Secret Wing Behind the Hallway Coat Closet

Secret Wing Behind the Hallway Coat Closet

I was back visiting my parents' house, helping my dad clear out the back of the hallway coat closet. Behind a row of winter jackets that smelled like old dust, I noticed a low wooden door that definitely isn't there in real life. I crawled through and found this huge, dimly lit storage wing that felt like a cross between my elementary school basement and an empty furniture store. My old middle school friend Mark was suddenly there holding a flashlight, telling me we had to map the place before my parents noticed. We spent what felt like hours walking down these carpeted ramps, discovering forgotten rooms full of stacked folding chairs, unopened cardboard boxes, and giant windows looking out onto a dark highway I didn't recognize. I had this intense rush of curiosity mixed with mild anxiety that we'd lose our way back to the closet entrance before dinner.