The House at the Edge of the Woods Chapter Three — The Cellar Door Elias stared at the old woman. “Where they put who?” She looked toward the staircase. “Daniel.” The name landed heavily in the room. Elias looked down at the wooden bird in his hands. Three taps. Two taps. His father taught them that signal. Apparently. A father he barely remembered. A brother he didn’t remember at all. And now an old woman was telling him someone had put Daniel somewhere. “Start talking.” The old woman nodded. But before she could answer, a chair scraped against the floor. Elias spun around. A man stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Tall. Thin. Dark coat. Elias stared at him. The old woman sighed. “You’re late.” The man looked at Elias. “He’s here.” “Obviously.” Elias raised a hand. “Okay. Who the fuck are you?” The man looked almost amused. “Fair question.” “I’m getting a lot of those tonight.” The man stepped into the room. “My name isn’t important.” “Then I’m calling you Coat.” The old woman covered a smile. The man looked down at himself. “Coat?” “Congratulations.” Elias pointed toward the staircase. “Now somebody explain why there’s a thing upstairs pretending to be me, and why apparently I have a brother locked somewhere in this house.” The man in the coat became serious. “Because this house wasn’t built to keep people out.” Elias waited. “It was built to keep something in.” The room fell silent. Elias slowly looked toward the staircase. “The thing upstairs?” “No.” “Then what the fuck is upstairs?” The man looked at the old woman. She nodded toward the floor. “That’s why we don’t go upstairs.” Elias frowned. “What?” The man continued. “The house changes. Rooms appear. Voices move. But the thing you heard upstairs…” He paused. “…can’t leave the house.” Elias looked down at the bird. “And Daniel?” The old woman’s face tightened. “Daniel can.” Elias stared. “Then why hasn’t he?” Nobody answered. Elias’s voice dropped. “Where is he?” The man pointed toward the kitchen floor. Elias looked down. There was nothing there. Then the wooden bird suddenly flew from his hands. It landed beside the old stove. And began pecking at the floorboards. Once. Twice. Three times. Elias walked over. The bird stepped aside. He knelt. There was a small iron ring hidden beneath the edge of a loose floorboard. Elias looked back at the others. “Cellar?” The old woman nodded. “Don’t open it.” Elias stared at her. “You’re joking.” “No.” “Why not?” The man in the coat stepped closer. “Because that’s the door.” Elias slowly stood. “What door?” The old woman whispered: “The one you opened when you were four.” Silence. Elias stared at the iron ring. Then at the wooden bird. Then at the two strangers who apparently knew more about his childhood than he did. “Okay.” He took a breath. “Nobody touches anything.” The bird tilted its head. Elias pointed at it. “Especially you. No more mysterious fucking signals until somebody explains them.” The bird tapped the floor. Elias sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Smartass.” From beneath the floor came a sound. Very faint. Three knocks. The bird immediately answered. Three taps. Then two. Elias froze. The old woman’s eyes filled with tears. The man in the coat whispered: “Danny.” Elias looked down at the cellar door. His brother was alive. Or something wanted him to believe that. Either way— someone was down there. And they were waiting.
