something something and the vanishing houses

(title subject to change pa.)

"Why do we have to go to their house?" said Jared, playing with the automatic car window switch.

"Because it's her birthday and you're her cousin.” Jared’s mother locked the windows so he couldn’t play with it anymore.

“But her birthdays are always boring. And I don’t even know anyone there.”

“Sure you do. There’s Mark and Fred and…” His mother listed all the names of their family friends whom she thought would be going.

The Cortez’ house was built far from the city. They were a rich family of business people and their only solitude was in their house high up in the mountains. The transportation wasn’t a problem for them because they used helicopters to get to work. Their only daughter, Amber, was home-schooled so she wouldn’t have to put up with all the ‘fake’ friends.

“But they’re only there because of the food. They don’t even talk to people about normal stuff.” Jared flipped through his cell phone, wishing there was someone he could call to save him.

“And by normal stuff, you mean computer games, right?” His mother turned the car into the Cortez’ parking lot.

It was more of a mansion than a house. If castles were outdated then this house is what took its place. There were a total of 27 windows in all four floors in the front face of the house. Each window had a balcony and each balcony had a different sofa for the occupants to rest in. And that was only the façade.

“I wonder if they’ve tried getting lost in their own house.” Jared kicked the car door shut.

“Jared, don’t go running around in that house. We’re here to celebrate with Amber, not to explore.” His mother led him to the front door and pushed the doorbell.

A few moments later, a woman wearing an apron opened the door and escorted them into one of the large rooms.

“We’re so glad you could come.” Aunt Mildred hugged Jared’s mother and ruffled Jared’s hair. “You’ve grown.”

“That’s what they all say.” Jared mumbled.

“Jared!”said his mother with a disappointed look.

“That’s okay Susan. He’s probably just hungry. The boys are in the other room.”

Aunt Mildred pointed to the room right across the corridor where loud music was pouring out. The lights were a blinding white and the smell of roast meat made Jared’s stomach rumble. Half unwillingly, he went inside the room and saw the back sides of a few boys gathered around something.

“If you don’t want to squeeze in with those pigs, you can come and eat with us,” said Sharon.

She was standing near the door and next to a table of food but with girls surrounding it.

“No thanks,” said Jared. “I think I’ll just sit around until the pigs, I mean, boys have had enough.”

“We’re not going to contaminate you with any girly sickness, if that’s what you’re afraid of,” said Cherry.

“And besides,” said Amber, standing up. “We heard your stomach growl on your way in. We wouldn’t want you to starve in my own birthday party. It’s unacceptable.”

She took a cupcake from the table and tossed it to Jared who almost squished it when he caught it.

“Thanks,” said Jared. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

He turned around and left the group of girls giggling at the table. The room seemed to be a spacious conference room. There were white screens on the wall and the spare chairs were stacked in one corner. A wall clock hung on one end of the room while a little stage was set on its opposite side.

Jared chose a chair near the huge panel windows so he could at least see who were arriving and who were already leaving. The boys on the table started lounging on the sofa. The girls were talking about something, probably one of their crushes because they were constantly cooing and gushing and giggling.

Somewhere in another room, two men were talking with serious tones. It was Amber’s dad and one of his financial advisers. They were in his study and a pile of papers occupied his desk. However, it wasn’t the papers they were talking about.

“So you’re saying that we’re nearing bankruptcy? How is that possible?” Mr. Cortez asked.

“I am saying, sir, that you owe the bank more than the cash you have. You need to sell this house.”

“I don’t need to sell this house,” Mr. Cortez stood up and started pacing. “I made this house. I built it myself.”

“Technically, sir, your construction company built it.”

“Nonsense! I am not going to sell this house. Where will we live? And what about Amber? How can she be home-schooled if she doesn’t have a home?”

“Well, sir, you can always send her to a regular school so she can actually live her life. And you have relatives you can live with. It would be enough while you recover from the debts.”

