For days I’d heard the soft knocking that I couldn’t place. Had Rocky returned? Last year I named the large woodpecker that pecked on my living room window, “Rocky.” I finally googled what to do about birds who nearly kill themselves knocking on windows, and I closed the curtain for two months until the light changed the reflection. I haven’t seen Rocky since.
But still. Knock Knock. Knock. A light tapping.
One day I ask my neighbor Bill to check it out, and he rattles every door and window in my small two-story house. He checks the attic and the batteries in the smoke alarms. “Karen, there is absolutely nothing wrong here,” he declares.
But he never hears the knocking, which resumes ten minutes after Bill leaves.
Today, I deftly take my shoes off and walk softly and smoothly over my mom’s oriental rugs that she bequeathed me when she died. In fact, she left the entire house to me, and I know every nook and cranny.
Aha! As my foot lands on the long hallway rug I feel a slight dip. Strange, I never noticed that before. I roll the rug up halfway, just noting the beauty of these old hardwood floors. However, nothing shows but a little dust.
I roll the rug a bit more, and gasp.
The wood floor is lighter at this spot with a square seam noticeable as if detailing a small flattened door. What the….?
And then it happens again. Knock. Knock. Knock. And with each Knock, the floor rises a tiny, tiny bit. Almost imperceptibly.
My fingers touch the seam, which I realize is not wood, but a hard metal material, like iron. Knock. Knock.
My finger catches a tiny hook at the edge of the square.
Knockknockknockknock. The sound is faster, louder. Insistent.
I begin to pull the hook, and then I think of every scary movie I’ve ever seen where I shout, “WHAT MORON GOES INTO A DARKENED BASEMENT?” Or in my case now, a mysterious trap door in an old house.
I quickly release my hand and flee out the front door like the smart woman I am.
But why? After all, this is my house.
I walk determinedly back through the door, down to the hallway, and pull that hook as fast and hard as I can. Oh my god. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Can it be? It can’t be.
It’s ……
Oh dear! Was Rocky trapped down there, or the spirit of mom? Edgar Allen Poe comes to mind as I read this.
LikeLiked by 6 people
I most definitely felt EAP whispering in my ear as I wrote this. ;-0
LikeLiked by 2 people
Splendid. “Heaven’s Door” would be my guess.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ohhh, what a lovely (even if a bit creepy) thought, Derrick!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anonymous is Derrick
LikeLiked by 3 people
😳😨
LikeLiked by 2 people
A very very interesting blog . Curiosity arises every moment in reading your story . Beautifully worded blogs of yours ends with a big question mark . Nice . Thanks !
LikeLiked by 4 people
I am so glad this post got your curiosity rising. Thanks so much for your comment!
LikeLike
Thanks !
LikeLiked by 3 people
That’s what I say, oh my god! Did Rocky return? It sounds desperate! Someone opens the door, please.
LikeLiked by 4 people
In truth, Karen is much braver than I am. I would never open that trap door! 😱 🤓
LikeLike
I’m not brave at all, Pam! I’m even afraid of shadows. 🤐😨
LikeLiked by 2 people
The ‘I’ character opens the hatch…and sees her childhood self (cue spooky music)
LikeLiked by 3 people
That is a fantastic and unique ending, Bridget. I think it would be quite fascinating to see our childhood self but as you say, very spooky.
LikeLike
You got me, Pam.
What if the woodpecker’s knock-knock has nothing to do with the opened hatch. I already have your lovely book, so I’ll leave the good guesses and the award to readers with better guesses. I see you are tapping into a new genre. Mystery thrillers, perhaps?? 😀
LikeLiked by 3 people
Creativity comes in so many forms. I might as well try mystery thriller. 🤩 But mostly I really love seeing what other bloggers here come up with. It is interesting to wonder if the woodpecker is a false clue or a real clue. 🙃
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had a very Poe-esque feeling as well. “Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping…”
I’m not sure I want to know what was behind that door. But there was only a hook? Not a heavy lock or something sealing off the little door? The ghost of the mother, perhaps? A house elf? Her reaction is not necessarily fear but I don’t know. Things rapping on mysterious doors under a rug does not inspire me to open it, at least not alone.
