The Worst Feeling In Her Life
Ally can hardly breathe. She feels dizzy, sick to the bottom of her stomach. She stands at the top of the stairs and looks down into the darkness. It was supposed to be their dream home, but her discovery was quickly turning it into a nightmare.
What was at the bottom of the stairs? When they bought the house, nobody had mentioned a basement. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was going to figure this out, one way or another. But little did she know that the worst was yet to come.
A Picture Perfect Couple
Ally and Mark were meant for each other. They were high school sweethearts. They were king and queen at prom, and everyone knew they’d get married the second they laid eyes on each other. The ceremony was beautiful, and they couldn’t wait to start their lives together.
It all seemed like a fairytale romance, the kind you get in movies and on postcards. But Ally began to realize that not every fairytale has a happy ending.
A Slow Kind Of Heartbreak
Ally and Mark used to spend all their time together. They used to laugh at silly things, and Ally had felt like she was on cloud nine when Mark walked into the room. But even though their relationship had started out that way, it wasn’t to last.
Over the years, Mark became more and more distant. He’d stay at work late, go out on the weekends. Ally felt trapped in her tiny house in the city. She knew they had to get out before their marriage crumbled further. So she made a big decision.
The Big Decision
Ally grew up in the country, in rural Indiana. She remembered running through the fields and playing by the river in the summer. But now she was stuck in a polluted city while her husband worked a dead-end job. She wanted to go back.
Ally and Mark talked and decided to move back to Indiana, somewhere more open, where they could feel the fresh air on their faces. They were going to start over… but they’d soon discover that it’s impossible to leave the past behind.
They Kept Fighting
Ally and Mark looked for houses for months, but the neighborhood wasn’t like she remembered. Everything seemed so small, so run-down. The stress of finding a house meant she kept fighting with her husband.
They were close to giving up. Ally was about to put her dream of living in the country back on the shelf. She’d have to stay in her cramped city apartment, though it wouldn’t make her happy. Then Mark got a phone call.
The Phone Call
It came while they were having their morning coffee. Mark’s phone lit up and he grabbed it off the table. Maybe a little quicker than he should have. Ally wondered who could be calling, and why Mark would be so anxious.
The House In The Woods
Mark explained that the realtor had called him about a house that sounded perfect. It was enormous, an old property with acres of land and a white picket fence. It had everything.
In fact, it wasn’t far from where Ally had grown up. It was like the house was calling out to them. The only thing was, the realtor had struggled to sell it for years…
The Former Owners
The realtor had insisted to Mark that there was no problem with the house. But, strangely, the former owners had left in a hurry. They’d left most of their belongings behind and disappeared forever.
Ally wanted to call the realtor back and ask him a simple question: why? But Mark said that Ally was worrying over nothing and they couldn’t turn down this opportunity. They at least had to go see the house. Something in Ally knew that she should never have even looked at that house in the woods, but she agreed.
The Most Beautiful House In America
Ally and Mark drove out of the city. It was October, and the leaves on the trees were falling like melting gold. They saw the house in the woods with its white picket fence and they immediately fell in love.
Inside, it was huge. There was an amazing fireplace and beautiful windows. It was the most gorgeous house Ally had ever seen. But she knew there had to be some kind of catch.
The Wind In The Walls
The old kitchen was long and cold. The realtor explained that dozens of servants had once used it, but now it was a relic. Ally turned up the collar of her coat. There was an icy draft in the room, but Ally could never have guessed where it was coming from.
The realtor looked around nervously. It was the windows, he said. They were old and let in a draft, but they were easily replaced. In fact, if they bought the house then he’d have the windows replaced for free. It all sounded too good to be true.
Sign On The Dotted Line
There was something in Ally’s gut that told her that this was wrong, but she knew she’d never again get the chance to buy a house like this. So she and Mark signed on the dotted line and got ready to move into their new home.
As the move-in day got closer and closer, Ally got more and more excited. She began to forget about the former owners; she forgot about the strange draft in the kitchen. She never should have let it out of her mind.
A Fairytale Ending?
The move went off without a hitch. Mark started a new job that paid twice his old salary, and they loved decorating the house exactly as they wanted. There was no doubt in their minds that this was their dream home.
They’d manage to start afresh. It was like they were newlyweds all over again, more in love with each other than ever. But that’s not where this story ends.
The Secrets Of The Old House
Mark worked long hours. Ally was left at home, trying to find something to do. She decided to explore the house, fixing up the little problems she found: maybe a picture was slanted here, or the door needed an extra bit of paint there. But her curiosity was her first mistake.