Mr. Cortez stopped pacing and considered his options. His construction business wasn’t going too well anymore. He had to decide his next step before it’s too late.

“Okay, we’ll move out by the end of the summer.”

A few doors to the left of Mr. Cortez’ study, Samuel, Mike and Jessica were checking out every room they could open. They were already going up the second floor when Mike opened the door to a map room and they all went inside.

From wall to wall, the room was covered in maps. The tables and shelves also had maps filed on top of them. There were some scattered on the floor and a few others rolled on to a chair.

“We’ve got the world in our hands,” said Samuel, raising the world map above his head.

“Yeah, and the world is flat,” said Jessica, looking at the map on the floor.

“I wonder why they have so many maps,” said Samuel. “They could use the internet to find places like normal people do.”

“Maybe these are souvenirs from their travels.” Jessica looked up and found that the ceiling was also covered in maps. “They must have been everywhere.”

“I think you mean they must have already been to everywhere,” Mike said to the bookshelf. “But I think there’s another explanation.”

Mike took a picture of the room and the maps. “Come on, let’s get out before the oldies finish their little meeting.”

The three of them slowly went out of the room and proceeded to the second floor. Right in front of the staircase was a painting of a small cottage usually seen in fairytales with a small chimney and wood-lined windows. The initials on the painting read B.T.C.

“Bacon, tomato and coleslaw?” said Samuel as he started opening the doors and exploring the rooms.

Meanwhile, in the room a ceiling below them, Aunt Mildred was sobbing into Susan’s shoulder. The two mothers had just been talking about their children when Mildred tactlessly blamed Susan’s husband for allowing Jared to have his own computer. Susan was offended more because Mildred mentioned her husband. On account of the computer, she was on Mildred’s side and also wanted to strip off her son’s ownership of it.

“But it’s the only thing he left his son with,” was the only defense she could give from her husband who had died two years ago.

“Oh I’m so sorry, Susan. I didn’t mean to be so rude.” Mildred then started sobbing. “It’s just that I sometimes wish Jerry was still here.”

“Me, too.” Susan let her sister cry on her shoulder.

“Jerry would know what to do.” Mildred wiped off her tears with a paper towel.

“About what? Susan saw Mildred tense up a bit.

Mildred then went to the kitchen door and closed it making sure that no one was near enough to hear them.

“Alex is keeping secrets from me.” Tears started pouring from her eyes again.

“How do you know?” Susan motioned her sister to sit beside her on the counter.

“He goes missing in the middle of the night. He says he’s in his study but I checked once and there was no sign of him.”

“Maybe he’s in one of the other rooms. You have a really big house and I’m sure you could sometimes get lost in it.”

“I hope so because if that’s not the case, I really don’t know what to do.”

The two women continued talking, occasionally nibbling on bread that hasn’t been served yet. They only got out again when the cook pounded on the door and demanded them to open it. He was then embarrassed to find out that his boss was inside the kitchen and had to cook up a delicious cream cake to make up for his actions.

By evening, the house on the hilltop was quiet and vacated. Only the Cortez family and their helpers remained. The wind howled through the trees and Amber turned away from her bedroom window. She didn’t want to see the shadows that fought from the living room light. She held her favorite stuffed bear and started towards the third floor. In the third room on the right corridor, she busied herself reading until she fell asleep and the noise of her quarreling parents died down.

Drinian08: how was the party? Were there cute girls?

Polaris52: there were pigs and there were…pigs

Drinian08: I’m guessing you didn’t enjoy it?

Polaris52: how can anyone enjoy that place?

Drinian08: it’s big! There’s bound to be something fun there

Polaris52: that’s if you don’t get lost or lock yourself in one of the rooms

Drinian08: well, yeah. But that’s what cell phones are for

Polaris52: and what if there’s no signal in there?

