This is Nelson W. Piles, and I'm the author for today's episode of The Lift, The Basement.

If you enjoy the story, you can find out more about my work and other things at nelsonwpiles.com.

Discover more episodes of the lift at Victoria's Lift.com.

Do you hear me?

I am Victoria.

Once upon a time, there was a place that became lost.

It is a place where story and substance combine, where the reality of story shapes thoughts, where fantasy becomes tangible.

This is that place. where fantasy becomes tangible.

This is that place.

Those who find themselves here are here to make a choice.

The choices you made in the past don't matter.

But the choice you make now is the one that will set your fate.

The elevator door opened, and much to the surprise of Jefferson, he was in the exact same place he'd been before.

It had seemed like an eternity that he'd been on this thing, and he couldn't for the life of him remember how he'd gotten there in the first place.

He looked out into the dimly lit space before him, and like the other hundred or so times

before, had no desire at all to leave the elevator, at all.

He looked at the list of floors and punched the number eight.

The doors closed slowly and the thing began to move.

Or so it felt.

He watched the numbers ascend one at a time until it read eight. Then the elevator paused and stopped.

There was a ding and the doors began to open. His eyes were fixed on the light display over the doors

and at the very last second the number jumped back down to the letter B.

...