Gemotions

The antique dealer had practically sneered at her offer for the house's built-in bookshelves. “Such a shame, discarding a perfectly good piece,” he’d drawled. And then, the house itself…so many comments about how she was "unconventional" for not wanting to update the kitchen. She, unconventional? The words grated. Now, she was stripping wallpaper in the master bedroom and felt a sting of fury.

She ripped at a particularly stubborn section, her nails catching. Behind the peeling paper, she saw something. A small, almost invisible metal plate. With trembling fingers, she pried it loose. The wall shuddered, and a hidden doorway swung open, revealing a spiral staircase leading down. Her stomach churned.