Beyond the Golden Stair by Hannes Bok
"Beyond the Golden Stair" follows the tumultuous journey of John Hibbert, a man plagued by a recurring dream of a mysterious woman. After serving as a war veteran, Hibbert finds himself imprisoned for signing blank checks for his buddies. His life takes a dramatic turn when he is involved in a prison escape led by Frank Scarlatti, which leads them deep into the Florida Everglades. In their quest for refuge, they encounter a hidden pool that may be connected to Ponce de Leon's legendary Fountain of Youth. The story unfolds as they confront a mystical realm called Khoire, where they must face personal transformations and the consequences of their past actions. Each character undergoes a significant change, revealing their true selves, and Hibbert’s growing affection for Mareth, a keeper of Khoire, complicates his path. As challenges mount and dark truths emerge, Hibbert embarks on a quest to secure his future with Mareth, setting the stage for a battle between his desires and the reality of his circumstances. The narrative weaves themes of self-discovery, transformation, and the eternal search for identity amidst fantastical elements.
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Beyond the Golden Stair
First published: 1970 (previously published as “The Blue Flamingo,” Startling Stories, 1948)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—alien civilization
Time of work: The late 1940’s
Locale: The Florida Everglades and Khoire
The Plot
John Hibbert is haunted by a lifelong, recurring dream of a beautiful woman, a dream that continues into his adult life and even into battle. As a war veteran, he accepts employment with his service buddies and then is jailed when, as their cashier, he signs blank checks for them. After being transferred to the state penitentiary, Hibbert unwillingly joins Frank Scarlatti, who, with the help of his accomplice Burks, breaks out of prison and takes Hibbert with him.
They flee to the Florida Everglades in order to escape the authorities. They make their way to the swamp shanty of Scarlatti’s girlfriend, Carlotta, who is supposed to guide them safely through the Everglades. Paddling deeper into the swamps, however, they come upon a hidden pool flanked by ruins and guarded by a blue flamingo. Carlotta makes some obscure historical references, from which Hibbert infers that this may actually be Ponce de Leon’s famous Fountain of Youth. As a joke, Burks decides to wade into the pool to test its rejuvenating powers. The flamingo, however, attacks Burks, and Burks shoots the bird and kills it.
Before it dies, the flamingo summons a shining stairway into the sky. Climbing the stairs, the four find themselves at the threshold of Khoire. A booming voice warns them that they cannot stay because they have not been armed with the Sacred Sign, nor can they simply leave. Khoire must and will change them into their truest selves; they cannot hide or pretend to be what they are not. They meet Patur, the keeper of the Central Gate, who gives them the Crystal Mask, the function of which is to reveal the wearer’s identity. To demonstrate its use, Patur reveals his own history. When Burks puts on the mask, Patur discovers that Burks has killed the blue flamingo, which Patur informs him was trying to warn him of Khoire’s dangers. The greatest danger is the “change,” the transformation of the person into his or her true form. Burks decides that to stay in Khoire would be better than being perpetually hunted by prison authorities. He offers to take the place of the blue flamingo in order to receive the Sacred Sign and remain in Khoire forever.
After Burks leaves, Scarlatti, Carlotta, and Hibbert go to the quarters prepared for them. There they meet Mareth, the woman who appears in Hibbert’s recurring dream. She is a Watcher of the Qsin of Khoire, beings who patrol the earth and assist people in discerning and rooting out evil. Hibbert, immediately smitten by Mareth, declares his love. She, too, has a recurring dream about the man she will love, but Hibbert is not that man. She urges him to be patient until after his Change.
Afraid of his own transformation, Scarlatti insists upon seeing Burks. Patur takes them to see his self-induced change into the blue flamingo. Horrified at what he finds, Scarlatti decides to leave Khoire immediately and takes Mareth hostage with the gun he has concealed.
Because Scarlatti is not familiar with the dimensional warps of Khoire, however, Mareth and Hibbert manage to escape into the Jungles of Madness, the home of the sick and the demented, those whose transformations drove them insane. Monsters such as the Ksor, enormous alligators, prey on the unwary and the weak. Scarlatti and Carlotta, having unwisely chased Mareth and Hibbert into the jungle, are transformed into their true selves—a malignant dwarf and a hairless dog—and are soon consumed by the Ksor. It is also here that Hibbert becomes a giant, the man of Mareth’s dream. They escape the Jungles of Madness, but Hibbert now has to leave Khoire in order to obtain the Sacred Sign and return to Mareth. Hibbert and Mareth passionately embrace, but Hibbert must descend the golden stair back to the pool, which Burks now guards. Paddling back through the Everglades, Hibbert has begun his quest to return to Khoire.