When the Basement Door Opens
~Max Yerid, Class of 2023
If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without even knowing it.
~Herodotus
Everyone has a place they always go to when the day is done and all they want to do is relax. That’s why I go down to the basement after a long day of school. I might be stressed, I might be bored, I might be wanting a break. Whatever the reason, if I want to stop, the basement is my retreat.
It’s a Wednesday afternoon and I’m on the car ride home from a long, boring and tedious day of school. I had just barely enough time to finish all of my homework during the study hall period prior to sports. As I gazed out the window, staring at the trees and cars and buildings passing by and listened to music while humming softly under my breath, I was waiting, longing for the second I could go straight from the door, down and to the left, and open up the door to the basement.
My grandmother’s white Lexus finally pulls into my house’s garage. I jump out and sprint to the shelf sitting near the steps. I grab a can of seltzer out of the box sitting on the third shelf and run into the house. After I entered, I stopped by the door and turned to my right and walked into the laundry room. I put my bag, jacket and shoes in the laundry room before entering the kitchen and washing my hands in the kitchen. I grab my AirPods and head downstairs to the basement. Once I turn on the lights, I walk over to the TV. It takes me a minute to decide what to play. After I chose what I wanted to play, I grabbed a controller and turned on the Xbox. I decided to play Star Wars Battlefront 2. I was having fun, but it was getting repetitive. Right at the perfect time, my brother George comes downstairs. I turn off the Xbox and turn on the Nintendo Switch. I put the white Xbox controller down in favor of the yellow Switch one. Once George grabs his controller, I start up Super Smash Bros. We play together for about half an hour, until we’re called upstairs to eat dinner.
I believe everyone has a “relaxation retreat”. For some people, their relaxation retreat of choice might be their bedroom. For some people, their relaxation retreat of choice might be their living room. My relaxation retreat is my old basement which was turned into a playroom, and I wouldn’t prefer it anywhere else.
Basements can be many things, including an escape.