Nice thriller!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I enjoy all of your different guesses here. The ghost of the mother (yikes!!) is a quite different theory than a house elf! Me? I would never open that trap door! 😳😱
LikeLike
I don’t think it’s Rocky…but do we really have to wait until next week? How about a special Saturday edition, Pam? Love it! xo
LikeLiked by 3 people
I love your enthusiasm always Jill. XOXOXO. Maybe it’s a duck in there! 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Donald!!!!❤️
LikeLiked by 3 people
🙂
LikeLike
Hum!!!??My 1st thought living in the country, a raccoon, or other such creature! BUTTT THEN I THOUGHT “The Twilight Zone!!! Nope would of never opened it alone!!
You’ll have me thinking on this all day. As I hear the rustle in my attic.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bring someone else with you before you check out your attic, Marcia! I agree with you I would never open that trap door alone. But I guess you and I are smarter than Karen. 🙂
LikeLike
It’s all you’ve feared throughout your entire life now set free and dissipating into the universe
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is one of the scariest ideas I have heard. Good going Jeanne. ! 😱
LikeLike
Who is that knocking at my door?
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
Is all I can hear in my head now. LOL! Are we supposed to guess?🤔
LikeLiked by 4 people
Yes!! I want you to guess. And you reminded me that I used to be able to recite that Edgar Allan Poe poem by heart. 🤩
LikeLike
Oh wow!! Never knew it all by heart, but had to read it for an English class and write a report on it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think it is a kitty trapped in the basement. 🤷♀️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ohhhh, poor 🐈⬛ kitty!
LikeLike
I hope I’m wrong actually… 😳
LikeLiked by 2 people
Since you like to slip in an occasional love story, I am voting that there’s a secret tunnel that connects her to her true soul mate!
LikeLiked by 4 people
Oh how I like how your romantic mind works, Kathy. 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I agree with the EAP references. But the knocking? Mmm…could it be Chuckie?
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ack!! That’s horrifying! I don’t know about you but I can’t watch horror movies because I have nightmares for days. Thus, I would never never open that trap door. 🥹
LikeLike
I don’t like horror movies or books either – I just saw clips of Chuckie, enough to scare the wits out of me. But he would keep tapping on that door, and I would NOT open it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
😱
LikeLiked by 1 person
More mystery than I want to entertain. Hopefully, it’s a harmless critter and not something or someone out of a horror movie. Ravens and Poe or Hitchcock and blackbirds would seem appropriate.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I will admit, Brad, I prefer a romance to horror. But a trapdoor – that seems more horrific than romantic. 😵💫😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know what it is but I can’t wait to find out next week. We had a woodpecker in the mountains that would fly into our windows, the poor thing.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes woodpeckers we have found to be very social even with us humans. Sometimes I think they rap on our windows just to say hi! 😛
LikeLike
As soon as I started reading, I knew you were going to leave us hanging (listening to or for that knock)!
If it’s something real, it has to have a way to get food. . .something supernatural seems too obvious. . .so I don’t know! 🤣 Horror doesn’t seem like you, but that first image is creepy!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Well I guess I’m pretty obvious, although I swear and then when I began the story I thought I’d know the answer at the end. But it “escaped” me. 😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha. Well, good luck finding it! 🤣
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wonderful mystery, Pam! I was holding my breath as I read. I could hear the faint strains of Derrick’s “Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door” in the background, for sure, but figured if heaven was under the floor boards, I was in serious trouble, as most of our floors are ceramic tile, and “unlift-upable.” And I decided against the woodpecker, too, as I couldn’t picture a clever scenario that left him trapped under the … erm … trapdoor.
So by my clever process of elimination, I finally realized there was only thing it could be: a gnome who’d taken a wrong turn on his way to the garden and tumbled into the basement, where he’d been for days and days, and had become totally desperate to be set free, because … hungry. Very, very hungry!
