The Republic of Miracles

Chapter 11, in which Aliénor teaches Philibert a life lesson

She searched through her memories in vain, Aliénor couldn't recall ever encountering a wall of such solidity. She leaned towards Philibert and spoke to him in a low voice, not wanting those below to hear them.

"Are you absolutely sure that door was open when you first saw it?"

"Yes, Aliénor, the brick was intact and the door was completely pushed inwards."

"And did you take a look at the locking mechanism?"

"I didn't notice," Philibert replied, remaining pensive for a few moments, furrowing his brow in an effort to remember. "I saw three large metal hooks on the side, which must have latched onto something on the frame... I can't recall, I didn't pay enough attention."

Aliénor closed her eyes and tried to visualize what her grandson had just described. Those hooks must have been operated from the outside. If she had been the designer of such a door, how would she have ensured it remained invisible to the uninitiated, while keeping the mechanism still easily accessible in the event of an emergency?

Perhaps a remote control? She herself was only around ten years old when the blackout occurred, but she remembered that before the war, people mastered electricity, radio waves, and all the techno gadgets that came with them. Having lived at that time in a house where home automation found applications in every aspect of daily life, she remembered all the things that a simple cell phone could control.

On the other hand, these technologies would have become unusable in the event of a general power outage, presenting far too great risks. Access to the bunker had to remain an absolute priority. They must have therefore chosen a simple mechanical device to open the door, which could then function at all times, regardless of external conditions. A handle, a latch, a rope, or some kind of pull.

And if it was something physical, it had to be visible. But how to hide from everyone this mechanism that had to remain nonetheless apparent to the eyes of the initiated? Only a fraction of the stone covering had been thrown down, the part corresponding to the movable part of the door. "Clothaire! Remove the remaining stone."

Clothaire, who was busy hammering the crowbar to wedge it into the gap between the door and the partition, without much success so far, was preparing to grumble, but Aliénor cut short his protests.

"Do as I say! Clear this wall of all remaining stone, there's something hidden underneath. And you, over there, bring him a ladder or a chair, something sturdy so your cousin isn't forced to work at arm's length. Try to be helpful!"

The others sprang into action and eventually found a sturdy table, which Clothaire used to reach the top of the wall; others positioned themselves at the bottom of the stairs and, as soon as he knocked down a few blocks, hastened to clear the landing. The work progressed rapidly, the crowbar proving remarkably useful for prying the stones off their metal support.

After an hour, the work was done, the table removed, and the floor cleared of all debris. Aliénor descended the few steps separating her from the landing and contemplated the result of their efforts: three openings had appeared on the metal partition.

"What do you think, Clothaire? Can you see how it might work?"

Clothaire approached and peered into one of the openings.

"Maybe by pushing, simply?"

He inserted the end of the crowbar into the opening until he encountered resistance, then pushed with all his might. He felt something give way inside, but quickly reached the bottom.

"I managed to push it in, but now it's stuck," he said.

"Try another one."

Clothaire repeated the maneuver in the next opening. As he reached maximum depth, a click sounded from the first hole.