Summary

“The Devil on the Staircase” began with Quirinus Calvino recalling his childhood in Sulle Scalle, a village above Positano, Italy. He was born of a brick layer whose responsibility it was to repair the over 800 steps that led from the village to the town. As a child, Quirinus helped his father with his tasks. Quirinus disliked his father, but helping him kept Quirinus from attending school. He admitted “the only good thing” about school was his cousin Lithodora, whom he admired (293). Quirinus traveled the steps often, but one day, he noticed a red gate leading to a steep staircase. When Quirinus leaned upon it, it opened. His father pulled him away from the staircase, fearful. When Quirinus told Lithodora, she explained the old superstition that the staircase “led down to hell” (296). When he reached out to touch her, Lithodora recoiled...