If you were to open the closet door in the old playroom upstairs, you would find an unassuming rack of men’s suits and ties. Upon completing this modest discovery, you would likely shut the door, and continue on with whatever else you were doing before you peered into someone else’s closet. If you were curious, you might notice it is rather shallow, maybe two feet deep, and extends with suits to the left of the door. For some inexplicable reason, you get on your hands and knees. Craning your neck down to avoid wrinkling the the nice jackets, you begin to crawl underneath them. Your knees likely hurt and you feel silly. You discover the closet continues to the left. The suits end and you feel around, discovering a small space. It is dark and so you might consider the possibilities of crawling into spiderwebs. You click on your phone’s flashlight.
Behold.
Pushed against the wall are pillows, one large dinosaur pillow against the back wall, and two quaint lacy ones. A tie-dye t-shirt covers the floor like blanket, and a flashlight conveniently rests atop it. You have discovered a hidden alcove, the perfect hideout.
If you were to perform this excavation many years ago, you might find a small girl curled comfortable among the pillows. She would fit much easier than you do now, knees awkwardly bent and elbows hitting the wall. This girl would probably be reading a large novel, or drawing in a new sketchbook. The flashlight would illuminate her furrowed brow, absorbed amongst some other world beyond her closet. Or, you might see the smirk of a girl who fancies herself very clever.
Sitting scrunched up among the pillows of another age, you might find yourself transported back to your childhood. The closet is dark and warm, and the outside world falls away while in the hidden nook. Time has stood still here, it is just like the little girl left it. You wonder, when was the last time this flashlight was used, before it was forgotten amongst the secret hideaway of childhood?
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