"Mr Grendel?"
"Cathy?"
Mr. Grendel was the principle at Keystone High School in Oggville, Pennsylvania. He wasn't exactly the Beowulf monster, but he did his best to appear slightly intimidating. He leaned back in his padded leather chair behind his desk and adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses.
Cathy continued. "You know how stage crew is always short on costumes and props?"
"Yes?"
"We lucked out last year finding a forgotten door behind the kitchen that opened to a dark space with a full set of sets for Brigadoon from the 1960's, and a variety of renaissance costumes and wigs."
"I recall."
"So, since then, I've been looking for more. In hopes of getting lucky."
"Cathy ... some places in this school are dangerous. Like the boiler, or the roof."
"Don't worry, when doors are locked I've been polite and left them alone."
"Polite?"
"Oh! This is fun. Here, I'll go out, you lock your door, OK?"
"Um"
"Go ahead ... I won't harm the lock ... and like I said I treat locked doors as a polite request to keep out, and I'm VERY polite."
Cathy danced out, closing the door behind her. Mr. Grendel got up and locked it. He heard some jiggling, and the door opened, and Cathy bounded in and sat down again.
"What did you use to do that?"
"Library card! My dad insisted on me learning how! He says it's an important life skill."
"I should get a better lock," said Mr. Grendel.
Wouldn't help, thought Cathy to herself. "I've been looking over the school methodically," she said. "Looking for forgotten closets, hidden rooms, following up old rumors, that sort of thing. Jeff on stage crew's even been drawing up floorplans to help locate empty spaces. In hopes of finding more stashes. So I thought I'd compare notes."
"Floorplans?"
"We use them as a dungeon for D & D, too."
"You've kept out of locked rooms?"
"That's mostly what I'm here for. To ask you about them. It's fine for them to be locked as long as someone knows what they're for."
"OK then," said Mr Grendel. "Shoot."
"Hah!" said Cathy. Smiled to herself. "Roof?"
"Locked for safety. I've been up there, it's just flat tar and gravel and unfenced dropoffs."
"You should consider installing solar cells or passive water heating or having a class grow plants up there."
"The roof's not built to be walked on. And heavy snows ... solar panels would be difficult."
"Fine, fine. Empty space between the art room and the stairwell? Maybe that locked door inside the artroom cabinet?"
"That's right." He was impressed. "It's full of kiln bricks, pottery glazing, and paint. No stage props."
"Excellent! Locked closet in the third floor men's bathroom?"
"No idea," he said, wondering how she knew about the interior of the men's bathrooms. "I don't think anyone has a key, but it's probably access to the plumbing."
"Mind if we try to check? We won't harm the locks or take anything, and I'll tell you what we find."
"I'll take the offer," said Mr. Grendel, leaning forward. "Do you know about the false ceiling above the auditorium?"
"Please!" said Cathy. "I'm on stage crew. We use that CONSTANTLY. Almost as much as the false ceiling above the theater and room under the stage. I know there's a false ceiling between floors too, but the entries are locked."
"I've seen them. I can vouch they have no theater supplies. They're for wiring and air ducts."
"Do you know about the cavern where they kept runaway slaves on the underground railroad?"
"What!? You found one?"
"No."
"False rumor as far as I know."
"World War II fallout shelter?" asked Cathy.
"Ditto," said Mr. Grendel.
"Same here. Space beneath the basement stairs?"
"Filled with earth, I'm guessing."
"Nope! Filled with beer cans," said Cathy. "There's a false wall in shop that opens into it."
"Is that so?" Mr Grendel arched an eyebrow. "Thank you for the heads up. I'll look into that."
"Padlocked back panel in the gym, behind the bleachers?"
"You know, I haven't seen that opened in the last decade. But I know where the key is." He glanced at the clock. "I don't have much time now. Perhaps I could meet you there tomorrow right after school, and we can open it?"
"That would be great, Mr Grendel!"
"Well! This has been a fruitful discussion. I see stage crew is in good hands." He stood up.
Cathy stood as well. "Thanks Mr Grendel! I'll meet you tomorrow."
Cathy left with a smile on her face and a bounce in her step. Obscure rooms filled with seldom-used supplies were one thing. But a World War II fallout shelter that even the staff didn't know about anymore, now that had possibilities. It was hidden beneath a janitor's supply closet in the basement. It was filled with gas masks, rations, a musket, women's suffrage signs, an old still, lots of books, and a skeleton wearing a bra and a sombrero. Possibilities indeed.
This was in response to a prompt on reddit.com r/WritingPrompts, "Your ancient middle school was built at the time of WW2, and there are rumours of a fallout shelter hidden in the building. No one really believes it, though. One day, however, you stumble upon a trapdoor in the janitors closet...".