Chapter 26 - The wall comes down
I kept the service room for two years.
Not intentionally.
It held HVAC pipes.
Removing it required rerouting ductwork.
I closed the kitchen vent permanently within days of the incident.
Then put furniture in front of that section.
Avoidance disguised as interior design.
Eventually Ethan said:
“Why don’t we just change it?”
He was ten.
“What?”
“The wall.”
I looked.
He shrugged.
“It’s creepy.”
Nora was eight? Wait three years after source she'd be 8, yes. At chapter 26 near three-year mark.
She said:
“I hate that vent.”
The vent was gone.
She meant the place.
I called a contractor.
Not to erase evidence.
Case long finished.
We opened the wall.
Rerouted the return duct.
Expanded the pantry.
The utility access moved to the mudroom.
No hidden room.
No shrine.
No dramatic demolition with sledgehammer.
Licensed contractor.
Permit.
Dust.
Invoices.
Normal.
When the drywall came down, Nora watched for five minutes.
Then got bored.
“Can I go outside?”
“Yes.”
She left.
I had expected some emotional ceremony.
Children rarely cooperate with adult symbolism.
The pantry became larger.
We stored cereal there.
Including marshmallow cereal once in a while.
The first time Nora reached into the new pantry, Ethan said:
“Don’t get trapped.”
I froze.
Nora punched his shoulder lightly.
“Idiot.”
Available joke.
May you like
I laughed after realizing they were laughing.
The room stopped belonging to the worst day.
