The trembling children stood in silence in front of the closet inside the cave as their shivering bodies hurdled together. Most of them could only wear their wooly jackets; their clothes from earlier were soaked sponges.The air was thick with a mixed scent of rainwater and gravel compressed inside the tunnel.

A boy rummaged through his pocket and grabbed the silver key tucked inside. He held his hand out, desperately trying to find someone to open the door.

Drip
Drop
Drip
Drop

The leftover rain from the children's hair continued to fall to the floor, creating puddles around them.
"I . . . I'll do it,"

The girl who reminded them about Margot stepped forward, her hands trembling as she took the key and reached out to the doorknob. She briefly hesitated, as her heart swelled with guilt. "Why did we do this?" she wondered.

She started to insert the key. She jumped as a voice yelled,
"Wait!"

The children parted like the Red Sea as William stumbled through them and pushed the girl to the side.
"Out of the way! I'll open the door," he commanded, trying to sound brave as he caught his breath.

The girl fell; her wet hair soaked the cold ground. Reluctantly, she got up, and stood to the side with the rest of the children.

William grabbed the key; his knuckles shaking violently. He tried to forge his courage, but failed. He was sure that the other children sensed his fear among their own. He felt his heart pounding louder than the drops of rain falling on the top of the caves. He quietly whispered, "Sorry", and carefully turned the key.

Click.
All the children stood back as he pulled the door forward. They peered inside the room of darkness, like an endless abyss. One child stuck his hand in the closet and couldn't even see it
"Margot? Where are you?"

William cried into the closet. His voice echoed throughout the tunnel.

There was a dead silence.
William carefully walked into the closet. The floor creaked as he entered. He waved his hands around the closet as he attempted to find Margot.

"Margot, you can come out now. Please. We're sorry."

William begged as he continued to maneuver around the depths of the closet.?After another minute inside the closet, William called out to the other children.
"She's not in here!" William exclaimed in despair.

"Let me see," several other children chimed in.
Five more boys crammed into the closet, like a pack of sardines.

As they continued to search inside the closet, more children gradually went deeper and deeper and deeper until everyone was inside.

Surprisingly, they could all fit snugly inside. It was as if the closet was custom-made to fit all of them.
"Margot, come out! Where are you?" Their voices resonated within the space.

William kept walking around in the darkness when he felt something rough head. He moved his arms around the smooth surface and realized that they had reached the back wall of the closet.

"This must be the end. I guess she's not in here after all,"

As he turned around and made his way towards the entrance, a small voice whimpered,
"Hey, look! It's Margot"

The children quickly turned around and saw a dark figure blocking the entrance of the closet. They rushed forward in relief that they had found their lost treasure. Gradually, William saw that it was truly Margot in front of them.

She stood there silently, her hands resting at her side. Her head was hung low and her straw-like hair covered her face.
"Margot! We're-"

The ground suddenly creaked and trembled. Vibrations were everywhere and rocks started crumbling from all sides.

The children gasped and tried to scramble out of the closet. But before they could move, Margot walked towards them and stopped right in front of the door.

She slowly lifted her head. William gulped as he noticed her blood shot eyes.
"Nothing happened today. Right?"
She took a step back and closed her eyes.
The closet slammed.

SHUT
And then the tunnel collapsed.