What We Allow
an excerpt

“I just mean,” Cate said, “that this wall isn’t right. There’s a space in it."

“What?”

“The wall doesn’t line up with the other side. There’s something in between there. It looks to be about – a meter across? Maybe more, depending on how thick the walls are supposed to be.”

“Well shit.” Millman leaned into the empty dorm room, then out and around to the next. He repeated the movement several times. Finally Cate sighed.

“Just bash the wall in already.”

“You think that’s a good idea, do you.”

“Well there’s something wrong with it!” She began to tap along the wall, listening to the hollow sound that echoed much louder than it should have, right from floor to ceiling. She had to reach up to get to the highest point, though not far. The house wasn’t built for lofty heights and impressive spaces.

“Want a boost?” Millman sounded amused.

“No. I want you to knock this wall in.”

“All right. Hang on.” He looked skeptical. Glancing around at the stark emptiness of each room, he left and returned with one of the plastic chairs from the entryway.

“Hmm,” said Cate.

“Give me a minute.” He wrenched a leg off a chair with impressive ease – so impressive that Cate wondered why he hadn’t just tried it in the entryway, before he got back – and set the rest of the chair on the ground. He put the sharp top of the chair leg to the wall, pulled it briefly away, and then hit it to the wall with a thunk. The drywall dented. He did it twice more, increasing the dent to a hole, then pulled his flashlight off his belt and shone it in through the hole. He stood there for several minutes, while Cate stood behind him, impatient.

“Well?”

“Hmm,” said Millman.

Cate stepped forward, hooked her hand into the hole, and pulled. A five by five foot square of drywall crashed down onto the floor.

“Jesus!” Millman said, his lower half now white with dust.

“Oops,” said Cate.