“My older brother gives me ‘sleeping tea’ every night… until one night I pretended to drink it and discovered the secret hidden inside our house.

I tried again, higher.

Nothing.

My palms were sweating.

Then I noticed something near the baseboard: a small mark, like someone had scratched it repeatedly.

I slipped my finger underneath.

Pushed.

Click.

The panel opened like an old wooden sigh.

The smell hit me immediately.

Dampness.

Mold.

Dust.

And something else.

A chemical scent.

Chlorine.

Like someone was cleaning far too much down there.