She went back to the old kitchen. Just as the realtor had promised, the windows were completely new. They looked a little out of place, but Ally didn’t mind. It was something else that worried her.
The Icy Chill
Ally was cold. She ran her fingers along the edge of the windows, but she suddenly realised something that made her skin crawl: the icy breeze wasn’t coming from the windows at all.
She tried to focus and find the source of the draft. The hairs on her arms stood on end as she followed the breeze. But she never could have been prepared for what she was about to find.
The Source Of The Breeze
Ally was about to give up on her search. She’d looked high and low through the old kitchen and had found nothing. But then she noticed something – there was a gap in the wall behind the refrigerator.
She got on her hands and knees and ran her fingers along the gap. It was cold. She saw marks on the floor. It was as if someone had moved the refrigerator before. Ally felt as if her heart had stopped, but she knew what she had to do.
Uncovering The Secret
Ally summoned up her strength and began to move the refrigerator. The metal shrieked as it moved across the floor, but slipped into its old grooves, etched into the wood.
She breathed deeply. She’d managed to move it, and now she could take a proper look at the strange gap in the wall. But in the full light of day, it was even stranger than it had first appeared.
The Secret Door
It wasn’t just a gap in the wall. Now that she could see it properly, Ally knew exactly what she was looking at. The biggest gap was at the bottom of the wall, and thin lines ran up either side.
There was no mistaking it: this was a door. The refrigerator had covered it up, and without the draft she probably never would have noticed it. Ally’s heart began to beat faster and faster. She felt dizzy. But her ordeal was far from over.
Who Lives In The Walls?
Ally was terrified. The realtor hadn’t mentioned this door. It wasn’t in the plans for the house. She began to wonder where the door could possibly lead, and why it had been hidden.
She wondered if someone else was living in the house, hiding away in the walls. Had they been watching her all along? Had someone been spying on her and Mark, all while they thought they were living in their dream house? Ally felt a chill run down her spine, but she never could have guessed the real reason for the door.
Opening The Door
Ally ran her fingers along the wallpaper that hid the secret door. It was peeling at the edges. But then she gripped something behind the wallpaper. A handle.
She took a deep breath and began to pull. The door creaked on its hinges and dust fell to the floor. As scared as she was, she knew there was no going back now.
The Stairs That Go Down, And Down, And Down
Behind the door was a hallway, the air musty and old. Ally could hear cockroaches scuttling around, though she couldn’t see them. And just in front of her, in the dark, was a set of stairs.
She squinted in the gloom and tried to make out what was at the bottom of the stairs, but it was too dark. She would have to take the risk of going down.
The Creaking Steps
Ally clung to the wall in the blackness and took her first step. The wood of the stairs was cold and warped, creaking as she went. No one had come down here for years. But Ally was determined to figure out what was going on in her house.
Gingerly she made her way down. Every second felt like an hour, and she coughed on the foul air. She began to wonder if this was a bad idea, but it was already too late.
The Bottom Of The Stairs
Suddenly, Ally’s foot moved from wood to concrete. She’d reached the bottom of the stairs, and the sound of her shoe hitting the stone floor echoed in all directions. She couldn’t go any further down, but she could see nothing.
Ally heard the insects skittering about. One ran over her foot, its feelers brushing against her leg. She wanted to scream, but she knew that no one was around to help. She was perfectly alone.
Let There Be Light
Ally ran her hands along the wall, searching for a light switch. She found a cord hanging in front of her and immediately wanted to pull it. Anything to be out of this darkness.
She almost wanted to be back in her cramped city apartment, far away from this old house in the woods. Far away from this cold, creepy basement. But even if she wanted to leave now, it was too dark to turn back…
Thinking Of Mark
Ally wondered what Mark was doing now. He’d been so excited on the phone, so keen to buy this house. He’d almost made her do it. Had he known about the secret door? She thought back to the knowing looks between her husband and the realtor.
Or maybe he was completely ignorant. He was at his new job, laughing and joking with colleagues. What if she never made it out of here? He’d think that his wife had disappeared forever. Maybe that was his plan.
The Discovery
Ally knew that it was now or never. She pulled down on the cord; lights began to buzz and blink in the basement. Motes of dust hung in the air like flies, and she blinked at the sudden illumination.
She rubbed her eyes, acclimatizing to the light. At first, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then her vision began to come into focus, and what she saw was unmistakable.
Sacks Upon Sacks
Ally gasped. In front of her, there were heaps upon heaps of sacks. Burlap, coarse, and old. They were piled on top of each other as if they’d been left there in a hurry.
They were knotted at the top with rope, old and weathered. These sacks must have been decades old, but what were they doing underneath her house?
The Endless Basement
She carefully stepped over the sacks. They had writing on them, but it was worn and faded. Ally saw whirring lights extending far ahead. The basement was huge.
The secret basement extended beneath the whole house, with rows upon rows of the strange sacks. Ally knew that the only way to solve this mystery would be to open one of them.
The Contents Of The Sack
Ally picked up one of the sacks and brushed off the dust, though she still couldn’t make out what was written on the side. The rope was tied tightly around the top, but it snapped apart in her hands.
She loosened the top of the sack, but she never could have been prepared for what she experienced next. The smell that came out of the sack was completely revolting.
The Strange Cylinder
Ally’s eyes began to water at the strength of the smell. It took all her determination not to drop the sack. It was horrible. She wanted to throw up, but she knew she had to find out what the sacks held inside.
She didn’t know where she found the courage, but she reached into the sack, her hands grasping around something strange and cylindrical. She almost didn’t want to take her hand back out of the sack, but she’d come too far to stop now.
No Smoke Without Fire
Ally couldn’t believe what she was holding. It didn’t make any sense. She almost didn’t believe it, but there was no doubting the facts. She was holding a cigar.
She reached back into the sack and pulled out another, and another. The sack had dozens of cigars in, and there were hundreds of sacks in this basement. Something wasn’t right.
The Smugglers’ Secret
Suddenly, the pieces all began to fall into place. These were genuine Cuban cigars. Hundreds of them. Ally had thought she’d stumbled upon a meaningless collection, but each cigar must have been worth nearly $100.
There were hundreds of sacks, each containing dozens of cigars. This secret basement contained millions of dollars’ worth of cigars, all in smuggled, dirty goods. But this story doesn’t have a happy ending.
The Poisoned Gift
The United States cut off trade with Cuba in the 1960s, but people will always find a way to evade the law. The former owners must have been smugglers, amassing this trove in their secret basement.
Then Ally felt a sickness in the pit of her stomach. There must have been a reason why the former owners had left so quickly, leaving their tainted millions behind. But Ally never could have predicted what happened next.
The Ringing
Ally was brought back to reality by a faint ringing sound. Suddenly, she realized it was the phone upstairs. It all felt so far away now.
Who could possibly be calling her? She knew that Mark was still at work and would be for hours. He never called her during the day. But that’s where she was wrong.
Time For Answers
Ally dropped the sack, the cigars cascading over the floor, and ran back to the stairs. The wood creaked in agony as she hurried back to the old kitchen, to the hallway, and to the phone.
It was still ringing when she got to it, the shrill tone piercing the air. Ally tried to compose herself, the adrenaline coursing through her body. She took a deep breath and picked up the phone. It was Mark.
The End For Mark
At first, Ally could barely believe it was her husband. The man on the other end of the phone was so different from the one she knew. Her husband was confident and outgoing, but now Mark was in tears.
She could barely figure out what he was saying. She asked him to slow down, to speak clearly. And then he said three words Ally would never forget: “They got me.”
The Gamble
Mark began to explain everything. It was no coincidence that the house of their dreams had suddenly turned up. The realtor knew that Ally and Mark were desperate to find a house, so he’d come up with a plan.
The FBI was closing in on the realtor’s secret smuggling ring, and he needed to offload the house as soon as possible. So Mark agreed to take the risk, just to get his wife the house she’d always wanted. But the risk didn’t pay off.
Like A Fly In A Trap
The realtor had thought that selling the house would make it look more legitimate, but it only got the FBI’s attention. They saw the record of the sale and interrogated Mark, and he revealed the whole plan.
Mark was sobbing now. He needed Ally to come and pay his bail. They were going to get a lawyer. They were going to fight this. But in spite of everything, Ally felt strangely calm…
The Decision
How could Mark have been so stupid? He said he’d done this for her, but now they were in more trouble than ever. Ally had to make a decision – but, in reality, she’d already made up her mind.
Mark wanted her to come and save him, to get him out of the mess he’d gotten them both into. But Ally had a better idea.
Runaway
Ally ran back down to the basement and gathered up as many sacks as she could. She packed them into the trunk of their old van and started the engine. This was the only way.
She left the house behind. She left Mark behind. She was going to begin a new life, for real this time, and these smuggled goods were going to be her ticket to a fresh start.
The Moral Of The Story
It just goes to show that, when it comes to finding a house, there’s always a catch. Old properties have secrets, and they have histories. You never know who’s walked these very floorboards, what’s been whispered in the rooms you now call your own.
So when there’s a strange breeze that you just can’t place, look twice. Look three times. You never know what mysteries could lurk beneath – what story you’re unknowingly part of, one that’s beginning to write its final chapter.
