The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet

When Eric, Julie, and Neal climb down the rainbow staircase and enter Droon, they choose to take a leap of faith and leave behind the ordinary world behind, escaping into a magical place that forces them to reconsider their assumptions, take unexpected risks, and learn valuable new skills. Their experience aligns with the narrative structure of most portal fantasies, which celebrate the extraordinary possibilities hidden within ordinary reality and suggest that, at any moment, someone might find a way to access these hidden possibilities. As Eric, Neal, and Julie dare to leave their own world, they all experience significant inner growth as they confront an array of magical novelties, friends, and dangers. 

By emphasizing the unremarkable qualities of Eric’s home and family life, the novel sets the stage for the drastic changes to come. Even Eric’s parents are firmly grounded in everyday concerns, and it is no accident that the very mundane task of cleaning the basement serves as the inciting incident that leads the three friends to Droon. This typical middle-class setting houses the detritus of typical middle-class activities, and the basement is filled with the clutter of ordinary life and endless reminders of the mundane world of adult responsibilities.