Drinian08: then that’s where your adventure starts

Polaris52: well I’m not ready for an adventure yet and I certainly don’t want to get stuck in her house forever

Drinian08: hmm we did find something interesting there

Polaris52: you were at her house? When?

Drinian08: this afternoon. It’s her birthday =)

Polaris52: I WAS THERE TOO! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME??? I could have gone with you

Drinian08: we didn’t think your mom would allow you to go with us

Polaris52: you make it so hard to be your friend =(

Drinian08: well, anyway, we found a room full of maps and…

Polaris52: and?

Drinian08: and what?

Polaris52: what about the room full of maps?

Drinian08: oh, uhm, not much. I took a picture of some of the maps but when I uploaded them on the computer, I couldn’t understand them

Polaris52: what do you mean? The format’s wrong? Was it blurred?

Drinian08: no. the format’s right. And very clear. It’s just that…

Polaris52: mike? Mike! Buzz! You better not be sleeping!

Drinian08: hey. Sorry about that. Mom had me wash the dishes.

Polaris52: you? Wash dishes? Are you sure you’re all right?

Drinian08: and I had to make sure nobody could get in the room

Polaris52: why? Is this one of your secret ‘guys only’ moment? We’re getting too old for this

Drinian08: Jared, the maps don’t lead to any place on earth and yet…

Polaris52: you mean they’re made up? Mike? Hello? Stop disappearing on me!

Drinian08 has left the conversation

Mornings in the Cortez’ house included 80s music, hotdogs, eggs, rice and milk. Any silence in the air was substituted by the music and any reason for conversation was drowned out by the food. Amber sat the far end of the dining table and played with her milk, stirring and tapping the spoon to the tune of ‘I Can’t Fight this Feeling’. After fifteen years of breakfast, the 80s music was as good as muted in her system. She needed the extra clinks to distract herself from the apparent tension on the other side of the table.

“Okay, so I’ll see you both after work.” Mr. Cortez stood up and walked out of the dining room, leaving his plate half-eaten.

Mrs. Cortez buzzed for the helpers to clean up the table.

“When you’re done eating, be sure to attend to your mathematics right away,” she said before also walking out and leaving Amber alone with her breakfast.

The helpers picked up the plates and brought it to the kitchen. One of them offered to bring Amber’s plate in if she wasn’t going to finish her food anymore.

“It’s all right, Miss. I’ll take this to the kitchen when I’m finished.”

Amber was then left alone in the dining room. She slumped on her chair and stared at the chandelier. The swaying crystals glittered in the morning light. The decorative art on the ceiling formed a vine-like picture that reached from wall to wall. She traced one vine with her eyes and shifted her gaze to the fireplace that was never used.

“Why would anyone build a fireplace in a country that doesn’t even snow?” she sat up and stretched her back, twisting from side to side.

She ate the rest of her breakfast and dutifully brought the plate into the kitchen while the cook and one of the helpers were arguing.

“I told you, the eggs should be fresh. Why can’t you follow instructions?” shouted the cook, flailing his spatula in the air.

The maid looked down on the tiled kitchen floor as if she were looking for a stain. The other maids had retreated into another chamber and were only listening to the conversation.

“Well, if you took time to actually go to the grocery and buy your own ingredients then you wouldn’t be in such a pickle,” said the maid, finally looking up.

“So now you dare talk back at me, eh?”

“Yeah. You’re only the cook.”

“Only the cook? We’ll see about that.”

“Ahem.”

The two people instantly looked towards the door and became statues. Amber stared at them as they slowly looked down and sheepishly apologized.

“You know, you can always get fresh eggs from the chickens at the barn.” Amber placed her plate on the sink.

“But, miss, we don’t have a barn,” said the cook.

“Of course we do. The barn’s right behind the house. Haven’t you two been there?”

“No, I mean, yes we’ve been there but” said the cook, struggling for the right words. “But it’s not there anymore.”

“What?” Amber asked.

“What he means is that, your father sold the barn and the animals and the chickens,” the maid explained.

