Adrian looked at his wife with a steady, serious gaze.
Brenda refused to meet his eyes as she stood still.
Adrian: Mia, what did you just say?
Mia: I see stepmom press the button when you sleep.
Brenda: She is just having bad dreams, Adrian!
Mia: No, I woke up to drink water last night.
Mia: I saw her open the secret door.
Adrian: Is this true, Brenda?
Brenda: Of course it is not true, Adrian!
Brenda: You know how creative her imagination can be.
Mia: I heard a voice asking her to let him out!
The words made the air in the room feel very cold.
Adrian felt a heavy knot form inside his stomach.
He remembered how Brenda often woke up late at night.
She always claimed she was just getting extra glass of milk.
Now her face was completely white with pure terror.
She looked around the room as if searching for an escape.
Adrian: Who is down there, Brenda?
Brenda: Nobody is down there, I swear to you!
Adrian: Then why are you crying right now?
Brenda: Because you are taking a child's story seriously!
Adrian stepped past his wife without another word.
He looked closely at the polished golden brass fitting.
It looked like a normal decorative accent on the mantle.
But a small gap showed in the stone mortar around it.
He raised his thumb toward the small round button.
Brenda reached out to grab his sleeve with shaking fingers.
He pulled his arm back gently and stepped forward.
His thumb pressed down firmly against the cool brass surface.
A loud metallic click echoed inside the hollow wall.
Deep mechanical gears began to hum behind the heavy stone.
Mia took a quick step back toward the table.
Brenda covered her open mouth with both of her hands.
The massive center section of the fireplace began to move.
Dust fell from the ceiling as the heavy stone split apart.
It slowly slid back to reveal a dark, hidden doorway.
Cold air rushed out from the dark space inside.
A steep flight of concrete stairs led down into pitch blackness.
Adrian stared into the dark passage with wide eyes.
He could hear a soft sound coming from below.
It sounded like someone breathing in the dark space.