From the first day Caleb set foot in the old house, he had been fascinated by the old metal door with the strange lock. Well, the lock itself wasn’t so strange—just old. But the pig with a collar that seemed to be leaping through the handle certainly was.
His stepfather refused to discuss the door, which was always locked, or what lay behind it. This only fueled Caleb’s curiosity. Vowing to find a way in, he typed “how to pick a lock” into his browser and began to read.
Caleb spent months trying to pick that lock. He had become proficient, picking locks all over the city just for fun. But the pig door remained closed. He swore his stepfather knew about his efforts and was laughing at him. It only made Caleb more determined.
He finally broached the subject with his older sister.
“What do you want to get into that room for anyway?” Peg asked.
“Don’t you think it’s kind of strange that Bert is so determined to keep us out?”
“I didn’t know he was. I’ve never tried to go in there.”
“Aren’t you even a little curious?” Caleb asked.
“Well, I am now.” Peg set the book she had been reading down on her bed and headed to Bert’s toolshed.
“What are you doing?” Caleb trailed behind her. “You’re headed in the wrong direction. Besides, if you’re looking for something to pick the lock with, you’re headed in the wrong direction.”
Peg raised an eyebrow. “You said you already tried to pick it. Like a million times.” She grabbed a hammer from the tool bench and headed purposefully toward the mystery room.
Caleb supposed it was a good time, since their mom and Bert were out for the evening. But…“Are you crazy? If you dent the door, Bert’s going to lose it.”
Peg just laughed. They reached the door and she started examining the side farthest from the lock. Nodding to herself, she started to tap the bottom hinge pin. It loosened and rose up a bit. She lifted it out the rest of the way, then started on the top hinge.
Caleb’s face reddened as his sister pulled the door open enough to slip through to the room beyond. Curiosity overcame embarrassment. He slipped in behind her. The room was dark, with only a little light seeping in from the hallway.
Peg, quicker than Caleb, already had her phone out. She turned on the flashlight and panned the room with it. Nothing. The room was empty with bare walls and floor. Caleb froze, immobilized by disappointment. He had been sure there would be something epic in here.
Caleb led the way out of the room and helped Peg return the hinge pins to their places. “Well, that was a waste of time.”
Peg smiled. “It kept you busy for a few months,” she answered. “Now what are you going to do?”
“No idea. For now, why don’t we order a pizza and put on a movie.”
As they headed for the living room, had they listened carefully, they might have heard a voice come from the locked room.
“The humans are gone. It’s safe.”
They would not have seen the elf drop his spell, revealing an entire, magical world, contained entirely within the locked room.
This story came from a title prompt from Reedsy: write a story with the title, “The Locked Door.” I searched for an image before starting to write. Once I found it, the rest was easy.
That was fun, and a lot less scary than it could have been. 😄
I was as disappointed as Caleb until they shut the door and the elf returned the room to magical. 🐷🦄✨