“Really? I didn’t know that,” said Amber shrugging.

She turned away and headed to their library but with a deep sad feeling in her heart. She once was proud of the fact that she knew her house more than anyone else. She had visited every room and even made a map of every floor and the categories of contents in each room. There was nothing in the house done without her knowing. That was why the sale of their barn came as a confirmation of what she had been dreading. Terrible things were happening in their house and she knew she had to do something about it.

Up in the library, her workbooks were already piled and prepared on the center table. She was told that Mr. Gregson, her tutor, would not be coming because he had an appointment with the doctor. He was old and retired from academic teaching but he still wouldn’t stop tutoring even if his body tried to stop him. Amber took a seat near the door and stared at the expansive collection of books. Shelves covered the walls of the oval-shaped room and still more shelves lined up like aisles in a grocery store. There were books on food, architecture, science and literature, books on geography, cartoons and music. The categories ran from before the medieval history to the future of the present technology. The high windows shed light on the tops of the shelves making it look like the library was under a waterfall of sunlight.

Amber didn’t want to face her math today. She strolled along the aisle in between fiction and references before pulling out an old book from a random shelf and sitting cross-legged on the floor. She flipped the pages of the book and looked at the various pictures that passed. She didn’t bother looking at the title but knew that the book told of myths and mysteries, of places people have never been or have never seen. It was a book explaining the possibilities of traveling into another world not so different from the present. The pictures showed old inscriptions and codes, ancient artifacts that confirmed the existence of another world and maps. The maps help Amber the longest. Each map stopped Amber from turning to the next page. She would examine it as if she was looking for something. Each line and symbol was purposefully inked into the maps to show the reader exact locations. One map in particular took Amber an hour to let go. She held the book lengthwise so she could look at the map in the right orientation. The hills and rivers looked familiar to her. The passages and roads seemed to slip form the edges of the page into another. The village, its positions and the place where it was supposed to be gnawed at her memory like there was something deep in the back of her mind trying to get out. She looked intently on the faded scribbles lining the edge of the map trying to read it when the door opened and her mother checked in.

“Amber?” she called. Her heels were clicking on the tiled floor.

“Yes Mom?” Amber closed the book and slipped it back on the shelf before walking to the center table.

“What were you doing?” her mother had her hands on her hips.

“I …uh…”

“You were supposed to be doing our math. You know you’ve got a long way to go if you ever planned to go to university.”

“Mom, that’ll be years later.”

“Yes and it will be years and years more if you don’t study for it now. What will your father say?”

“He would say ‘oh honey, don’t be so hard on her. When I was her age…’” Amber impersonated her dad’s voice and thought it to be a good joke. Her mother thought otherwise.

“The kids downtown are better and smarter than you,” her mother said. “If only you had been sent to a normal school…”

“I wish I was sent to a normal school!” Amber shouted. “Then I wouldn’t have to stay here all day and listen to you complain about everything!”

Amber ran out the door and up to the third floor. She randomly chose a door and went inside to find an old desk facing the window and nothing more. She sat on the desk and cried.

The school bell rang and students started pouring out of the double doors. Some cars were parked on the driveway while waiting for the passengers to finish exchanging notes. The students who didn’t have wheels slowly walked to their destinations while others waited for buses and taxis.

Jared hitched his backpack up and started walking to the mall. It was still three in the afternoon and he knew his mother would still be in the office. The other students were running past him and it wasn’t until he crossed the street to the mall that he felt his bag was heavier. He twisted around and saw a hand pressing his bag down.

“Hey!” said Jared annoyed.

“What’s up J to the red?”

“Mike, cut it out. My bag’s already heavy without your help.” He shrugged off Mike’s hand.

“Sorry.” Mike hung his arm on Jared’s shoulder instead. He was 5 inches taller than Jared and he enjoyed that privilege very much. “The guys are playing today? I thought exam week bans students to play.”

