The Hatch Cover

Mel replaced the pipe, turned the wheel that allowed the water to flow, and started to head back when he noticed something strange. There was a burnt-out light bulb in a recess in the wall. He had a new LED bulb in his tool chest, and he did not want to make another trip down here in the near future. He had to use a small crescent wrench and some WD-40 to coax the bulb from the base, but he managed to remove the old bulb without shattering the glass. He screwed the new bulb into the base, and a cool white glow illuminated the tunnel.

"That's funny," thought Mel. There was a wooden hatch cover embedded in the wall, with a couple of iron grips. He had never noticed it before. He pulled the grips, and the hatch moved a little. It was not going to be easy to get out. "This has nothing to do with the plumbing. If this were holding back water, the wood would have rotted long ago. I wonder what is back there? Maybe an old breaker panel? It could be something interesting."

With the help of a crowbar, more WD-40, and patience, Mel managed to pry the hatch cover out of the wall. Behind the hatch cover was

1. a tool cabinet. Mel saw an object that he had heard about, but had never seen before.
2. a cedar chest full of clothing.
3. another tunnel, but this was much larger than tunnel #4.

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