001 The Wardrobe

Mirrored from brigidkeely.com/wordpress.

You may have seen an ad on Craigslist or Freecycle for this beautiful mahogany wardrobe. Although the legs are a bit chewed up, as though it has been pushed carelessly around quite a bit, the rest of the wardrobe is in excellent shape; especially considering that it’s well over one hundred years old. The wood is rich and glossy and always looks recently oiled. The hardware is clean and gleams gently. The inside is lined with ceder, and is still fragrant. There is a yellowed paper label on the back, but the writing is faded and indescript.

When owned by a person or family with no children, the wardrobe is a beautiful piece of furniture, solid and functional. When a child enters the picture, however, tragedy soon occurs. The child hides inside the wardrobe, is unable to open the door, and either suffocates or dies of fright. The family, distraught, sells the wardrobe for a pittance or gives it away for free.

On one occaision, an adult shut himself in the wardrobe. His wife found him several hours after noticing him missing. He remained silent from that moment until his death bed, thirty years later.

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