When Anywhere’s a Better Place to Be

Discoveries under the house

Photo by SHTTEFAN on Unsplash

We were laughing.

My sister and me.

The cool mud against our summer skin.

The darkness added a layer of adventure to our trip.

There were some sticks and nails — and most certainly bugs we couldn’t see.

Then, we heard it.

The creaking of the floorboards.

Directly above us.

I looked at her and told her to be quiet.

And we listened.

And we laughed.

Our parents thought we were in the backyard and didn’t see us.

They searched our rooms.

Nothing.

And now they were walking the floors of our ranch-style home, shouting for us.

Finally, my dad went outside again. And noticed something he hadn’t before.

The little door to the crawlspace was cracked open just a bit.

Could it be?

Yes. Yes, that’s where we were.

He was both relieved and very, very angry.

But then, he was always very, very angry.