The Halloran After Hours

The Museum That Never Opened

The Halloran Museum was finished forty years ago. The marble was polished, the cases were filled, the brass plaque by the door was engraved with an opening date. Then the founder vanished the night before the ribbon cutting, and the doors stayed locked.

Tonight you are the new night guard. The agency said the job was simple: walk the halls, check the locks, never mind the noises. It is a quarter past midnight when the lights in the lobby switch on by themselves.

To your left, a soft glow spills from the East Gallery. To your right, a stairwell climbs toward the Archive, where somebody has left a desk lamp burning.