about six feet in height and was nearly the same in width.
Its’ huge oaken planks were bound with iron, shod into the wood
with large rivets. The lever was no more than an iron ring attached
to a latching device that opened when pulled in a downward fashion.
It was crude, but did the job. The hinges were thick and rusted
looking, but they couldn’t have been because between my mom and
Eli, they’d managed to open it wide.
“ How did you
find it?” I asked, amazed. It was the coolest door I had ever seen.
I wanted to draw it to ensure I’d never forget it.
“ Guess,” my
mother said mischievously.
“ Another dream?”
wondered Valerie like she was walking on thin ice. Her eyes were
stuck like glue to the door. There was palatable apprehension with
every move she made.
My
m om nodded sagely.
“ Did you go
inside?” I asked, a trace of uncertainty in my tone as
well.
“ Of
course.”
“ What’s in
there?” I had to ask.
My
m om pulled Valerie. “Let me show
you.”
“ No, mom!” said
my sister resisting. “I’m wearing my school clothes.”
That brought me
up short too. The hallway beyond did look like it would be adverse
to nicer fabrics.
Valerie was
wearing a pleated, dark blue mini-skirt, matching knee-high socks,
her oxfords and a sky-blue, button-up.
I’d gone more
casual to school. I was wearing a pair of tan-colored,
waist-cinching Rags , a matching OP t-shirt
made of thick cotton and a pair of slip-on Vans, cocoa-colored. It
was my beach bum meets designer clothes look.
Hey, it was the
80’s , remember?
Yeah, Valerie
was right.
“ Oh, come on,
you guys! Where’s your sense of discovering the unknown?” pleaded
my mother.
“ I would like to leave my ‘unknown’, unknown , if you don’t
mind.” My sister wasn’t backing down.
My
m om shook her head. “What about
you, Jer? Will you let me show you what your brother and I
found?”
I
paused.
Valerie was
shaking her head “no” at me.
But, my
clothes…
“ Come on, Jerry!
Pleeeeease,” begged Elijah.
As usual, it
worked. “Ok.”
To my surprise,
my m om actually
clapped.
My mother
grabbed a flashlight resting on the top of some boxes and switched
it on. Its’ steady beam cut through the darkness beyond the
door-from-a-bygone-era with ease.
As I approached,
I could see there were more stairs, leading down another nine feet.
They were concrete, not as wide as the stairs leading down to the
basement, but wide enough for two people to walk
abreast.
We all went down
without talking.
I could see the
passage beyond wasn’t finished as was the basement proper. Its’
walls were rough-hewn, dug out what looked like sandstone, held up
by support- and cross-beams every five feet or so, but not much
else. The ground gave way to hard-packed dirt. The topmost layer
was really a thick layer of dust over sedimentary rock upon closer
inspection.
I followed the
smaller form of my mother as she strode through the threshold
boldly. Eli was at my side, holding my hand, his face alight with
playful eagerness.
About ten feet
into the passage, it began to curve to the right. This went on for
another twelve feet or so until we reached another door. If the one
behind us was the stoutest I’d ever seen, then the one before was
the exact opposite. It consisted entirely of one-by-six boards held
upright by a crossing pattern of one-by-fours on what I assumed was
its’ back side, the side we saw first.
It was
ajar.
My Mom stepped
passed the flimsy obstruction, half-turning to beckon me
forward.
I came without
hesitation, not really keen on staying the dungeon-like hall for
longer than was necessary.
I found myself
in a space roughly seven feet wide and sixteen feet long. I was
surprised to see the wooden ceiling was held in place by a good
number of bracing, four-by-four boards made of what had to be
redwood, because they had no water or termite damage that I could
see, and they were old. I frowned when I saw we were
Its’ huge oaken planks were bound with iron, shod into the wood
with large rivets. The lever was no more than an iron ring attached
to a latching device that opened when pulled in a downward fashion.
It was crude, but did the job. The hinges were thick and rusted
looking, but they couldn’t have been because between my mom and
Eli, they’d managed to open it wide.
“ How did you
find it?” I asked, amazed. It was the coolest door I had ever seen.
I wanted to draw it to ensure I’d never forget it.
“ Guess,” my
mother said mischievously.
“ Another dream?”
wondered Valerie like she was walking on thin ice. Her eyes were
stuck like glue to the door. There was palatable apprehension with
every move she made.
My
m om nodded sagely.
“ Did you go
inside?” I asked, a trace of uncertainty in my tone as
well.
“ Of
course.”
“ What’s in
there?” I had to ask.
My
m om pulled Valerie. “Let me show
you.”
“ No, mom!” said
my sister resisting. “I’m wearing my school clothes.”
That brought me
up short too. The hallway beyond did look like it would be adverse
to nicer fabrics.
Valerie was
wearing a pleated, dark blue mini-skirt, matching knee-high socks,
her oxfords and a sky-blue, button-up.
I’d gone more
casual to school. I was wearing a pair of tan-colored,
waist-cinching Rags , a matching OP t-shirt
made of thick cotton and a pair of slip-on Vans, cocoa-colored. It
was my beach bum meets designer clothes look.
Hey, it was the
80’s , remember?
Yeah, Valerie
was right.
“ Oh, come on,
you guys! Where’s your sense of discovering the unknown?” pleaded
my mother.
“ I would like to leave my ‘unknown’, unknown , if you don’t
mind.” My sister wasn’t backing down.
My
m om shook her head. “What about
you, Jer? Will you let me show you what your brother and I
found?”
I
paused.
Valerie was
shaking her head “no” at me.
But, my
clothes…
“ Come on, Jerry!
Pleeeeease,” begged Elijah.
As usual, it
worked. “Ok.”
To my surprise,
my m om actually
clapped.
My mother
grabbed a flashlight resting on the top of some boxes and switched
it on. Its’ steady beam cut through the darkness beyond the
door-from-a-bygone-era with ease.
As I approached,
I could see there were more stairs, leading down another nine feet.
They were concrete, not as wide as the stairs leading down to the
basement, but wide enough for two people to walk
abreast.
We all went down
without talking.
I could see the
passage beyond wasn’t finished as was the basement proper. Its’
walls were rough-hewn, dug out what looked like sandstone, held up
by support- and cross-beams every five feet or so, but not much
else. The ground gave way to hard-packed dirt. The topmost layer
was really a thick layer of dust over sedimentary rock upon closer
inspection.
I followed the
smaller form of my mother as she strode through the threshold
boldly. Eli was at my side, holding my hand, his face alight with
playful eagerness.
About ten feet
into the passage, it began to curve to the right. This went on for
another twelve feet or so until we reached another door. If the one
behind us was the stoutest I’d ever seen, then the one before was
the exact opposite. It consisted entirely of one-by-six boards held
upright by a crossing pattern of one-by-fours on what I assumed was
its’ back side, the side we saw first.
It was
ajar.
My Mom stepped
passed the flimsy obstruction, half-turning to beckon me
forward.
I came without
hesitation, not really keen on staying the dungeon-like hall for
longer than was necessary.
I found myself
in a space roughly seven feet wide and sixteen feet long. I was
surprised to see the wooden ceiling was held in place by a good
number of bracing, four-by-four boards made of what had to be
redwood, because they had no water or termite damage that I could
see, and they were old. I frowned when I saw we were
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