This was fun, Pam. Can’t wait to find out the answer to the beautiful big question mark! 😁
LikeLiked by 4 people
I absolutely love your answer. Particularly since an adorable (stone) gnome sits at our front door stoop. I better go check and see if he’s missing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll bet it was your Gnome’s cousin Gnicholas coming for a visit when he fell into the basement! Oh, no! Hope he’s rescued soon! 😂😂😂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Haha, Marcia, I had a very similar idea to yours except I though a dwarf who’d taken a wrong turn while digging underground and hit the basement. He is trying to get through the door because he mistakenly things its an underground vault and there is treasure behind the trapdoor.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Perhaps the dwarf can smell treasure and he’s not far off!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let the knocker out! Let us know!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Just watch out for any knocking nearby, Jeanette 😬😳
LikeLike
Crowd sourcing the ending–love it! Can’t wait to see what it is.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Tee hee. I never thought of it as “crowd sourcing” but you just made me and my post ending sound really smart! In truth, I just couldn’t figure out what was down there. 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very modern, Pam. I love it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well of course its a door to another dimension:) The bird was there to greet her.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I always love the way you think, and the way you write!
LikeLike
Think Edgar Allen Poe, ‘WP’ – a heady evocation!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks!! But I’d still love to hear what you think is down there knocking. 🙃
LikeLike
I am stumped by this mystery. No clue
LikeLiked by 2 people
Me neither. That’s why I’m asking you all to tell me! 😆
LikeLike
Well, you’ve done it again, Pamela. Made a situation that double-dog guarantees that I’ll be back for the answer. I’ll have to guess that Bill figured out how to get into the space. After all, when he was there the knocking stopped.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ohhhh, true that, John. Perhaps it is just a process of elimination. But who is getting eliminated??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Can’t imagine! Flashes of Life is a great prize for sure… Highly recommend it to everyone!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Awww, thank you so much Bette. The compliment about my book Flashes of Life is even better than a guess. 💓
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hugs & Happy Weekend, Pam! 💞 I love the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, and the heart and humor you add to fun and foibles of ife in Flashes… xo P.S. Note the Oxford comma (needed here) not usually used by me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
My guess is that it’s a sales person telling you that you car’s warranty has elapsed.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Methinks that not only are you a woman with a great sense of humor, but one full of practicality, as well. 🙂 Fun answer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay. Bill checked the attic, but he didn’t check the crawl space under the house. I don’t think it’s a trapped person because, as he started running out of food and water, he’d get frantic and pound on the floor and scream. Instead, it’s someone who can slip in and out of the crawl space. He’s been listening to you, watching you when you go out, softly making his presence known, building you up in his mind. By now, he feels that you have a kind of relationship. When you open the door, he greets you by name. “I’ve been waiting for you to welcome me into your house, my darling,” he says as he climbs out and reaches for you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is the creepiest, scariest, most detailed and believable answer I’ve heard. Now I’m getting REALLY worried for Karen!
LikeLike
Didn’t you tell your guy to quit playing under the house? 😊
Your story reminded me of when I was in college, housesitting for some people. Part of the job was looking after their dog. I had a mild-mannered dachshund that I brought with me, figuring the dogs would get along fine. The people had a fenced-in backyard that seemed to be inescapable. I came out of the house, and my dog was in the backyard, but the other dog was missing. I thought there must be some logical explanation, but the dog was nowhere. I walked around in the neighborhood, and someone had seen a dog matching the missing dog’s description an hour ago. Now I’m freaking out, wondering how I can tell these people that I lost their dog. I searched for two hours but had no luck. I rechecked the fence to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. No place to escape, and it was too high to go over. I’m now assuming someone stole the dog. Two days later (the people were coming back the next day), I’m upset, and the dog is still missing, I’m sitting on the back porch, and I hear whimpering. The dog had crawled under the house through a small opening and stayed there for two days. Talk about relieved.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Now THAT is a scary and horrifying story, Pete. i can imagine how worried you were, not only for the poor dog, but how the owners would respond when they got home. As a reader (and author of this post on a trapped door) I decided (hoped) that the dog was stuck down in a crawl space or had gotten in the basement with no way to get out. The poor thing! Thank goodness you heard his whimpers for help. I’m not sure who was most relieved – the dog or you. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think its neighbor Bill…..hes playing tricks on her. 😁
