I was walking down the stairs in a dormitory stairwell when I heard a single bell or chime. It didn’t sound anything like a fire alarm, but that is what I took it to be. Whether it were a real fire or only a drill, I thought how fortunate I was to be in the stairwell approaching the first floor.

I had begun to notice how eerily quiet it was, especially if there were a drill or emergency. Shouldn’t I hear feet running about and voices? If there were a fire, shouldn’t I smell smoke?

I went to open the door to the first floor — but there wasn’t one. I looked around, thinking that perhaps I was mistaken about its location. As I turned, I realized there were no doors. And now there were no stairs, either — only a stairwell with no exit.

I wondered somewhat incuriously how that could be possible.