Mark stood inside the bright hallway of his family estate.
The sun streamed through the large front windows onto the light wooden floors.
He had just returned home early from a long business trip.
The house was quiet, except for the soft footsteps of his young daughter.
Three-year-old Lily was carefully walking down the long corridor.
She was holding a white porcelain plate with both of her small hands.
On the plate sat two neatly trimmed sandwiches.
Mark smiled slightly, assuming she was carrying a snack to the playroom.
However, Lily did not turn toward the play area at all.
Instead, she walked straight toward a blank white wall near the staircase.
Mark watched with growing curiosity as his toddler knelt on the floor.
She gently set the white plate down right against the baseboard.
Mark: Lily, what are you doing?
Lily jumped slightly at the sound of her father's deep voice.
She turned her head and offered him a innocent, silent smile.
Mark walked closer, his heavy leather shoes squeaking against the polished floor.
He looked down at the plate sitting against the solid wall.
There was no small table nearby and no pet bowl in sight.
Mark: Why are you putting your lunch on the ground, sweetie?
Lily pointed a tiny finger directly at the bottom of the wall.
Lily: Hungry.
Mark frowned as he bent down to take a closer look.
He touched the decorative wood trim along the base of the wall.
Suddenly, a faint click echoed down the quiet hallway.
A narrow section of the wall panel shifted out by half an inch.
Mark's heart skipped a beat as he realized the wall wasn't solid.
Behind him, he heard the sharp heel clicks of his wife approaching.
Eleanor stood at the end of the hall in her crisp cream blouse.
Her face had drained completely of color.
Eleanor: Mark, step back from there right now!
Mark didn't move as he stared at the hidden seam in his house.
He had owned this mansion for over five full years.
He had never known a hidden door existed in this hallway.
Mark: Eleanor, what is this panel doing here?
Eleanor wrung her hands tightly together in front of her brown skirt.
Eleanor: It is just old wiring storage from the previous owner.
Mark reached out his hand and gripped the edge of the panel.
He pulled the narrow wooden door completely open.
A cold draft blew out from the dark space inside the wall.
Mark leaned forward and stared straight into the dark shadows.