What Lurks Beneath

theodor_kittelsen_-_pesta_i_trappen2c_1896_28pesta_on_the_stairs29Originally, the cellar served primarily as a coal store. Today it holds the boiler, idle suitcases, out-of-season sporting equipment, and many sealed cardboard boxes that are almost never opened but are always carefully transferred from house to house with every move in the belief that one day someone might want some baby clothes that have been kept in a box for twenty-five years.
Bill Bryson, At Home: A Short History of Private Life

4 Replies to “What Lurks Beneath”

  1. We were just discussing the boxes in the garage! How to deal with them once and for all… Oh what a relief that would be! Could it be that the day may actually come?

  2. I agree with you on the problem of lugging around certain boxes until it gets a bit ridiculous. 😛
    But for some unknown reason, at the mention of a cellar, the first thing that popped into my head was Susan Sto Helit. You know, that scene in The Hogfather where she goes into the cellar with the poker because Twyla says there’s a monster there and some of the party guests see her on the way and gather to listen from the top of the stairs. And the one gent says (paraphrasing here) “Good idea, go down there with a poker and bash about a bit, convince the gel the monster’s dead. Not real, of course. Dashed convincin’, though, bending the poker like that.” And then after they’ve gone, Susan drags the actual monster carcass out into the street, where it will evaporate by morning.
    I just love the way she handles things. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *