everyone else

By Wei Dewdney

Artwork by Aldwin Li, staff artist

TW: implications of suicide

---

a marble staircase guided me.

To where?

I would never know.

yet i continued to follow it.

just like everyone else.

i never liked moving.

or breathing. it was tiring.

yet step by step,

i climbed the stairs

just like everyone else.

some people,

from time to time,

would fall from the stairs.

I ignored the dead Bodies and continued my climb.

just like everyone else.

one day, a Body fell onto me.

thank god it was still alive.

i carried it with me

as i walked up the stairs,

just like everyone else.

it was heavier than usual,

the weight i was carrying,

a second Body had joined us.

my legs were numb, but i kept walking,

just like everyone else.

the farther i climbed,

the heavier my load got,

i was slowing those who were behind me.

i quickened my legs so my pace would be

just like everyone else’s.

my feet were too unsteady,

so i got on my hands and knees.

after making sure all the Bodies were secure,

i crawled up the stairs,

following everyone else.

even when i was at my fastest,

i slowed everyone behind me.

“throw away the bodies, they only weigh you down!”

i ignored the voice.

and i ignored everyone else.

i was responsible for these Bodies.

i couldn’t have let them fall.

it was my duty to keep them safe.

safe from the staircase.

safe from everyone else.

my body trembled with every move i made.

yet i continued to crawl.

Bruises and Scars found their way to

even the most remote parts of my body,

collecting stares from everyone else.

then it finally happened;

what everyone was anticipating.

even i knew, deep down,

that this day would soon come.

if only i was like Everyone Else.

i lost balance and

all that i had carried

fell.

my eyes grew moist as i watched the spectacle,

i then turned to look at everyone else.

and that was the very last sight

i saw

before i walked off the staircase.

i used to think it was good,

to be unlike anyone else.

---

Contributor's Note: Wei Dewdney is a 14 year old, agender, mixed Asian-American who loves to write despite having the grammatical capacity of a preschooler. They mainly focus on poetry, and they're learning to write decent prose. Wei specializes in metaphorical pieces, allegories, and planning (but never finishing) young adult novels. They love to over-analyze every type of media they consume, from Thai soap operas to grotesque horror manga to kpop music videos.

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