbling brick chimney nearly obscured by the distant pine forest it arose from. Most likely this misplaced chimney jetting from the woods was a ruin from the various lime kilns that once dotted the landscape. Another window provided a different view, this time of the town below. It was interesting to watch the cars pass-by on the narrow road below, their drivers totally oblivious to the curious eyes watching them from above.

In the center of the balcony a hollow elevator shaft dropped straight down to the flooded basement below. The grates that once covered this death trap had since rusted and fell to their demise one hundred feet below. Hoping not to end up like the unfortunate grates, I ever so carefully navigated past death, staring it strait in the eye, until I made it to the safety of the staircase, quickly retreating to the basement below.