The third staircase was larger than the previous two and disappeared into the shadows of a huge hackberry tree.

We thought to rest a while in the nothing beneath the shade of the tree. From our vantage point in the street it looked like a good idea. In fact, it looked like Paradise. It looked like, at the top of the stairs, we would be in a perfect position to be cast out of the Garden of Eden. How could we decline the opportunity?