The Story-Teller by H. Munro (Saki)

"The Lumber Room" is a humorous short story by the British author Hector Hugh Munro who wrote under the pseudonym of Saki.

In the story, the protagonist is punished by his strict aunt for not sitting still and misbehaving at breakfast. He is grounded while his brother and their cousins are praised for their obedience and offered to go out on an afternoon excursion which they did not ask for. As further punishment, the boy is told to stay out of the gooseberry garden. Convinced that the boy will disobey her, the aunt decides to keep a watchful eye on him. The boy, however, has a better plan for the afternoon. He intends to sneak into the mysterious lumber roomwhich is always kept locked, for it is full of hidden and forbidden treasures he would like to examine.

After some time, the aunt becomes suspicious of the boy’s long absence and starts searching for him. The boy hears her calling for him in the gooseberry garden pretending to see him hiding there. He then hears her shriek and cry out for help. He goes out of the lumber room, locks the door, and returns the key. He then strolls over to the front garden to answer the call. From the other side of the wall, the aunt tells him that she has fallen into the empty rain-water tank and cannot get out. She then tells him to bring a ladder to her. The boy reminds her that he is not allowed to enter the gooseberry garden. The aunt countermands the order, but the boy pretends he does not believe it is his aunt speaking to him. He says he thinks the Evil One is trying to tempt him to disobey his aunt. When she agrees to give him strawberry jam for tea if he brings the ladder, the boy declares it cannot be his aunt speaking because she told him previously that there was no jam left. Having sufficiently enjoyed himself, the boy walks away. The aunt is later found and rescued by the kitchen maid.

In the evening, the tea is taken in silence. The other children are unhappy after a miserable outing. The tide was high so there was no sand to play on, and one of the cousins was in a terrible temper because of his tight boots. The aunt maintains silence. The boy is also silent, absorbed in his thoughts about the beautiful treasures he saw in the lumber room.