“Exam week doesn’t start until next week.”

The two boys walked into the mall and headed straight to the cyber gaming zone. That part of the mall could sustain its operation even without advertising or giving out discounts. The gamers of the city spent hours upon hours in the fully air conditioned gaming facility. From the outside, non-gamers would not even know that there are more than a hundred players at one time in the area. The place was sound proofed to appease the other mall tenants’ complaints on the noise. This was the place gamers of all ages turned up especially when there’s an ongoing tournament.

“Where did you go last night?” Jared shouted over the music. Though it was muffled on the outside, one could barely hear his voice when inside.

“What?” Mike didn’t even look away from his computer screen.

“Last night, you were talking about the maps. What happened?” said Jared louder.

“I’m sorry I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Mike was busy clicking away on his screen. Then something blipped and a message popped into the screen.

Polaris52: you disappeared last night. Where do the maps lead?

Drinian08: oh, that. The computer shut down. I can’t tell you right now. Talk to you after an hour.

With that, Mike resumed his game of building his fortress, attacking enemy territory and making sure he has enough provisions for his kingdom. Jared followed suite and went off into his own kingly duties.

An hour later, the two stepped out of the gaming zone and started walking to Jared’s home. The neighborhood seemed too quiet. There were some people huddled in front of a TV shop but they seemed too engrossed in what they were watching to notice the sudden rain that started pouring. They all just stood in front of the store. Others took out their umbrellas but they remained riveted on the screen. Jared and Mike ran their way home but not before Jared saw a glimpse of what was on the screen.

“That was weird.’ Jared said when they finally got to his house. His mother still wasn’t home.

“What was weird?” Mike rubbed his shoes on the doormat to at least dry its soles.

“Didn’t you see what those people were watching?” said Jared while his head was inside the refrigerator looking for some food.

“No, not really,” said Mike, plopping on the sofa. “I was too busy trying not to get wet.”

“You’re still trying to figure out if you get less wet if you run or walk?” Jared gave up the search for food and switched the TV on.

“Exactly. It’s just that when you run, you spend less time under the rain than when you walk. On the other hand,” Mike was sitting up straight and acted like he was explaining something that could change the world. “When you run, you hit more raindrops than when you walk.”

“Well, one thing’s for sure, as one man so truthfully said, whether you run or you walk, you still get wet in the rain.” Jared sat on another chair and switched from one channel to another.

“That’s if you’re not bringing an umbrella. That would be a very different case altogether.”

Jared kept changing channels until he found what he was looking for. On the screen, there were two people walking around the inside of a police-line and some people looked familiar.

“Hey, that’s Mrs. Guerrero, the flower shop owner.” Mike pointed at a woman who was frantically explaining something to a police officer.

They were in the market section of the city where the meat shops, flower shops and hardware stores were. The streets were filled with people but the audio on the TV seemed to be muted.

“Turn up the volume” said Mike.

Jared increased the volume but they could only hear murmurs and occasional sniffles and cries of woe and fear. The people were just standing there, like the ones in front of the TV shop, seeming mesmerized. Then the camera zoomed out and the two boys were shocked and confused at what they saw.

“At three in the afternoon, the peaceful seventh street of our city was disrupted when the whole building of Mrs. Guerrero’s flower shop suddenly disappeared.” The reporter on the screen didn’t seem very confident of what she was saying. Her eyes kept shifting and it looked like she was afraid. “Fortunately, nobody was inside when it happened. Witnesses say that the building started to look transparent then completely disappeared. There are no traces of the building’s existence. No trace of it being knocked down or burnt up. It would appear that the building was simply erased.”

A blip on the screen and the news anchor finally changed the story.

Jared’s mother came home a few minutes after Mike had already left. She was exhausted and didn’t even prepare food for herself but only fed her son. She cleaned up the kitchen after then went to bed without a lot of talk which was unusual for her because she was always ready with a list of things to talk about with her son. She had been trying to fill in the silence of the house after her husband died but still couldn’t seem to connect with her son. Jared had actually hoped that his mom would talk about the vanishing house. She worked with the local newspapers and could get all the information she wanted. But even now, her coming home early was weird.

