The Mysterious Wardrobe.

 

Ewelina had long wanted to experience something extraordinary, tired of the constant monotony. "But what interesting thing could possibly happen at school?" she thought. The Polish lesson dragged on mercilessly, and amid the clatter of pens, the rustling of papers, and the short, broken whispers, the girl couldn't find anything unusual. She sat rigidly, staring at the enormous old wardrobe placed in the corner of the classroom. The teacher was telling them about medieval knights, legends, and monsters. She was interrupted from this light reverie by a question from her seatmate, Asia.

"Ma'am, is it true that the ghost of a hanged student from the 19th century is hidden in that wardrobe in the corner?"

"My dear child, have you completely lost your mind? What nonsense! Can't you understand that there are only old journals there?" the teacher thundered.

"So why won't you let us get close to her?" the girl insistently asked.

"Leave it alone, we have more interesting topics of conversation for this lesson," the Polish teacher replied with embarrassment.

Although the teacher tried to hide it, she paled visibly. She decided to end the lesson and let the students do their own thing.

"Asia, thanks to you, I've got an idea," Ewelina told her friend. "Call Gosia and Kamil, we need to have a meeting."

They didn't have time to discuss it in class, however, as the bell ended the lesson. The four friends slowly made their way towards the locker room.

"What's going on, Ewelina?" Gosia asked

. "Listen," she said, "does anyone of you know what's really in that old wardrobe?

" "No, because no one does," Kamil replied boredly. "Listen, I don't have time because I'm going to the match in an hour, so tell me quickly what's going on.

" "Aren't you curious about what's in there?" "

What are you thinking about?" All three asked simultaneously.

"I have a plan." Ewelina was acting very mysteriously. "I'll tell the teacher that I left my notebook in the classroom and ask for the key. That's a lie, of course. We'll go into the classroom, look for the key in the desk, see what's in the closet, and...

" "That's crazy!" Gosia was indignant. "What if someone catches us?

" "There's no fun without risk," Kamil commented. "I'm in, but let's hurry, because I absolutely want to see that match."

"Okay, so you wait here and I'll go get the key," Ewelina said.

A moment later, our heroine returned, clearly pleased.

"Listen, the teacher said I shouldn't bring her the key until an hour later because there's some conference. It couldn't have been better!" she said excitedly.

The friends exchanged slightly worried glances.

"What if that ghost really is there?" Asia asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Oh, stop it, we'll see and finally dispel those stupid rumors about the hanged student," Kamil said.

Entering the classroom, they tried to act as casually as possible. However, they didn't encounter anyone in the hallway, let alone in the classroom.

"It's a shame it's locked!" Ewelina said disappointedly, grabbing the doorknob of the mysterious piece of furniture.

"Well, you didn't expect it to be open to us!" Kamil said ironically.

"Okay, then you'll watch to make sure no one's coming, and we'll look for that unfortunate key. The padlock is very old, so we're looking for the old key too."

After a brief search, they decided it was pointless, as the key could be practically anywhere.

"We'll never find it!! Someone could just as easily have buried it or swallowed it!" A frustrated Gosia kicked a protruding floorboard hard, sending it crashing a few meters away. To the surprise of all four, a key was hidden beneath it.

"You're wonderful! Apparently, luck is on our side!" Ewelina said happily. "Let's go!"

They approached the closet. The girl slowly inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it briskly. The padlock opened, though it seemed the rust-encrusted lock had no intention of doing so. She opened the old, creaking door. What met their eyes looked like a scene from a fantasy adventure movie. A steep staircase stretched before them, leading down. It wasn't an inviting sight, but Ewelina continued forward without hesitation.

"Well, we have some nice 'journals,'" the boy said irritably.

The stairs were very long, and navigating them was incredibly tiring. The friends remained silent, eager to find what was surely at the bottom. As they descended deeper and deeper, they felt increasingly cold and damp. Soon everyone began to shiver with cold and terror.

"It's pointless, and what if we don't get out later?" Asia asked.

"Since we're already here, there's no point in going back!" Ewelina said.

However, they didn't have to wait long to see what would happen. They found themselves in a chamber as dark as the stairs. Suddenly, Ewelina felt a slimy, bony hand on her shoulder and squealed loudly. Her scream echoed throughout the chamber. Panic filled her and she quickly tried to warn her friends of the danger, but another equally slimy hand covered her mouth, preventing her from uttering a sound. All she heard was the apparition's repulsive voice:

"Finally! I've waited so many years for someone to come and free me, and the moment has finally arrived!! Forgive me, but now you'll stay here and probably die of hunger and exhaustion!! Meanwhile, I'll be free!"

"Who are you?" Kamil asked in horror.

"I'm a student at this school, I hanged myself a long time ago, right here. Unfortunately, I was imprisoned and sentenced to eternal torment! But I overcame death, and now nothing can stop me!"

Ewelina fainted from the ghost's embrace and fell to the damp floor. Suddenly, an extraordinary brightness filled the room, as if... as if someone had turned on a light! A menacing-looking janitor appeared before them, standing next to the lumberyard.

"It was quiet for so long, and now someone had to come here! What are you looking for here?"

"Sir, haven't you seen that ghost? I was talking to him! Where is he? He said something about us staying here forever, and... Ewelina! Are you okay?" The boy only just noticed his friend lying on the ground.

"You'd better get out of here, or I'll go tell the principal about you! What kind of school trips are you organizing?

" "But...

" "Quick, get out of here!"

The children didn't ask any more questions. Asia, Gosia, and Kamil approached Ewelina, picked her up, and headed for the stairs.

"I'm sure I wasn't imagining things!! That ghost tried to strangle me!" the distraught girl said.

"I'm sure I was too," the boy said. "It definitely wasn't a collective delusion."

When they finally saw the exit from the wardrobe, closed it, and put the key away, the teacher entered the classroom.

"I'm so sorry, but the conference got a bit long. I hope you weren't bored waiting here for me?" the Polish teacher asked.

"Probably not," Ewelina said in a slightly weakened voice.

The friends decided to keep the incident a secret, but despite this, everyone was convinced of the existence of the mysterious apparition, which, as she herself said, "overcame death, and now nothing can stop it."...

The End