LikeLiked by 2 people
You and several others have been ready to blame Bill. Either he’s the innocent party wrongly accused, or he is NOT a good neighbor! hmmmmm
LikeLike
What a cliff-hanger Pam! I’d be terrified but I’d have to open the door – maybe I’d recruit a friend to be by my side when I did it! I love the answer of the lost gnome….I don’t think I can come up with anything better than that 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good point, Andrea. If Karen doesn’t explore the knocking, she’ll never feel as if she can stay in her house! Should she ask Bill back? Or is he a culprit? Hopefully Karen has another friend nearby who can be her “wing man.” 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
lol – excellent! No guesses but I’m looking forward to the answer. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad you enjoyed this little ‘thriller,” The comments are worth reading the story. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very much so. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh! And you have once again left us hanging! So… let me see… Bill never heard the knock… how convenient… Then again, maybe who(what)ever is knocking is smart enough to not be heard by anyone but Karen…Friendly ghost mysteriously trapped (coz we know usually they can go through walls and stuff…)
LikeLiked by 2 people
As long as the ghost is friendly, Karen has nothing to worry about. If it’s Bill…. then she’s in trouble. ;-0
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right. I hope it’s not Bill. Friendly ghost with something…
LikeLike
Certainly, a cliff-hanger and you left us out there wondering!!! This is a very mysterious trap door…great story! It definitely reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Linda. I began this story because of a prompt that merely said, “Trap Door.” It’s fascinating to see where our imaginations go….
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 🙂 🙂 You have a wonderful imagination, and you are a great storyteller!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Awww, thank you so much! My imagination helps me fit in, in this world! 🙃💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love, love, love this story, and especially love all the readers’ varied answers. Janis’s totally cracked me up. My first thought is that whatever when behind that door had to do with Karen’s mother. As for me, I would never ever open that door and would be out of there F-A-S-T!!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Readers’ comments tell me I did a good job piquing their interest in Karen’s predicament. Hmmm, I wonder how Karen’s mom is involved? If that’s the case, then whatever is behind the door is not nefarious. I hope you’re right, but ….. hmmmmm. 🙂
LikeLike
Lol. So much tension in this. Okay, here’s my boring guess… it’s a waterpipe that Granny had workers clamp down because it knocked, and the clamp rusted. And here’s my fun guess… Granny hid a million dollars under the floor that she stole over 40 years as a bank teller. Because she was also an uncanny granny, she didn’t want to die and have her criminal scrimping go to waste. So she set a “knocking” (she had a Gothic sense of humor) alarm to go off under the floor at a random date in the future, assuming that Karen would discover the trap door! 🙂 And loved that book, Pam. Someone is going to be a lucky winner!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Brilliant, Diana, and this is why you are a successful fantasy author.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ha ha ha. Thanks Robbie. I never guess the right answer so I go for theepitome of silliness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is the longest most convoluted and most unique answer to the door knocking I’ve gotten yet Diana. No surprise! I may use some of it for the second half. Do I need to give you credit? 🫣🤔😇
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL. No credit needed. I was just trying to rise to the challenge and give it my best. Ha ha. I’m glad you enjoyed the guess. 😀 😀 These are loads of fun, Pam. Hugs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well now I want to know….and I don’t think I would have opened that door while I was in the house alone.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I wouldn’t either Ann. But if Karen doesn’t open the door we’ll never find out what’s down there! 🫣😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh wow, that’s scary. i think Karen should go and get Bill, not because he’s male, just to have a second person there. I think it’s a genie that’s been captured there since even before the house was built and has finally woken up and desperately needs to pee before they can grant Karen three wishes.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love genies and the only thing I’m worried about is this a nice genie or a vengeful one? Some genies aren’t nice when they’re dealing with a full bladder. 😆
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess we have to wait to find out. 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
ohmygodohmygod……yes, she knew every nook and cranny of this house. And once upon a time she had been braver and more curious. That’s when she had loved that dark space beneath the old house. That trap door had been her best kept secret. It held every journal she’d ever written. It also contained every souvenir she’d gleaned from every victim. She thought she could keep them hidden forever. Her personal treasures. Her darkest self. Trapped for all time……..but ohmygod ohmygod here they were demanding her attention, demanding that they join her, demanding her soul !!!!
