In
The Mansion of Halls and Stairs
By Oscar S. Cisneros
All the halls are checkered black and white. Each door
leads into another hallway or into improbably big rooms
adorned with faded furniture. And so it is in the mansion
of halls and stairs where fun-house mirrors are the norm
and secret passages are waiting to be found. Our little
game of hide and seek begins innocently at first. A wink
beneath a mask, a poem shared to the tune of pounding
music and an invitation to dance. I believe you are like
a dream, like my dreams of this mansion, you with your
checkered stockings, your pale countenance and raven-like
hair bobbed about your ears. There is no point in hiding,
except for fun, because your scent is too sweet to hide
from my attentive senses. But hide anyway, and I shall
stomp with loud clacks as I walk down the hall and pretend
I don't see you hiding behind the tapestry. The thrill
of the chase, the excitement of the hunt, there is so
much to enjoy about the newness of knowing you. I found
you in the ballroom. Now it is my turn to hide. So stare
with caution at every "empty" suit of armor in these halls.
Watch for my watching eyes behind the eyes of the painted
Spanish knight. Look for me in the Alchemist's chambers
but beware the potion of distilled dreams. And when you
find me, you will find that I have been waiting for you
to find me. There is nothing to fear in the mansion of
halls and stairs, only places to discover and secrets
to be revealed.
