The next step leading from the landing looked different to the others. It was thicker, and the signs of wear from past footsteps were far fewer, the divot being much less pronounced. ‘Hmm better material for the gravity or fewer people making it this far’ Joe wondered, footing his foot on the first step. Immediately he slumped to the ground like an ungraceful bag of old laundry. A very tall bag of laundry. ‘Looks like fewer people is the answer’ came a thought from the pile that resolved itself back into the shape of a bedraggled human. ‘That felt like at least a 10x increase that time, how do they do it?’ He poked around the bottom of the stairs looking for a mechanism of some sorts. Then he turned to look at the flowing fountain once again which was clearly following the normal path of earth gravity. ‘No oscillation in the water, following a linear path, not an obvious centrifuge then’ He muttered some more nonsense and then shook his head. ‘Well, keep trying I guess’.

It took 9 tries but finally Joe succeeded in staying upright under the new pressure. Upon his success he felt another rush and then his pores opened once more. Opening and closing his fist, he could feel the new raw power that coursed through his body. Admiring his new found physique he turned to wash off the fresh grime yet found himself unable to do so. Almost as he was being a mime, he felt a wall butt off his retreat just shy of the edge of his current step. Step 49. ‘Shit, no more radioactive water for me’. He eyed the next step in front of him, as if he was eyeing a beast in the wilds. “You’re just a step, and I was born to step… step on things…step over things. Whatever, I'm bipedal and I won’t be defeated by a measly step!” It took 11 tries but he managed it. And with the success yet another wave of odour that would make a rubbish truck blush in shame. Step 51. Step 52. Step 59. As he crossed over the threshold of step 60 he felt the steps shudder and then from up high in the murk a single bell tolled.

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‘Hmm, step 60 is a milestone eh?’ Joe looked around and saw that a small wooden box had appeared by his feet. The box was about 6 inches by 2.5 made of lacquered mahogany. Joe turned the box over in his hands but saw now obvious means of opening. He twisted, squeezed and pulled but he might as well have been pulling apart a stone. Shrugging, he placed the box in his pack, stretched out his back and then took another step.