As a kid, you like to think that at any moment, you might find a portal to another world. If you venture deep into your parent's closet, you might find Narnia. If you run into a brick wall at King's Cross, you might be able to board the Hogwarts Express, and go to wizarding school. And if you climb into the sewer, you might discover the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' secret lair.
Unfortunately, you learn reality sucks pretty quickly. When you venture deep into your parent's closet, you just find a musty wedding dress. When you run into a brick wall at King's Cross, you get a concussion. And when you climb into the sewer, you get covered in crap, and there is no sign of any pepperoni pizza.
However, one man in Suffolk England discovered something in his backyard that rekindles the old, childlike imagination. "A hole opened up in my garden and on closer inspection it is a brick chamber," he wrote on Imgur, under the handle rhysfcarter6. "It is around 6 feet deep currently and about 4 feet wide. The house was built in 1888 and is located in a small town in rural Suffolk, England. What is, or was, it for?"
He shared photos of the spooky hole, the stone stopper, and the inside of the brick chamber. And of course, the Internet helped him to get the bottom of this mystery. TheDreadKing wrote, "As a rule, you should find out before going in. Bubonic plague can still be dug up in some parts of England and Europe. Wash your hands." (Good advice!) rocketdonkey wrote, "I’d get in touch with your local historical association. Oh, and an exorcist as well." (Always be prepared.)And izoli413365 wrote, "Please stop digging, before you reach the bodies." (True, plus you don't want to find a cursed sarcophagus.)
The creepy chamber conjured many images from horror movies. PecsPewper wrote, "WE ALL FLOAT DOWN HERE." (Quoting Pennywise The Clown from Stephen King's It, who lured children into the sewer to eat them.) nickdoesntsharefood wrote, "You need: rope, a basket, puppy and a prisoner. You get: lotion." (Referencing Buffalo Bill's pit, from Silence of the Lambs, where he imprisoned women before skinning them. And many people recalled the well from The Ring, where 12-year-old Samara survived for seven days before dying.
Once the movie references were out of the way, the Internet got down to business. Ephor wrote, "It's an oubliette! (It's not, I just rarely get the chance to use that word.) Oubliette!" (Oubliette means "a secret dungeon with access only through a trapdoor in its ceiling.") Landship wrote,"Looks like a septic tank. I.e to hold shit." (That ruins the fun.) Bruhbeans wrote, "You're digging in a 100year old toilet." (Okay, can we move on?) ChrisCopp wrote, "Well, well, well..." (Shut up, dad!) And strappeddom wrote, ""It’s a cistern. Designed to hold water."
So, what's the real answer? The guy who discovered the hole, rhysfcarter6, wrote, "After further excavation and assessment on day 2 of the dig we are concluding that it is in fact a soak away not a cesspit." So, there you have it. It's no Narnia, Hogwarts or Ninja Turtles lair, but we can still dream.
