May 2, 2025, 9:30am
According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the third year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short story, free* to read online, every (work) day of the month. Why not read along with us? Today, we recommend:
GennaRose Nethercott, “Sundown at the Eternal Staircase”
I love tracing in my head the imaginary web of influences and connections between writers whose work I love—kind of like looking at the due date slip of who checked out a library book and recognizing not just the most recent name but several names prior as well. So it is with an author like GennaRose Nethercott. The first time I read her work, I felt the same visceral thrill that I did the first time I read Kelly Link or Ray Bradbury, but she isn’t just doing pastiche: she’s pushing farther afield.
“Sundown at the Eternal Staircase” takes a familiar idea (a strange staircase heading down, down, down) and makes it feel fresh, delivering commentary both punchy and playful on what an infinite staircase would be like as a tourist attraction as well as deeply human character work about friendship, desire, and employment. It’s also, at its core and as with everything GennaRose does, a damn delight to read.
The story begins:
Do not enter the Eternal Staircase after 8 PM.
No outside food or drink is permitted within the Eternal Staircase.
Black-soled sneakers, high-heeled shoes, and flip-flops are prohibited inside the Eternal Staircase.
No dogs.
(Yes, we used to allow dogs. Too many dogs shit in the Eternal Staircase.)
If you feel lightheaded within the Eternal Staircase, alert a staff member immediately. Eternal Staircase staff can be identified by their blue polo shirts, blue visors, and our official “Watch Your Step” lapel pins.
(Do not engage with staff members without official lapel pins. They are likely a Disgraced staff member. Disgraced staff members spent too much time in the Eternal Staircase and were asked to leave. They keep returning anyway. We don’t know how to get rid of them. They are not helpful.)
Absolutely NO RUNNING down into the Eternal Staircase. Running in the Eternal Staircase is a criminal offense and will be punishable by law.
Do not remain in the Eternal Staircase for more than three consecutive hours.
Do not descend deeper than the yellow ribbons marked “Go Back!”
Welcome to the Eternal Staircase, and remember— Watch Your Step!
Read it here.
*If you hit a paywall, we recommend trying with a different/private/incognito browser (but listen, you didn’t hear it from us).