sound. Once
again, I saw stars.
While I gasped for air, she grabbed the hockey puck off the game table. She
pulled her hand back to heave it at me.
But I wrapped my hand around hers and struggled to wrestle the puck away.
We were laughing. But this was a pretty serious fight.
Don’t get me wrong. Cara and I do this all the time. Especially when my
parents are out.
I pulled the puck from her hand—and it went flying across the room. With a
loud karate cry, I swung free of her.
We were both laughing so hard, we could barely move. But Cara took a running
start and plowed into me once again.
This time she sent me sailing back… back. I lost my balance. My hands shot
up as I crashed into the side of the tall china cabinet.
“Whooooa!”
I landed hard. My back smashed into the wooden cabinet’s side.
And the whole cabinet toppled over!
I heard the crash of broken plates.
A second later, I fell on top of the cabinet, sprawling helplessly on my
back.
“Ohhhh.” My cry turned to a painful moan.
Then silence.
I just lay there on top of the fallen cabinet, like a turtle on its back. My
hands and legs thrashed the air. My whole body hurt.
“Uh-oh.”
That’s all I heard Cara say.
A simple “Uh-oh.”
And then she hurried over. She reached down, grabbed my hands, and tugged me
to my feet.
We both stepped away from the fallen cabinet.
“Sorry,” Cara murmured. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“I know,” I said. I swallowed hard, rubbing my aching shoulder. “I think
we’re in major trouble.”
We both turned to check out the damage.
And we both cried out in surprise when we saw what the old wooden cabinet had
been hiding.
3
“A secret doorway!” I cried excitedly.
We stared at the door. It was made of smooth, dark wood. The doorknob was
covered with a thick layer of dust.
I had no idea there was a door back there. And I was pretty sure that Mom and
Dad didn’t know about it, either.
Cara and I stepped up to the doorway. I rubbed my hand over the doorknob,
wiping away some of the dust.
“Where does this lead?” Cara asked, smoothing her black hair back off her
face.
I shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe it’s a closet or something. Mom and Dad never
mentioned another room down here.”
I knocked on the door with my fist. “Anyone in there?” I called.
Cara laughed. “Wouldn’t you be surprised if someone answered you!” she
exclaimed.
I laughed, too. It was a pretty funny idea.
“Why would someone hide the door behind a cabinet?” Cara asked. “It doesn’t
make any sense.”
“Maybe there’s pirate treasure hidden back there,” I said. “Maybe there’s a
room filled with gold coins.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “That’s really lame,” she muttered. “Pirates in the
middle of Ohio?”
Cara turned the knob and tried to tug open the door.
I guess some kids would hesitate. Some kids probably wouldn’t be so eager to
pull open a mysterious, hidden door in their basement. Some kids might be a
little afraid.
But not Cara and me.
We’re not wimps. We don’t think about danger.
We’re tough.
The door didn’t open.
“Is it locked?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “No. The cabinet is blocking the way.”
The cabinet lay on its side in front of the door. We both grabbed hold of it.
Cara took the top. I took the bottom.
It was heavier than I thought. Mainly because of all the broken dishes
inside. But we pushed it and pulled it, and slid it away from the doorway.
“Okay,” Cara said, wiping her hands off on the legs of her jeans.
“Okay,” I repeated. “Let’s check it out.”
The doorknob felt cool in my hand. I turned it and pulled open the wooden
door.
The door moved slowly. It was heavy, and the rusted hinges made an eerie squeeeeeeak squeeeeeeak as I strained to open it.
Then, standing close together, Cara and I leaned into the doorway and peered
inside.
4
I expected to find a room in there. A storage room
again, I saw stars.
While I gasped for air, she grabbed the hockey puck off the game table. She
pulled her hand back to heave it at me.
But I wrapped my hand around hers and struggled to wrestle the puck away.
We were laughing. But this was a pretty serious fight.
Don’t get me wrong. Cara and I do this all the time. Especially when my
parents are out.
I pulled the puck from her hand—and it went flying across the room. With a
loud karate cry, I swung free of her.
We were both laughing so hard, we could barely move. But Cara took a running
start and plowed into me once again.
This time she sent me sailing back… back. I lost my balance. My hands shot
up as I crashed into the side of the tall china cabinet.
“Whooooa!”
I landed hard. My back smashed into the wooden cabinet’s side.
And the whole cabinet toppled over!
I heard the crash of broken plates.
A second later, I fell on top of the cabinet, sprawling helplessly on my
back.
“Ohhhh.” My cry turned to a painful moan.
Then silence.
I just lay there on top of the fallen cabinet, like a turtle on its back. My
hands and legs thrashed the air. My whole body hurt.
“Uh-oh.”
That’s all I heard Cara say.
A simple “Uh-oh.”
And then she hurried over. She reached down, grabbed my hands, and tugged me
to my feet.
We both stepped away from the fallen cabinet.
“Sorry,” Cara murmured. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“I know,” I said. I swallowed hard, rubbing my aching shoulder. “I think
we’re in major trouble.”
We both turned to check out the damage.
And we both cried out in surprise when we saw what the old wooden cabinet had
been hiding.
3
“A secret doorway!” I cried excitedly.
We stared at the door. It was made of smooth, dark wood. The doorknob was
covered with a thick layer of dust.
I had no idea there was a door back there. And I was pretty sure that Mom and
Dad didn’t know about it, either.
Cara and I stepped up to the doorway. I rubbed my hand over the doorknob,
wiping away some of the dust.
“Where does this lead?” Cara asked, smoothing her black hair back off her
face.
I shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe it’s a closet or something. Mom and Dad never
mentioned another room down here.”
I knocked on the door with my fist. “Anyone in there?” I called.
Cara laughed. “Wouldn’t you be surprised if someone answered you!” she
exclaimed.
I laughed, too. It was a pretty funny idea.
“Why would someone hide the door behind a cabinet?” Cara asked. “It doesn’t
make any sense.”
“Maybe there’s pirate treasure hidden back there,” I said. “Maybe there’s a
room filled with gold coins.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “That’s really lame,” she muttered. “Pirates in the
middle of Ohio?”
Cara turned the knob and tried to tug open the door.
I guess some kids would hesitate. Some kids probably wouldn’t be so eager to
pull open a mysterious, hidden door in their basement. Some kids might be a
little afraid.
But not Cara and me.
We’re not wimps. We don’t think about danger.
We’re tough.
The door didn’t open.
“Is it locked?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “No. The cabinet is blocking the way.”
The cabinet lay on its side in front of the door. We both grabbed hold of it.
Cara took the top. I took the bottom.
It was heavier than I thought. Mainly because of all the broken dishes
inside. But we pushed it and pulled it, and slid it away from the doorway.
“Okay,” Cara said, wiping her hands off on the legs of her jeans.
“Okay,” I repeated. “Let’s check it out.”
The doorknob felt cool in my hand. I turned it and pulled open the wooden
door.
The door moved slowly. It was heavy, and the rusted hinges made an eerie squeeeeeeak squeeeeeeak as I strained to open it.
Then, standing close together, Cara and I leaned into the doorway and peered
inside.
4
I expected to find a room in there. A storage room
Similar Books
