In a closet

The bell sounds distant for another second, the hallway falling silent, her steps resounding. Suddenly, something muffledly sobbed behind a door. The hiccuping cry was quiet, barely heard, someone clearly trying very hard not to be heard. It was high pitched, most likely a girl, not a woman. She gently knocks on the door, asking quietly, “Are you okay?”, her hand shaking. The girl behind the door gasp, quickly followed by something falling to the floor, then a short muffled “Shit!” In the distance, the bell stops ringing.

Helen sighs and slowly opens the door, peering in cautiously, hoping nothing hits her in the face. The tiny closet was lined with shelves full of bars of soap, buckets and brooms and it smelled faintly of lavender. In a corner, a tiny figure was hugging her knees, long strawberry blond hair falling all the way to the floor, hiding most of her features.