Gemotions

The realtor had said the house was move-in ready. Liar. Sarah bit the inside of her cheek as she wrestled with a stuck drawer in the master bedroom. It wouldn’t budge. She yanked harder, the cheap wood groaning in protest. Finally, with a loud CRACK, the entire front panel of the dresser ripped away, revealing a dark, yawning space behind it. Her face flushed, she knew she'd look a fool if someone saw. She'd been so sure this house was the answer, the fresh start.

Her hands trembled as she reached inside, feeling along the cold, rough wall. A metal latch. She worked it free, and a small door, almost invisible, swung inward. A staircase spiralled down into the blackness. The irony of finding this secret now, after the mortifying breakdown in front of the moving crew earlier, was almost too much to bear.