The Lost Room

The wall felt smooth as Alex ran his hands along it. The room was not as it should have been, and yet nothing seemed out of place.  The bookshelves were dusty, but no lever on any of them.  It was said that the lady of the manor would disappear, and no one could find her spot. It was said that she hid some valuable items from her own family for safety. Yet Alex looked around the ornate room with the plaster ceiling and vibrant wallpaper.  It was an old house that no one seemed to find the secret room.  Alex looked at the beauty of the room, and yet it lay empty for so long.  The walls were smooth, and there was no secret opening.  It was a mystery that so many failed to find. The room was a puzzle box that Alex was going to test.  The puzzle was the entrance point, and there was no indication yet. 

Amy came into the room with the bag of food as Alex stared around. His eyes followed every line, and Amy was just tired.  She opened the burger as Alex turned around.  His stomach growled as he joined her on the floor.  His eyes headed towards the food as he sat, trying to fill his stomach. The food filled his belly, and his eyes began to wander around the room. Suddenly, he saw a small indent on the back wall. It was just a small one headed right towards it. It was almost straight, and yet the wallpaper was perfect.  Amy cleaned up the rest of the meal and folded the blanket.  The entrance puzzled Alex as he went around with no clear way to open it.  Nothing around it pushed it open. So, both tried on the side of the wall. Yet no budging as they pushed their hardest. Yet they sat on the floor, still looking at where it could open.   

Alex lay on the bare floor, staring at the ceiling.  The chandelier's eyes sparked light.  The path had to be in the room, somewhere. He looked down at the floor and stared at the ornate bookshelves. The trim was different, and he went over to them, curious.  As Alex slowly looked for a trigger, Amy was on the other end.   Even the worst result was disappointment until Alex pressed a panel on the back, and one of the bookshelves opened.  Both stood in amazement.  Alex gently stepped inside the back room, and Amy heard more voices in the house.  The other's footsteps became louder as they entered the main room.  The bookshelf quickly shut as they entered the room, also looking for the lost room.

"If we can find the room, we can get the inheritance that is owed from the crazy old lady," the first voice stated.

"First, we have the room and how to enter, and no one has found that yet," the second voice commented.

Alex and Amy slowly turned on their flashlights as they searched for a place to hide, as they could be heard near the bookshelf.  The musty smell resonated with its long disuse, and the cobwebs were horrendous.  The old chair was worn but looked like it had been used often, at least in its heyday.  The many antiques were worth quite a bundle as they headed into the long-forsaken room; finally, a closet held the worn clothes of a wealthy heiress. The ballgowns with frills hung alone, along with the many lost memories.  Alex and Amy tucked behind the dresses and waited, but the fumbling never pushed the right panel.  As the argument went, they left the room; they left the closet. The room was large and eloquent with its own chandelier.  The sitting area was filled with stacked books for the old lady to pass the time.  Some of the books were first editions and rare. They sat in just a pile as if she had never returned them to the bookshelf. The old stack of magazines from the early era.  Its designs were well preserved.  The old art hung on the walls, and even a forgotten Van Gogh.  The candlesticks were ornately made with such fine detail.  The small couch was used as a bed with a pillow and blanket. The slump was much more developed now, but this all had to be worth a lot.

Alex and Amy looked around with wonder and amazement. The room retained the charm and mystique of the old days, a refuge filled with memories and real events.  As the old architecture left unchanged was a picture of the past. The old lady would watch the fire in the fireplace, nodding off to sleep, surrounded by exquisite jewelry and fashion from the age of elegance. Her story was told through the generations.  All the ornate designs and vintage furniture evoked a sense of timeless elegance, making the space feel like a treasured secret of the past.

"The voice said something about an inheritance for finding this place," Amy stated.

"First, we must find our way out of the room before looking into that," Alex replied.

They went back to the bookshelves, and it would not reopen.  The same lever did not work on the other side.  It was an excellent find, even with filming their vlog about exploring old places. Now they had been struck in the very place everyone wanted to find.  The situation was no better, and the old house creaked as they hoped to escape.  The old furniture was no longer comfortable, nor was the old couch.  The colors were awful but popular for the time. Alex tried to turn on a lamp that looked art deco.  With no avail, it was impossible for the bulbs to last this long.  The flashlights and phones were the only way to see now.  The areas were unclear, as he was Alex, who kept pushing panels on the bookshelves but found a small wire. He followed it to another section on the wall. A small button on the wall was placed in a fixture, and with that, the bookcase reopened.  Both breathed freely in the dark old manor that had seen better days. Even the room was dark again as the bookshelf closed. 

Taking one more look around the room before running out of there after another push of the button. The old ballroom was much darker, and they ran out to finally leave.  The next day, they returned to the scene to prove that they had found it.  The trustee of the estate was staring in boredom and yet had to make sure they were the ones to see it.  Alex went to the panel with pride, pushing it, but nothing happened.  The footage was too dark to fully tell, and the room would not reveal itself this time.  The trustee rolled her eyes and only commented that the money was gone, but she was ready to leave.  Amy pushed the bottom border with her foot as Alex quickly pressed it again.  The bookshelf moves to the dismay of the trustee and the lawyer.  All entered the musty room with wonder as the mystery had been solved.  All the will states where she was going to be released into the world, and yet we stand here.  The money ran out a long time ago, and now this will have to be turned into a museum with these incredible artifacts.  Alex and Amy stood in the room they had found and still none the richer. One last glance at the finesse of the room and beautiful architecture.  The past had pride in what they built, and it stands in the time it was last entered.  The last time it was seen, they left the old room. 

They went back to the house, but it was secured after the museum opened.  Both sat outside the home, wishing for the money, not the taxes that came with it.  As they looked at the old footage, the room was different, and yet there was no going back in this time around.  The story of the old lady and the fall of her wealth was the story, and they would never be recognized for finding the missing room.