Dear Diary,
Let me tell you about the most unusual day I’ve ever had at the family-run hardware store. And I’ve had some pretty unusual days, believe me! Anyway, Dad and I had just opened our hardware store near Bentleigh for the day, arranging displays, and attending to the early bird customers. The usual. But today was different, and not in a way I expected.
In the afternoon, I was asked to reorganise the basement – no surprise. It had become a chaotic mess of leftovers, discontinued items, and dust – lots of dust. Hidden in the farthest corner behind a tower of old paint cans, I discovered something that changed my day entirely: a hidden door.
Smooth and unornamented, it was a complete anomaly amidst the clutter. I could swear it hadn’t been there before. What was even more peculiar was the rolled-up blueprint I found next to it. As I unfurled the large sheet of paper, I was greeted with a meticulous sketch of some device, the likes of which I’d never seen.
I’ve always been good at visualising 3D objects, but this design was something else. It was a complex blend of cogs, gears and pulleys, with beams and frames clearly marked as timber. I have never seen anything like it.
I knew we had an array of the best timber for sale in Cheltenham – everything from hardwood to treated pine was available in our store. But this blueprint suggested a careful selection and specific combination of various timber types. I could already see where the dense Jarrah and flexible Tasmanian Oak from our stock would fit into the design. It was intriguing, to say the least.
As I looked from the blueprint to the hidden door, a thrilling thought entered my mind. What if this device was meant to open the door? Could I be the one to discover its secrets?
Well, dear diary, it looks like I’ve got a project on my hands. I just hope I’m up for the challenge.
Yours truly,
Sophia