HA! Does she strike you as the sort who would?

"Ooooh," said Laura, a grin touching her face. " 'Do not open'. Did Great Aunt Caroline have some ancient porn stash down there?" Laura chuckled to herself, remembering her Grandmother Samantha's collection of "pastels" kept tucked in her attic, all of which seemed to involve pretty, scantily clothed women tying each other up and on occasion whipping each other. For artistic purposes, the old woman had muttered when pressed. "Oh, I've got to see this..."

Lucy frowned at her older sister. "Laura! Come on! It's probably just... a crappy old basement. With bad stairs. Or mold. Or bats."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Bats?" She snorted and headed off to look for the basement door.

"Mom!" said Lucy. "Aren't you going to stop her?"

"Laura'll be fine, dear," said Christine, busying herself in some epic fits of dusting. Laura heard Lucy begin one of her patented whining fits as she walked away. It didn't take long to find the basement door, a sturdy wooden one in a little side hall. A heavy padlock was on the door. Laura put the key in and turned, then pulled the lock off. She opened the door, and stared at the rickety old stairway that was revealed within. It went on below into a deep darkness.