Polaris52: I think she misses him again.

Drinian08: who are we talking about?

Polaris52: my mom. She’s home early and hasn’t even started her ‘how’s school’ drill. I think she misses dad.

Drinian08: that’s normal. Don’t you miss your dad?

Polaris52: I do but it’s different when she misses him. It’s quiet.

Cuddlybear6: hey guys! Did you see the new?

Drinian08: hey jess. Um we’re sort of having a serious talk.

Cuddlybear6: then why’d you accept my conference request?

Mrs. Guerrero’s living with us for the meantime. She’s spooked.

Drinian08: who wouldn’t be? A whole building disappearing. Any conspiracy theories yes?

Cuddlybear6: haven’t seen sam yet. He’s not online either.

Drinian08: maybe he was in the flower shop.

Cuddlybear6: nah. He said he’d be at the zone ‘til 7.

Drinian08: we were at the zone. We didn’t see him. Mike? Hello?

Cuddlybear6: earth to polaris52, come in Polaris

Drinian08: now people are disappearing. I better check the house

Cuddlybear6: yeah. Signing off.

Cuddlybear6 ended the conference

Cortez Manor filled up with reporters at about 6 in the morning. There were tripods and cameras set up in the lobby just in front of the grand staircase. Media men buzzed around the house while waiting for Mr. Cortez to give an official statement.

It was such a coincidence that the Cortez construction had given Mrs. Guerrero a court order on the day the whole building disappeared. Mrs. Guerrero had not been paying rent for a year and it was unfortunate that she had to experience what she did.

When Mr. Cortez stepped into the lobby and addressed the media, his eyes looked heavy and he was a bit distracted.

“I know the first question that all of you are dying to ask of me: did I take the building” he said, looking at the cameras with authority. “The answer is no. any person in their right minds even and especially those who are learned will know that it is impossible to make a whole building disappear without any trace. Magic tricks on smaller objects may be possible but taking out infrastructure such as Mrs. Guerrero’s flower shop is undoubtedly absurd. My only regret is that it had to happen on the day the court order was given thus putting me in the light I am consequently in.”

“Mr. Cortez, are you saying that you did not order the removal of the building you have rented to Mrs. Guerrero?” said one reporter.

“We did not order any such thing. It is our building and we could kick the occupants out if we wished but we would never dream of taking the building away.”

“Mr. Cortez, there have been rumors that these occurrences are the effects of your company’s bankruptcy. Any comment?” said another reporter.

“You said ‘these’, do you mean to say there have been more?” Mr. Cortez started fidgeting and mumbled something to himself.

“I’m sorry, sir. There has been just one for now but what if more buildings disappear?”

“are you implying that I have any responsibility in the missing buildings?” he looked at the reporter who was now unfazed by the sudden tension in the room. “I can assure all of you that the Cortez Construction Company has nothing to do with the disappearances nor do we plan to take part in whatever or whoever is creating this havoc.”

The room then started ringing in a cacophony of phones. Each reporter answered or read their phones and an eerie silence struck the room.

“Mr. Cortez, the mechanic’s building at 11^th street, the one your company also built, just disappeared.”

Amber listened to the discussion that was going on in the lobby. The reporters kept throwing questions at her dad. Soon the police came and asked if they could have a word with him. By 10AM the house finally emptied as the media went scavenging for more clues to the puzzle. Mr. Cortez led the officers to another room where they began a heated investigation.

Amber decided to lock herself in her room for the day. The good thing about having her parents home with lots of business was that she was rarely noticed to exist. Her mother was inside the kitchen throwing orders to the maids for lunch. Home school would have to take a holiday today.

