The Hidden Room

Around three or four years ago, I had a dream about walking around my university’s campus. I had time to kill, which I usually used to explore hidden passages and useful shortcuts, so I started walking through a newer path, timing myself as I cut corners and made distance triangles in my head.

I got to one of the dorms, and was about to pass it, until something got caught in the corner of my eye. On the basement level, very well hidden, I spied a door.

I thought it was rather unusual for a door to be there, but felt something pulling me towards it, and followed the curious sensation. I put my hand on the doorknob, turned, and felt no resistance. After a small push, the passage was open.

The door led me to an interior of a small room. To the right of the entrance was a body mirror leaning against the wall, with a small shelf and a coat rack beside it; while across the entrance stood a small, old, twin bed, with a dark mattress, a gray cover, and a small white pillow.

At the time, it seemed logical for me to assume that I discovered that place, and, as any explorer, I claimed the room to be my “official hangout area” for the times when I had time to spare in between classes. For the next couple of days, I went to the room and used it for sleep.

__________

One day, when I was on my way to my favorite napping place, I saw a young woman, few years younger than me, standing by herself, looking rather distressed. The girl was thin, with long, curly, reddish brown hair, and numerous freckles. She wore an old, dark brown, flower patterned dress, which seemed to be a bit outdated for present day fashion. I assumed it was either a hand-me-down or “vintage”.

When she saw me, she told me she was not feeling well and was wondering if there was a place where she could rest. I couldn’t take her home, and a part of me wanted to help her because she looked so weak, so frail, and, without any reason, despite the lack of any signs, I thought she was pregnant.

Then, I remembered my special place, which immediately triggered an annoyed inner response because it was “my” place and I didn’t want to share it with anyone. But, she looked ill, and the outside weather was very hot, as it was summertime. She needed that room more than I.

I told her there was a place that no one knew of, where no one went, where she would not be disturbed. She looked relieved and followed me to my no longer secret room. She saw the bed and immediately walked up to it to lie down. I looked at her, slightly lamenting the loss of my former resting place, as she placed her right arm over her eyes.

As I about to turn around and leave, I had the feeling that I should tell her something. Without any knowledge nor warning, the words came out of my mouth. “You know, I’m not sure if it’s true, but there are rumors that this place is haunted.” She did not seem phased and thanked me, but told me that she would stay. Feeling that my job of warning her was completed, I turned around and started heading towards the door.

Right before I was about to pass it, the mirror caught my eye. From it, I saw a little boy staring at me. He was pale, with well groomed blond hair and blue eyes, a tucked in shirt, and a pensive face. I looked at him as he looked right back at me, with no reaction other than the simple acknowledgement of my presence. I did not feel any malice from the child, just the cool, mild curiosity of a scientist performing an observational study. Looking the somber boy straight in the eye, I asked the girl if she was going to be alright, and, after she said that she would be okay, I left the room and closed the door behind me, knowing that I will no longer return.

It was time for me to go to class and I started heading back when I felt as if someone was watching me. I stopped and saw the emotionless boy observe me from the very top window, several floors above the hidden room. We stared at each other for a few more moments and I went my way.

__________

I thought about the dream a bit after I woke up. Having it was a bit unusual since there was no reason for me to have such a dream. I lived at home and did not really know much about the dorms. Also, the day before was a rather good day and I watched a comedy show right before I went to sleep.

Still thinking about the dream, I told my dad about it, who then told me something strange. In his dream, that very same night, he was back in the dorms of his school. He was heading down and saw a little boy sitting on one of the stairs. Thinking that it was unusual for a child to be there, he approached the boy and asked him about what he was doing. Without any warning, the child disappeared.

__________

Last year, I got a job as a Resident Advisor for a high school summer program on campus. As a requirement, we had to live in a dorm, which was rather old, slightly creepy, and had rumors of being haunted. I learned that its popular ghosts were a little boy and a young woman.

The little boy was rumored to be the child of one of the servicemen working at the dorms. One version of his story states that he was playing with marbles and fell down an elevator shaft as he followed them, while another version claims that he fell from the top of the roof, after one of his marbles slipped away. It is rumored that people can often hear the noise of marbles rolling down the hallway, for his playtime never ended. But, the university is over 100 years old, thus the building itself is ancient.

The young woman’s story states that she lived sometime during the 1960s, got pregnant, and had a baby in the dorms. Due to her fear of her parents, she did not tell anyone about her pregnancy, stuffed her baby in one of the drawers, and the baby suffocated. Rumors are that she regretted her decision and, to this day, she is still looking for her child. On several occasions, I stayed at the dorms during the weekends, when the kids were gone and the rooms surrounding my dorm were unoccupied. Quite often, especially during the night, there were sounds that seemed as if drawers were being opened in an adjacent room. A few times, I had my coworkers and friends with me, and it seems that I was not the only one who heard the strange sounds. Other coworkers who stayed in dorms far away from mine also had similar experiences. However, the building was rather old and the noise was attributed to rusty, old pipes.

__________

Our Resident Director that year was a storyteller who told us about campus legends and later, near the end of the program, hosted a ghost story night for our students. I told her about my dream from what seemed several ages ago, and later participated in the ghost story night with her, telling my audience of the strange dream I had before I even knew anything about my new, short term home. The day after the story night, the RD took me outside of the dorm, and showed me a set of stairs which led to a basement door.

__________

__________

__________