The House

The sun is only peeking out from behind the clouds, but that’s plenty to make the heat feel like a physical force pushing down.

The house is vast. It was once white, but the peeling paint is gray and brown. It needs a new roof. The plantation-style architecture was probably really cool a thousand years ago, but now all you see are things sagging and in need of replacement. The front porch has as much square footage as the first floor of the house you shared with your roommates until today.

There’s only one other car present. It’s move-in day, and you are the second to arrive.

Your sister, Rey, stands on the porch. She looks a little sour as you climb up to join her, carrying your toolbox. The wooden steps barely handle your weight. Rey’s almost as tall as you are, but not half as bulky. She’s on a track scholarship, and looking impressively cut. You aren’t sure that you love her incredibly gay side shave, but in fairness to her, she is gay. She’s dating a nerdy physics major, which is a little funny.

“Hey,” she says.

“Hey,” you reply as you unlock the door. “Weren’t you about to move in with Delilah?” you ask as you turn on a flashlight.

“I would’ve had to pay for half of everything. This way, I can maybe actually see what it’s like to have actual American dollars in my bank account.”

Rey is practical, which you respect.

“You can literally smell the mold,” she says, wrinkling her nose.

“And that will be the first thing that I take care of,” you assure her. “Don’t touch the lights.”

“Why not?”

“I need to check on a lot of stuff first.” You open the door, revealing a huge, high-ceilinged foyer. Stairs on your left go up to the second floor, where a walkway crosses overhead. It’s pretty neat.

Rey lights up her phone. “This place would be amazing if it wasn’t condemned and also a murder house. Take me to the basement.”

“What?” you ask as you pick up your toolbox.

“The basement. I want to see if the dungeon’s real.”

“Oh my god. OK. It’s over here.” You take a right into the kitchen, where a door in the back corner opens to grimy steps. The flashlight is especially important here. “Watch it.” The steps are crumbling.

The basement is huge and empty, although the ceiling is low. You lead Rey past empty wine racks to a door, secured by a large padlock.

“I don’t have a key for it, before you ask,” you say, kneeling beside your toolbox.

“This is definitely it,” Rey says, sounding impressed as she touches the door, which is paneled in red leather. You sneeze on the dust. CCL is a notoriously progressive sorority, well-known for attracting gay women and having a lot of horny practices. One of the rumors is that there’s a sex dungeon under their house.

You use bolt cutters to take the lock off and push the door open. The room beyond is big and empty.

“I guess they took it all with them,” Rey says, panning the light from her phone over the red velvet that drapes the walls.

“They even took up the carpet,” you say, eying the exposed boards. “Guess it makes sense. Can you imagine the stains? I don’t do carpet. They’re getting laminate. Everywhere.” You take a step, and your foot breaks through without warning.

“Whoa!” Rey cries, dropping her phone and grabbing your arm. She’s strong.

“OK! I’m OK. Jesus.”

She helps haul you to your feet, and you both stand back cautiously. Rey picks up her phone and points the light. “Damn. Is it like rotten?”

“Probably.” You hope you haven’t bitten off more than you can chew with this project.

“Hey, there’s something down there.”

“Is there?” You get on your hands and knees in time to hear an echoing bang. That’s the door upstairs.

“Oh, they’re here,” Rey says.

You point your light down, then reach into the hole to bring up a heavy object wrapped in cloth.

“It’s a book,” you report, but Rey is already gone. You’re alone with your flashlight and toolbox in the empty dungeon. You sweep the light around and shake your head, setting the book aside with a groan. You squint at your hand, which is full of splinters, and sigh.

It felt cool to propose a solution to the family’s problems, but the idea of fixing everything is always sexier than the actual job. This will be a mind-blowing amount of backbreaking labor.

The ceiling creaks. They’re moving around up there. You, Mom, Rey, Delta, and Aunt Nadia. You can’t even remember the last time you were all together this way. It’s gonna be a weird couple of months.