Her room consisted of a great bed with a canopy, a walk-in closet, a study table, a vanity dresser and the most beautiful view outside the window. She personally chose this room because it was the one that was soundproofed and she didn’t need to hear everything else outside her doors.

She took her place on the windowsill and started staring at the horizon. Her room was on the second floor and could afford her a view of the city dotted with the edges of the trees in their mountain. She looked past the public school building, which was the tallest in the city and fixed her eyes on a brown spot at the very edge of the shore. There, in that brown spot, was the only memory of her being on the outside world.

She was only eight back then. Her parents had decided to bring her along to the sea so she could experience a bit of ordinary life. She practically flew to the car and waited excitedly for the driver to lead them in a road trip to the sea. She kept bouncing in her seat while her other kept a hold of her. Her father laughed and took videos of them when they finally stepped into the sand. It had felt like modeling clay under Amber’s feet and she waded in the water forgetting to raise her skirt so that she ended up with her clothes wet. Everything was dream like to her until the reporters started swarming toward them.

And that was the end of her happiest day in the ordinary world.

There was a knock on the door and a maid came in with a tray full of food.

“Your mom said it would be best if you stayed in here until the investigation is over” she said as she carefully placed the tray on a makeshift table she also rolled in.

“Thanks” Amber said, helping the maid take the food out of the tray and on to the table.

“Just call me when you need anything, Miss Amber,” the maid said before turning back out the door.

Amber took an apple and took a bite before sneezing uncontrollably that she let the apple roll to the side of the room. She scrambled for some tissues and wiped her nose. The apple had rested on a wall beside her study table. Amber stooped down and took the apple, trying to decide if she should throw it away or wash it. Something caught her eye, however. Right under the table, the wall paneling had peeled away and where a wooden wall should be was a gold frame.

She threw the apple back on the table with the other food then bent down under the study table. Strips of wallpaper had already fallen off and little prodding from her finally cleaned the wall to reveal the whole of the gold frame. It wasn’t a picture or a painting. Right in the middle of the frame was a groove that would have been on drawers without handles. It fit Amber’s fingers and she pulled on it as if she were opening a drawer. The gold frame swiveled like a door to reveal a bigger opening. There was enough space for Amber to crawl into. Her only concern was that it was pitch black.

“Years of living in this room and I’ve only seen this now?” she said to herself. “I guess I’m losing my detective eyes.”

The darkness inside sent a shiver through her. She wasn’t afraid of the dark as most people are, but she was afraid of what lies behind the darkness. She backed away and sat on her bed leaving the small door open. There was a big possibility of rats and other crawling things inside that compartment and if there were, she wanted them out before she decided to explore it.

After a half hour staring at the small door, Amber was convinced that there were no rats inside. She took a penlight out of her dresser drawer and made a quick scan of the compartment. She had already decided not to tell the maids or her parents about her discovery until she knew exactly what it was. Inch by inch, Amber crawled into the dusty wall and immediately found her face with cobwebs. She had to stifle her scream by crawling faster, deeper into the wall hoping another opening would come soon. With only her penlight to guide her, she saw that the crawlspace was built intentionally for crawling. There were cushions on the top to prevent from bumping one’s head. The floor was matted so that Amber’s jeans didn’t collect dust from the tiles but from the years of accumulated dust on the carpet.

Another minute passed and Amber knocked on a wall at the very end of the tunnel. She used the light and her hands to search for a handle and finally found it covered in cobwebs. One push and light burst into the tunnel. Amber crawled out, blinking in the light and it took her a while before she saw where she was.

“Am I still in the house?” she looked around the room, bewildered.

The room was filled with plants and trees. It was all green and the tiled floors had turned into dirt. The roof was replaced by the sky.

“What is a green house doing inside the house—on the second floor?”

Amber rubbed her eyes and checked if the plants were real.

“Impossible” she whispered.

“No, it’s not.”

Amber jumped at the sound of another voice.

