Reaching the heavens

In a green field, with an apple tree to the right, she grabbed a piece of white chalk and began drawing a staircase in the air.

After stepping onto one step, she drew the next. She held onto her hat so it wouldn’t fly away, her long, flowery dress billowing in the wind as she climbed.

Above the clouds, she drew the final step, then began sketching a platform—and then a house.

He followed behind her, but midway up the steps, it started to rain.

The raindrops passed through the steps, making them unstable. A decision had to be made: continue to the platform or climb back down and wait for the sun.

She looked down, worried, unsure which choice was best.

So he kept climbing from where she stood. She could see the storm growing—one that would last for hours.

But it hadn’t quite reached them yet. Not yet, anyway.

She threw the chalk downward, and as it touched the air, it became a line—one he used to slide safely back to the ground.