The Hidden Bedroom

Another dreary day. Amanda sighed. She longed for the sunshine and the beaches of the coast, but she had no idea when she would see them again. Ever since moving inland to this rainy place, she hadn't seen the sun once. 

As the rain started to come down again, Amanda stepped away from the window. She started to wander around the large old house again, not quite sure what she was looking for.

The one thing that was interesting about this place, though, was the new discoveries she was making in this house. Yesterday she had discovered a new room. A door within one of the bedrooms had led to another smaller room. She hadn't had time to look around it, though, since her mom had called her to dinner. But maybe now she would be able to see if there was anything interesting there.

She walked up to the third floor, the stairs creaking underneath her feet. She had never believed in ghosts, but sometimes she thought this place might be haunted. She sometimes heard strange sounds at night. They seemed to be coming from above her and yet outside of the house somehow. It was hard to explain. 

In fact, it might have been coming from the hidden bedroom, or at least somewhere in that area. All the more reason to investigate, Amanda thought. Maybe if she could prove this place was haunted, her parents would want to move. Why did they have to move here anyway? All because her father had gotten that job at that museum. And he thought this house was such a bargain, despite being a drafty fixer-upper. Amanda hated it. From their house near the beach, they could hear the ocean. The funny thing was, though, Amanda sometimes felt like she could hear the ocean here. She had tried to tell her mom yesterday.

"Honey, I know you miss the ocean, and I'm not surprised you think you hear it," her mom had said. "We're nowhere near the ocean, though."

"I know," Amanda said bitterly. "Why did we have to come here?"

"You know what a great opportunity this is for your father, Mandy," her mom said.

Amanda cringed. "Mom, you know I hate being called Mandy now."

Her mom sighed. "Sorry, Amanda. Anyway, why don't you spend some time exploring outside and see what this place has to offer? Just don’t go too far. Dinner will be ready in a half-hour."

Amanda scowled. "It’s going to start raining soon. It's always raining here. I don’t want to go out if it’s not sunny."

Sulking, Amanda had stalked off and wandered around the house until she found the secret bedroom. And now she was going to find out if this place was haunted. 

Once she got up to the bedroom, she was surprised as she heard the ocean sounds again. Was she still imagining it? She had to be. Or, maybe it was proof that this place was haunted. Determined, Amanda turned the doorknob and marched into the bedroom. 

But it looked exactly the same as yesterday, an empty room full of cobwebs. Amanda sneezed. Certainly no signs of the ocean here, but plenty of dust. Why did she bother coming up here again?

Just as she turned to head back out, though, she heard it. The unmistakable sound of crashing waves. She turned back around. Was she losing her mind? There was still nothing there.

But then she saw it. A sliver of light coming from the closet door. Why would there be light under the closet door? There certainly wasn't a light bulb on in there. 

Curious, Amanda moved toward the door. Butterflies filled her stomach as she opened it.

She gasped. What should have been a small closet was instead a long entranceway with a light at the end. How was this possible? This couldn't possibly be in the house.

Amanda turned around. Still the same empty bedroom. 

Should she tell her parents? But what if it disappeared?

After a few moments of debating, Amanda's curiosity finally won out. She took a deep breath and walked down the hallway and through the portal.

What she saw took her breath away. Everything she had been longing for stood in front of her. A long stretch of beach with the ocean lapping up to the sand. Bright sunshine in a pure blue sky. She closed her eyes, and she could smell the familiar scent of salt in the air. It smelled like home. When she opened her eyes again, the ocean was still in front of her, the sight of the gentle waves calming her.

She took her shoes off and ran down the beach, enjoying the feel of the sand against her feet. Then she laughed and sat down in the sand, just watching the ocean for awhile. She had missed this so much.

Amanda knew this had to be a dream, but she was determined to enjoy every moment until she woke up. She didn't want to be back in that dreary house with the rain pouring down outside. She wanted to be here, enjoying the sunshine on the beach. 

Amanda laid down on the sand, feeling the warmth beneath her, and closed her eyes again. She dozed off, and she was surprised to wake up with the sun still beaming overhead. Why hadn't she woken up in that old house with her mother yelling that dinner was ready yet? What time was it?

She looked around. Whatever this place was was completely empty. As much as it looked like home, one thing was missing: Normally, there would be quite a few people hanging out on the beach.

She had been so certain this was all a dream that she hadn't even worried about where she had come from or how far she had gone. What if this was real? How would she get back?

She ran back down the beach, her heart pounding as panic began to set in. What if she was stuck here? What if she had no way home? What if she never saw her family again?

"I'm sorry," Amanda said to no one in particular. As far as she could tell, there was no one here to hear her. "I didn't mean it. I might not like that house much, but I still want to be with my family. I don't want to be here alone."

Tears stung her eyes as she looked around frantically. Then she saw it. A cave with a wide opening, and as she crept closer, she thought she could hear rain. 

Amanda had no idea if this cave would even really lead back to her house, but she had to take a chance. She ran up to the cave, and as she passed by the entrance, the cave changed back to a hallway, and up ahead was the bedroom. She raced ahead, and as she entered the bedroom, the hallway vanished behind her, and now there was just an empty closet.

"What was that?" Amanda whispered, staring at the closet. Had that been some kind of hallucination?

"Amanda!" her mom was shouting.

"I'm up here!" Amanda shouted back.

Her mom walked into the room, frowning. "There you are. Where on earth have you been? I've looked everywhere for you. What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Amanda just shook her head and put her arms around her mom. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" her mom asked. "Where did you go?"

Amanda sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I was up here."

Her mom frowned. "But I checked here, twice. I checked the whole house. I didn't see you anywhere. I thought you might have gone out in the storm."

Amanda shook her head. Wherever she was, her mom would never believe her. "Well, I'm here now."

Her mom shook her head. "Well, don't take off again without telling me. We're not used to storms like this. I wouldn't want you to get caught out there somewhere and not be able to find your way home."

"I won't take off, Mom," Amanda said. "I promise."