Gemotions

The realtor had gushed, "Charming! So much character!" But Margaret, staring at the perfectly unremarkable wall in the living room, felt a prickling heat under her skin. She'd walked through the house, plastering on a smile while internally cataloging the layers of cheap paint and the way the kitchen cabinets listed at a precarious angle. Now, she was supposed to be charmed?

She ran a hand along the wall, the knuckles white with pressure. It felt…different. Not quite the same texture as the rest of the plaster. She rapped on it, and the hollow sound echoed oddly. Her jaw tightened. The previous owners, clearly, had something to hide. Something they hadn't bothered to tell her about.

The hidden door, when she found it, was almost insulting. A meticulously crafted panel, flush with the wall, that only yielded to a specific pressure on a seemingly decorative carving. A secret room! It was as if they thought her stupid.