Life had not been good to him of late.
He stood holding the sledge hammer. He felt the weight of it. It felt good. He let out a long sigh before swinging it. He couldn’t believe how bad things had turned out. So many things had gone wrong that he’d lost count. It was his job, his marriage, the bank, the neighbours, his car… it just went on and on. He was on his own now, so despite everything, he’d do a bit of home improvement before the bank took the house away from him. He’d always had it in mind to put a connecting door between the two bedrooms. Well, now was the right time to do it. Knocking a big hole in a wall was going to be a form of therapy for him. He was in the right mood for smashing something to bits.
He stepped back and took a mighty swing. The impact and the tremor up his arms felt good. He’d gone right through the plaster and knocked a brick clean out. He moved forward and peered through. All he could see was darkness. It didn’t make any sense. It was a single brick wall; an internal. He dropped the hammer and went out into the hall. He stood looking at the two bedroom doors before entering the second bedroom. He went in and checked the wall. Nothing! Not a mark on it. He ran his hand over the spot where there should be a hole. There was not even a crack. It was smooth and flat.
He went back into the other room. The hole was still there. After gaping at it in amazement for a while he picked the tool up and gave the wall three mighty whacks. Four more bricks were gone, but he didn’t hear any of them fall.
Back in the room next door, he stood in a daze looking at the untouched surface. Slowly he returned to the hole and peered in. All he could see was blackness. He put his arm through and waved it about. Nothing. Finally, he stuck his head in. He did his best to focus on what he was looking at. Slowly, he saw that he was taking in vast distances… and there was a great swirling pattern of stars.
He sat on the floor for a while, with his back to the wall.
He decided he’d sleep on it.
The next day he went back into the room with sand, cement, plaster and paint. He set to work with renewed purpose.
He had enough going on in his life without having to explain to the rest of humankind that he’d discovered an interdimensional portal into another universe… it was just too much for him!