Not Giving Up
It seemed like he hadn't made a dent despite his digging in the past six hours. It was growing down, and the piles of red dirt loomed high in his yard.
He had no intention of giving up and ignored the sweat as he lifted his shovel. He pressed it into the earth before stepping on it to drive it further into the soil. What he discovered next would change his world forever.
A Quiet Life
When Harry Parker moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, he’d hoped to live a quiet life. A native of New York City, Harry had spent a considerable part of his life in noisy Brooklyn, hoping that he’d be able to move one day.
He worked twice as hard to see this dream come true. His wish would be answered when he hit thirty-five.
A Chance Presents Itself
The company Harry was working for was opening a branch in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it asked him to spearhead the project. Of course, Harry jumped at the chance.
But what he thought would be a simple operation ended with him moving with his wife, Tracy, to Hawaii, where a mystery like he’d never known waited.
Life In Honolulu
For Harry, life in Honolulu was the exact opposite of what he’d grown accustomed to in New York. The nights were quiet and filled with stars, and the days were bright and sunny.
Work was coming out great for Harry, with Tracy working from the house as a managing editor in a web writing company. But although the couple was enjoying their new home, there was an issue that threatened to cast a dark shadow over their stay.
The Big Problem
Harry and Tracy’s life in sunny Honolulu was perfect. But there was one thing that was ruining the experience. The piped water in their shower was always cold despite the electrician assuring them the wiring was working fine.
Furthermore, the water was always tinged red to match the soil outside. Harry called in plumbers to pinpoint the issue, but they all assured him the problem wasn’t with the house. He was almost giving up when Tracy pointed out something he’d been overlooking.
Getting To The Root Of It
“The yard,” Tracy said nonchalantly, jutting her chin at the green lawn swathed in sunlight. “The water has soil in it, so maybe the pipes beyond the house are the issue. I say we start with the yard.”
Harry looked at her as she spoke, seeing sense in her logic. The plumbers assured him the issue wasn’t with the house, so it had to be beyond their home. He had no clue what was waiting for him out there.
Searching The Yard
Harry began work on the yard early the next day. He first followed the house’s pipe system, digging as he searched for wet dirt that would indicate a leak. By midday, he’d explored through half of the yard.
He hadn’t uncovered anything substantial since he started searching, and he was about to call it quits when his shovel struck something solid.
A Metallic Sound
He forced his shovel deeper into the soil but met resistance. A metallic sound rang, making his brows draw up. Had he found the cause of his water problem?
Harry began clearing the soil around the metallic surface, thinking it was some sewage lid. He dug for a while, not knowing that what he’d find would leave him running for help.
Nothing Like He’s Ever Seen Before
Harry dug as fast as he could. The lid he’d been keen to uncover was quickly taking shape before him. But the more he removed the dirt around it, the more he realized he’d never seen a lid like it.
Tracy came as he was clearing the soil, and after a quick assessment of what was staring at them, she joked about how cool it would be if they found a bunker.
A Burning Curiosity
Harry had been digging for more than seven hours now. He was exhausted, but he knew he was close to uncovering this mystery.
What had begun with the need to find out why his shower water was always dirty and rarely hot had now morphed into wanting to know what was under the metallic lid.
Trying To Open It
Harry cleared the dirt around the lid. He took a deep breath as he wrapped his hands around its handle. He turned to his wife as if telling her there was nothing and heaved.
The lid didn’t budge. Tracy came to help, but after several attempts, they both threw in the towel. As Harry sat, covered in dirt and sweat, an idea arose in his mind, throwing him to his feet.
A Great Idea
“I have an idea,” Harry said. “But you won’t like it.” “Tell me,” his wife grinned at the pile of dirt. “I’m bringing the Wrangler outback and using its rope to pull this thing open,” Harry said.
Tracy’s eyes widened, and she jumped up. “Let’s do it!” The couple brought their Jeep around, tying its bumper rope to the lid and reversing. Would the method work?
Pure Strength
The Jeep’s tires spun as the SUV growled. A high-pitched ping rented the air, and the lid came off in an eruption of dirt and grass.
Harry raced out of the Jeep only to meet a cavernous hole staring at him. “I’ll get the flashlight,” Tracy exclaimed and disappeared. Soon enough, she returned with one. But what had they uncovered?
Tracy’s Flashlight
The metallic lid shone under Tracy’s flashlight. It was covered in rust, red dust, and thick cobweb, indicating it housed something old. Harry had heard many stories about hidden tunnels under houses. He didn't think he'd ever encounter one.
Tracy directed her flashlight into the hole they had uncovered, and both took a step back with parted lips. They couldn’t believe what they had found.
What They Found
A metallic spiral staircase covered in the same cobwebs and rust from the lid stared back at Harry and Tracy. Harry tapped the first and second steps with his shovel to test their firmness and looked back at Tracy.
