Woman finds secret staircase in her house while cleaning and people are racing to solve the mystery
The staircase is more than 100 years old and look slightly terrifying.

Woman finds secret staircase while cleaning her house
When you buy a new house you tend to find things that you missed during your walk through and initial few months there. You're busy unpacking and settling in to notice things that may be just a little off. Sometimes the discovery is something like a forgotten train set still assembled in the attic or left behind photo albums.
Other times people discover secret doors that lead to underground caves or a prohibition era bar under the floor boards. Julia Henning, found something more similar to the latter. One day while she was cleaning, she noticed something weird on her closet floor and posted her discovery on TikTok in. 13 Second clip that has amassed over 31 million views.
"As I cleaned out the closet, my eyes kept tracing the small glass knob that stuck out in the corner of the room close to the door frame," Henning told Newsweek.
When Henning pulled on the knob, the floor of her coat closet lifted up and revealed a small, slightly creepy winding staircase. The rickety wooden stairs lead to darkness. You can't see the bottom of the stairs just by looking down the hatch's opening so Henning wasn't feeling brave enough to test her luck going into the unknown alone for the entertainment of social media.
In a second video update she gives a better look at the stairs and shows the immense darkness that awaits at the bottom.
"Can you imagine that I say hello and something literally says hello back," Henning says. "So here's the update. We're going to get somebody else here by the end of the week, I'm either going to send them, (sorry to whoever that ends up being), or they will video tape me going down there. But I am not a vlogger so I am not willing on a Tuesday morning to put my life at risk for your entertainment; however, stay tuned because we're going to crack this mystery.
@iamjuliahenning I was cleaning the closet and decided to invesitgate. This is what I found… should I go in?! #hauntedhouses #hauntedhouse #creepytiktok #creepyhouse #crawlspace #creepycrawlspace #hiddenhorror #scarystories #homediscovery #hauntedhollywood #ghosthunters #investigation #whatliesbeneath #barbarian #oldhousetiktok #hiddengems #docuseries
Honestly, anyone with a healthy sense of self preservation probably would avoid going down those stairs as well. There really is no telling what would be awaiting. A well filled with the spirit of some girl that's going to climb out of your television or an old box that possesses the opener. Horror movies have taught us that we really can't be too careful!
Luckily for Henning, when she finally went down into the dark room, she didn't find a box with a Dybbuk but she did admit to having some weird things happening in the house.
"Legit though all week weird stuff has been happening. I literally got locked in this closet the day i discovered the crawl space opened and would not have been able to get out if i was home alone. Go ahead and laugh but this is legit weird," Henning wrote in a TikTok caption.
@iamjuliahenning So mini update from yesterday before we dive into this crawl space mini series… #hauntedhouses #hauntedhouse #creepytiktok #creepyhouse #crawlspace #creepycrawlspace #hiddenhorror #scarystories #homediscovery #hauntedhollywood #ghosthunters #investigation #whatliesbeneath #barbarian #oldhousetiktok #hiddengems #docuseries
She originally hired a medium to explore the uncovered cellar but even the medium, one who is paid to commune with passed spirits declined. That left no one but the homeowner who was trying desperately to avoid going down the steps herself. After suiting up to avoid getting bit by spiders, Henning finally made it down the stairs.
In a very dramatic, then anticlimactic turn of events, Henning first spots faded names written on the wall, only to discover it appears to be a storage area. Wine racks, shelves and a single Miracle Whip jar that appeared to be from the 60s filled with old kids' trinkets. The room is sealed so everything is pretty pristine, but Henning tells her followers, the discovery leaves more questions than answers.
Comments on each video in this accidental series is filled with reactions ranging from excitement and terror to skepticism. There's no pleasing everyone, but it's clear the internet wants to know what's up with the house.
Watch the big reveal below (Warning: The video does contain profanity):
@iamjuliahenning You asked for it. I want to keep it but also slightly terrfied. Its giving cursed items. But here you have it: the crawl space is a hidden room! Whats next? We need to learn the history… more questions than answers if you ask me. Hosting house events just got a lot more interesting… #hauntedhouses #hauntedhouse #creepytiktok #creepyhouse #crawlspace #creepycrawlspace #hiddenhorror #scarystories #homediscovery #hauntedhollywood #ghosthunters #investigation #whatliesbeneath #barbarian #oldhousetiktok #hiddengems #docuseries
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.