A contractor named Alex was using a sledgehammer to break through a brick section in a far corner where a massive oak panel had once stood. Suddenly, a section of the wall collapsed, revealing a dark, hollow space behind the masonry. Wiping sweat from his brow, Alex frowned and pulled out his phone, using the flashlight to peer into the gap.
The narrow niche looked intentional, as if it had been walled off on purpose. It was draped in thick cobwebs, and something was sitting in the corner. Alex called over his coworkers—a younger guy named Mike and an older veteran of the trade named Dale. Looking into the hole, Mike joked about finding buried treasure, but he went quiet when he saw Alex’s face.
Alex pointed out that it looked like a bag. Dale, the older worker, told him to pull it out carefully, suggesting it might be old records or something valuable. Putting on his work gloves, Alex reached into the cramped, musty space and pulled on a cracked leather handle.
He pulled out an old, dirt-caked school satchel, its straps brittle and peeling. The workers gathered around, staring at the artifact as if it had been pulled from a time capsule. Alex knelt down and wiped the dust off the front flap, his face turning pale as he read the name embossed in the leather.
He whispered the name: “Billy Thompson.” Hearing this, old Dale’s expression changed instantly. His voice shook as he recalled the local legend of the boy who vanished in the sixties. The atmosphere in the dusty library turned cold and heavy.
Mike asked how a missing kid’s bag could end up walled into a school building. Dale replied that someone had hidden it there on purpose and told them to call the foreman and the police immediately. Alex, feeling a chill despite the heat, agreed they shouldn’t touch anything else until the detectives arrived.
He called the site manager, Jim, and explained they’d found a hidden niche and the bag of the Thompson boy. Jim swore under his breath and told them to stop all work and wait for the authorities. Then Alex dialed 911 to report the discovery at the elementary school renovation site.
The dispatcher took the information and told them to secure the area. Hanging up, Alex looked at his team, realizing they had been working just feet away from the answer to the town’s greatest mystery for weeks. Dale remarked that secrets have a way of coming out, even if they’re buried in brick for fifty years.