“I’m going in,” he said, suspecting he was about to descend into their neighborhood’s sewerage system. What he uncovered down there would result in the authorities swooping in.
He Goes In
What Harry descended into was a concrete-walled room covered in more cobwebs. It was clear no one had been down here for a long while.
There were tables, chairs, and sealed boxes labeled danger scattered around. High in one of the corners was a dripping pipe that was the cause of his shower trouble. Harry took a step back, finally realizing what he’d uncovered.
The Bomb Shelter
Harry called the authorities as soon as he got back up. He and Tracy had found a bomb shelter likely from the mid-20th century judging from the furniture Harry had seen.
The police flocked the Parkers residents throughout the week. They uncovered more rooms in the shelter, sharing that the Parker house had been built over a World War II military bomb shelter.
It’s All Yours
Of course, the Parkers were allowed to keep the shelter. As a thank you to the state, they donated the furniture inside it to the local museum.
But they weren't the only family to find something otherworldly in their home because of their bathroom. The Kojimas' discovery was enough to leave a person with nightmares.
The Kojimas
Software developer Akira Kojima and his wife Yua had just moved into their new home in a small town in Massachusetts when they realized something was terribly wrong with the place.
Like the Parkers, Akira and Yua came from bustling New York City and wanted to find somewhere quiet to start a family finally. If only they knew what they were stepping into.
Starting A Family
After dating for a decade, the two finally tied the knot and were expecting their first child after a few months of trying to get pregnant.
Akira had always dreamed of raising his kids away from the city, and now that he was finally going to be a dad, he saw it as the perfect time to make the move.
We Need To Move
After a long conversation with Yua, Akira pulled up the many states he'd considered moving to. Among the top was Massachusetts, which Yua immediately gravitated toward.
Before the two knew it, they had already found a great house and were ready to begin their new lives as parents. But their lives were about to change.
The Humming, Scratching, And Buzzing
For the longest while, Akira had been a fan of horror movies. He'd always wondered why families moved into haunted houses and not move out when they found out something was wrong with the place.
Well, he and Yua weren't in their home for more than a week when they started hearing the sound in their bathroom. They brushed it off at first, hoping it wasn't anything serious. They didn't know how wrong they were.
Just Ignore It
The young couple continued living in their house, ignoring the humming and buzzing sounds in their bathroom. They had spent too much on the house and their move from New York to go away.
They decided to tough it out in the house until whatever was making the buzzing sound went away. But by the end of the first month, everything had gotten way worse.
It Gets Worse
The buzzing in the bathroom had gotten louder, and the shower's water pressure was lower. The water was also constantly cold, prompting Akira to call in a plumber.
He made an appointment, and the plumber showed up early the following day. But even he talked about the constant buzzing in the bathroom. He stepped in, walking to the wall where the noise came from. He would uncover the mystery before them.
They Find Something
The plumber started by chipping away the bathroom wall. Slowly and slowly, the wall came off. But each piece of marble he chipped away seemed to increase the buzzing sound.
The plumber stopped midway, covered in dust and sweat. "I think I know what's happening here," he whispered as he threw his tools back into his bag. "I have a number you should call."
Liquid Gold
He produced a card from his tool bag but asked Akira to come close to the wall before handing it over. He pointed at the cracks behind the marble he'd peeled off.
Amid the dry plaster was thick and sleek yellow fluid. "Liquid gold," the plumber said. "It's dangerously guarded, from the looks of things."
Calling The Number
The plumber told the Kojimas he couldn't fix their shower until the person on the card came and dealt with the source of the 'liquid gold.' He also warned Akira and Yua not to use the bathroom until they had the professional over.
Since it was still early in the morning, Akira called the number, and the professional came over. But she wasn't who Akira was expecting her to be.
An Exterminator
The professional, Lydia, was dressed as an exterminator. Even the truck she came in, a bright yellow SUV, was decorated with stickers that read exterminator.
But as she started talking to Akira and Yua, discussing the details of buying the house, it soon became apparent that she was much more than that. What had they gotten themselves into?
Nests And Hives
Lydia began spewing information about nests and hives and how, although beautiful in external, wild habitats, they could be pretty dangerous in places such as the Kojima house.
The second thing she did was quarantine the entire bathroom with plastic paper, ensuring each opening was covered. Afterward, she wore a bee keeper's outfit and got to work.
Follow The Queen
It was then that Akira understood what was happening. It turns out a massive four feet tall bee hive thrived within their bathroom wall. Lydia quickly located the queen bee and moved it to her car.
Soon after, the rest of the hive cleared out, following their queen as she predicted they would. The Kojimas finally got rid of the constant buzzing in their bathroom. Now they live a happy life with their son Hiroto, who is two.