the long hall
The basement of Springston Middle School was always forbidden. Year after year, teachers scolded pre-teens for attempting to sneak their way into the basement. When asked why they couldn’t go, they were always met with the vague threat, “Because it’s dangerous.”
*
“Do it, Phillipe, I dare you.” Phillipe’s seventh grade contemporary egged on.
Phillipe faced the basement’s open door, which led into a pitch black long hall. He nervously clamped the unfurled paper clip he’d used to pick the lock. He checked his watch. 10:47.
“Go… just do it.” The pesky voice probed from behind Phillipe. “And remember, no flashlights.”
Feeling his heart pounding, Phillipe took his first step into the dark.
He slowly traversed into black as the door was closed behind him. A tiny slit of light from the bottom of the door illuminated just a few feet in front of him. Beyond that… unknown. Phillipe felt his pulse elevate, as the chatter of his cowardly peers outside became increasingly faint. He placed his right hand against the wall to help guide him as he progressed. His hand abruptly encountered a cobweb; he shook it vigorously with the unwelcomed presence of creepy crawlers now fueling his thoughts. He only tepidly returned his fingertips to trace the wall.
Clink!
Phillipe tripped over a blunt protruding object. He recovered his step, gaining balance by extending his right hand back out against the wall—now encountering an oozing sludge. Rapidly, Phillipe retracted, shaking off the dank slop. How long had he been down here? Felt like at least ten minutes.
He’d shifted to the left side of the hallway in hopes of encountering fewer obstacles. Faintly, he traced his left hand along the wall as he continued making progress. The wall suddenly turned a sharp corner—suggesting a fork in the path. Now there were choices? What if he took the wrong turn and was wandering down here, lost for... hours? Days? What if he was never found? What if this never ended…
Phillipe elected to keep moving forward—a turn down a different path couldn’t be a wise decision amidst this already dumb idea. At last, he encountered a doorway. Phillipe gripped the cold steel handle and turned; revealing the light.
He emerged in a lush, forested meadow near the stream that ran behind the school. Breathless, Phillipe leaned over to reclaim his wits. He checked his watch, it had been three minutes since he’d entered the long hall.
-m
April 23, 2020
Photo Credit: Michael Wallden