or that’s my take on it anyway. 🙂 Loved this spooky foray into the Twilight Zone!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ah, so Karen has deep dark secrets that she’d hoped would never get beyond the trap door. Wow that is a scary and wonderful guess! Thank you so much for joining in the fun. 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bravo, Pam. Some great guesses here.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love the guesses. We are such a clever and creative group!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, this is a great group.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nice
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well . . . at least it’s not a snake.
Snakes always ring the doorbell ~ they never knock!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good to know Nancy! Perhaps if Karen knew it could not be a snake she wouldn’t be such a coward and she’d open that trap door! 😅
LikeLike
I can’t take a guess but your story got me yearning for more. Very nice
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much! That’s what a writer wants to hear. I guess I better work on the next half of the story then. 😀
LikeLike
Yes, you should
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂 2nd half tomorrow, Friday. 🙂
LikeLike
Always Pam, your stories are unique and this one has us holding our breath as the trapdoor is opened.. My guess its a mouse or rat.. LOL… , chewing on a piece of string lol, that is attached to a ring in the trapdoor underneath.. I dare not think of anything else.. LOL…
What ever it is Pam…. you will describe it perfectly..
Much love your way dear Pam.. ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ahh, “I smell a rat…” as the old saying goes. For some, a rat or a mouse would be more scary than a ghost or a monster! 😆
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not so bothered about mice.. But I would be running if I saw a rat lol… Have a great weekend to come Pam.. ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
🙂 I run at either. But then again, I run away from spiders too. ;-0 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 ❤ lol
LikeLiked by 2 people
Once again you’ve left us lingering, lol. I, for one, would have ran too before I was opening that door! 🙂 xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m afraid I would have too. But some of the comments here have given me an idea that I should be braver and then find a good result! 😳
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooo, I loved this story, Pam. There is no practicality here. This is Karen’s family home, and her family is there in spirit. I think it’s her mother, or perhaps her grandmother.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I like the idea that the knocking is good-hearted, not menacing. Thank you! 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! And you’re welcome. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
My mother’s old alarm clock, set to go off every day with a note reminding me to enjoy every moment of this very brief time we spend on earth.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is FANTASTIC!! We all need an alarm clock like that! 💓
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Trap Door Ignition | roughwighting
Your creativity never ceases to amaze me! I am so glad that you held onto your childhood spark of wonder in creating stories that bring delight to others. (You do keep people on the edge of their chair…such a gift!) Thank you! I think of the post when you went out and made snow angels in the snow. I remember thinking, ‘That is her true self; only a ‘grown-up’ in love with life makes snow angels and posts the pictures for others to enjoy as well.’ You remind us that it is good to keep that spark of fun and wonder through all of your life…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Awww, thank you so much Linda. I learned the importance of enjoying every moment’s spark from my mom. Her “life joy” inspires me still. She was a party girl though- I like to have my fun with words and stories. 😊You’ve made my day. 🌸🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Two comments this time! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
The more the merrier! 😎😘
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very clever writing, Pam. When I got to the end, I was like oooh, you left us hanging! But sometimes a story is ours and ours to finish. I would have been one to run away as far as possible, thinking that the knocking and something bigger was out to get me. I’d say maybe this was all a dream. Hope you are doing well 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
THANK you for moving on to the second part of the Trapped story and enjoying the way it turned out. Ahhh story making is such fun. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would go get Bill first before opening that trap door. I’m intrigued now. I’m always curious about odd sounds so this story pulled me in good. I have to know what it is.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I hope you have no odd sounds in your place, though, Marlene. I prefer silence, but a nice next-door neighbor helps. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Finally doing some catch-up with my fave blogging buddies, Pam, so I haven’t looked at the answer yet, but I’m going with the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe! (OK, now I’m going to look. 🙂 )
LikeLiked by 1 person