The Loose Floorboard...

Image by JEAN SEBASTIEN STAUDT from Pixabay

"What if that loose floorboard was actually a hidden passageway?"

His younger sister looked on at him inquisitively, kicking her legs back and forth absentmindedly while she laid on her stomach. "A hidden passageway?" she repeated. "To where? And how?"

He grunted in frustration at her endless questions, curtly cutting her off. "Ugh, I don't know, Olivia! But surely dreaming up the idea is better than this boredom we've succumb to..."

The boredom that the young boy was referring to was none other than their dreaded task of going to bed. When one is a child, full of imagination however, this can be easier said than done. It was another typical night where Bryson's mind was running wild, and tonight, he happened to be possessed by the idea of a hidden world under their floorboard.

The idea was now spreading through Olivia's mind like an infection, taking hold of her imagination as well. She peeked at the floorboard that Bryson had previously called her attention to. "Where do you imagine it would lead to?.." she wondered aloud. Olivia rolled off her stomach and off the bed, approaching the floorboard hesitantly. When she was a foot away, she stopped. "Do you think there are secrets to this house that mother and father have kept from us?"

This piqued Bryson's curiosity. He, too, leaned towards the floorboard from where he sat kneeling down. Then, with a devilish grin, he replied, "Honestly, sister, there is only one way to find out..."

With that, he reached one arm forward, and carefully gripped his fingers around the edge of the wooden plank. He tentatively began to lift it while Olivia watched on in amazement. Suddenly, as Bryson began to lift, they were both greeted by a pale orange glow escaping from the now exposed hole in the floor. Dust particles danced amid the rays of light.

"Holy crow!" Olivia excitedly kneeled down beside her brother, entranced by their discovery. "It's real! Bryson, it's real?!"

But her brother was too shocked to answer. Instead, he continued to pry off the floorboard, then peered into the hole. From what he was able to make out in the dim light, it appeared to be the first few steps of a spiral staircase, descending into their house.

"What is it?" Olivia broke the silence once again as she peeked over. Once she too realized what it was, she exclaimed, "Well, we're going, aren't we?"

It took Bryson by surprise. The whole series of events were unravelling too quickly! The idea of something actually existing under the floorboards was just that--a dream! It wasn't meant to be real. Now that it was, they were simply going to jump into the unknown, just like that?...

Olivia, however, did not seem like she was going to wait for his answer. While Bryson continued to kneel there, gawking like an idiot, his sister had already put one foot forward, then another, and was leaping down onto the first wooden step of the staircase. With a thud, she was again at eye level with Bryson, and this seemed to break him from his trance. "Are you coming?" she questioned once more, a grin spreading across her face.

Bryson could not deny his sister's curiosity; he leapt down into the staircase as well.

Despite not knowing what laid ahead of them, Olivia made her descent robustly, stomping and laughing loudly down every step. Bryson, on the other hand, was more cautious. What were these stairs doing in the middle of their house? And why were they hidden away? Of course, most importantly: what awaited for them at the bottom?...

Their descent was longer than Bryson had anticipated. He had expected that the two of them would end up on the main floor of their house, or perhaps even the basement. Yet, as they descended lower and lower, he noticed that the length of time wasn't matching up. The two siblings were descending into the ground--deeper than their own house!

Olivia seemed to take notice of it as well, for she eventually called out, "How long do you think we have been climbing down these stairs? Do you think we'll reach the end soon, Bryson?"

Before he had a chance to reply, Bryson's foot hit the next step, only when it did so, it did not make the same echo as the previous ones had. Instead, this step had a crunch to it. Bryson looked down at his feet to discover that they were now standing on a floor of dusty dirt. He looked to his left, then his right. It appeared that they were standing in the middle of a tunnel underneath their house! The tunnel seemed to continue in either direction, with a series of torches hanging along the walls as it went.

"Now where do you reckon this leads to?" Olivia pondered happily. She stood beside her brother, quickly taking in her surroundings. "Which way should we go?"

"Your guess is as good as mine..."

Suddenly, as if on cue, the two of them could hear a cheerful ruckus coming from their right. They turned in that direction to get a better listen... Sure enough, they began to make out the sounds of people cheering and laughing, and even a woman's melodic singing voice. What on earth was happening below their house?

Obviously they did not need to wait for an answer after that. "C'mon, let's go this way," said Bryson, heading to the right from whence the ruckus came.

Thankfully, the tunnel did not take anywhere near as long as the staircase to reach their destination. Within only a few minutes, Bryson and Olivia could hear the commotion growing closer, along with the playing of a fast-paced piano now. It was unlike anything Bryson had ever heard before. There was so much excitement, he could practically feel the electricity in the air. Women and men alike, hooting and hollering at the top of their lungs. The sound of glasses clinking against one another. He did not know what scene awaited them, yet he knew already that he needed to be a part of it!

Finally, their journey was coming to an end, for the two of them could see a huge steel door at the end of the tunnel. Although it appeared quite menancing, the delightful commotion from behind it was too much for Bryson to ignore! He approached the door without hesitation, noticing the small sliding compartment just above his head, as though it were a spyhole for someone on the opposite side...

Again, as though it were on cue, the compartment swiftly swung open as Bryson went to raise an arm, and a pair of dark eyes glared down at him. Upon investigating the two of them further, his expression changed to one of surprise. "Wait, youse two are just children," he murmured to himself. "How did you get down here?"

"I should ask you the same thing!" Olivia huffed. "It just so happens that you are situated under our house!"

The man's eyes widened. "Youse is Travis' tykes?" The children were taken aback at the mention of their father's name... Without anymore hesitation, the two of them heard the click of a lock and the sound of the large steel door creaking open. The brutish man stepped out from behind the door, large and terrifying, but with a small smile on his face. "C'mon in then." The siblings were perplexed at the man's sudden approval, but went to step inside nonetheless.

As they did, the commotion grew louder, for the scene finally began to break into their sight. They entered the room; it seemed to be an underground pub. They were immediately greeted by a sea of people, men and women adorned in fancy gowns and suits. To the left of the room was a bar, with bar stools and a bartender, who had a handlebar mustache! An array of glass bottles lined the shelves behind him, glistening under the soft glow of the room. To the right was a series of tables and chairs, where more elegantly dressed guests were enjoying small plates of food and drinks. Most importantly, there seemed to be a universal theme of joy and indulgence--everyone was having a grand time!

Just as the children had finished taking in their surroundings, a new figure began to break into their view. This figure was masculine, tall and slim, and like all the other patrons, was well-dressed. He was wearing a navy blue suit with blazer open, allowing just a peek of a pocketwatch hanging from his pant pocket. As he drew closer, and the light could illuminate his face, the two siblings suddenly realized that the figure was their father!

They expected to be greeted by a heated tone of, "What are you two doing down here?!" Instead, they saw a small smile dance onto their father's lips as he gently said, "I imagined it would only be a matter of time before you two found our secret. But sadly, this is as much as I can allow you to see." Before the children even had a chance to ask what this secret--this place--was, their father held up a hand. "We will be able to discuss this more in the morning. For now, you both need to get back upstairs, and back into bed..." He leaned in closer, whispering, "Before your mother finds out..." The magic words; the children knew better than to mess with their mother's temper!

So with that, they each took hold of their father's hands and made their way out of their enchanting environment. As the merry noises began to fade through the tunnel, Bryson abruptly took notice of just how tired he truly was. His footsteps grew heavier, mind grew foggier, while his father's arms gently picked him up and carried him back to bed...