The morning light streamed through the towering windows of the grand study.
Young Eli played quietly on the soft rug with his wooden toy train set.
His father, Mark, was out in the city attending an important business meeting.
His mother, Sarah, sat at her polished oak desk sorting through stacks of mail.
The mansion was usually completely silent during these slow morning hours.
Eli pushed his train near the massive oil painting hanging on the far wall.
The painting showed a landscape of a dark, thick forest framed in heavy gold.
Suddenly, the small boy froze as a strange sound echoed near his ear.
It sounded like a quiet, muffled thumping coming from directly behind the canvas.
Eli stood up on his toes and pressed his left ear close to the wood.
He heard the faint sound of fingernails gently scraping against hard plaster.
Curiosity immediately took over the young boy's wild imagination.
He reached his hands up and grabbed the thick golden edge of the frame.
He slowly tugged on the heavy portrait, pulling it away from the wallpaper.
A thick layer of grey dust fell onto the clean wooden floorboards below.
Behind the canvas, a deep dark seam ran down the center of the wall.
Eli put his small fingers inside the hidden crease to peel it wider.
Sarah looked up from her desk and saw what her little boy was doing.
Her face instantly lost all of its natural color in a single second.
The stack of bills in her delicate hands scattered across the polished floor.
She sprang out of her leather chair with pure panic in her eyes.
Sarah: Eli, leave that alone right now!
She sprinted across the large room as fast as her feet could carry her.
Her high heels clicked loudly against the hard floor in the quiet house.
Eli turned his head around, looking confused by his mother's sudden loud scream.
Eli: But Mom, somebody is tapping on the inside of the wall!
Sarah grabbed her small son by his shoulders and pulled him back roughly.
She quickly tried to push the heavy golden frame back into its spot.
Her hands shook wildly as she struggled to align the metal wall hooks.
At that exact moment, the front entrance door swung open down the hall.
Mark walked into the quiet house carrying his black leather briefcase.
He had returned early from his meeting to surprise his loving family.
He heard his wife's sharp voice echoing from the back study room.
Mark walked down the wide hallway and stepped into the brightly lit study.
He saw Sarah trembling while standing right against the dark forest painting.
Her face was completely pale, and sweat beaded on her nervous forehead.
Mark: Sarah, what is going on in here?
Eli slipped out of his mother's tight grip and ran toward his father.
Eli: Dad, there is a hidden noise coming from inside our wall!
Mark set his heavy briefcase down on the floor with a loud thud.
He looked at his wife's panicked expression with growing suspicion in his heart.
Mark: Move away from the wall, Sarah.
Sarah stepped in front of the portrait, shaking her head in complete desperation.
Sarah: It is just old pipes rattling inside the house, Mark!
Mark stepped forward calmly, his eyes narrowing into a sharp, icy stare.
He reached past his wife and firmly grabbed the heavy wooden frame.
With one violent tug, he ripped the entire painting completely off the wall.