From behind one of the overgrown bushes, an old lady wearing work clothes slowly came out. She walked slowly to Amber, careful to further frighten her. Amber stiffened and her hold on her penlight tightened.

“Hello Amber,” the old lady said. “You’re finally here.”

“Who are you?” amber studied the lady’s face. It was wrinkled but it was a happy face.

“I’m your Aunt Bee. I’ve been wondering when you’d visit me.”

“Aunt Bee? I don’t think I have an Aunt Bee in my family.” Amber stepped back and almost slipped on a rock.

“Nonsense. You’ve known me for a long time.” Aunt Bee held a leaf that was on the ground and frowned. “Your family’s having a hard time.”

“Wait, how do you know about my family? And what do you mean I’ve known you for a long time?” Amber looked around to see if there was anything familiar. Maybe they’ve been there when she was younger.

“Oh Amber.” Aunt Bee started walking towards a clearing. “This isn’t a green house.”

Amber followed Bee even though she knew she should go back through the tunnel. They walked further into the wood where a river started calling out to them. The trickle of water and the rushing current seemed to have a voice and it was singing.

“Where are you going, Bee? Where will you take Amber?” the river asked.

Bee smiled to Amber then told the river “I’m going to introduce her to the caretaker.”

They walked further. The trees started growing closer to each other and Amber’s shirt kept getting caught in the branches.

“Ow!” she squealed when a branch cut her arm.

“Shh,” said Bee. “The caretaker doesn’t like noise.”

“Can I just meet him some other time?” she placed her hanky on the arm wound. “Why do I have to meet him anyway?”

“Get down!”

Just then a bird flew right out the window of a small house followed by a shoe. The house was wedged between two cedar trees. The shingles were in disarray and the plants surrounding the house were dying.

“He’s not a very good caretaker isn’t he?” Amber said from behind a large root.

“I told you you’ve been here before.” Bee smiled and started toward the house.

“What do you mean?” Amber caught up with her just as she stopped in front of the door.

“I never told you the caretaker was a man.” Bee tapped on the door and it rang like bells on the church.

Amber instinctively covered her ears but wondered why Bee was smiling at her as if she’s crazy. “Don’t you hear that?” she said over the bells.

“I do, but it’s not that loud. Look around,” Bee gestured to the woods. “It hasn’t even disturbed the birds.”

Amber put her hands down. When the bells stopped ringing, the door opened and a handsome man’s head popped out.

“Bee, what are you doing here?” he asked cautiously.

“We have a guest.” Bee patted Amber’s shoulder and the caretaker’s eyes widened.

“Get in, quickly!”

The caretaker practically threw the two girls inside. He shut the door and locked it from the inside. What Amber saw next convinced her that she was dreaming.

The small house extended farther than what the outside structure looked. From the entryway, she could see a hallway with a number of closed doors much like the hallways in her own house. Peeking through one door, she saw a living room complete with sofa, coffee table and fireplace. The other doors were locked and there were a number of signs that looked like names of the rooms. One door had the sign ‘Peppermint Soup’. Another was named ‘red, white and blue’. At the very end of the hallway, before the stairs to the second floor started was a door named ‘corn root mol’, which didn’t really make any sense.

“Let’s get inside the safe room” said the caretaker, walking briskly to a room named ‘Falling Rocks’.

Inside the room was all metal. The door was encased in a vault like gray. The tables and chairs were bolted on the floor and the metal frames on the wall were blinking like TV screens. Amber sat on one end of the metal table while the other two sat on either side of her.

“Nobody saw you come in?” the caretaker said, tapping wildly on the table. It looked like he was typing.

“Just the bird you threw out.” Bee smiled, instantly warming the depressingly gray room.

“He was an annoying guest.” He chuckled. “The mocking bird wouldn’t stop mocking.”

“I’m guessing he sides with the invaders.” Bee leaned on the chair and looked up.

It was then that Amber saw that the ceiling was…

 ---to be continued. =)