My Husband Accidentally Locked Me in the Basement to Watch Basketball with His Friends at Our House

Dani cannot stand her husbands friends. So when Ethan brings up the possibility of having them over to watch a basketball game, she shuts down the idea. On the evening of the game, Dani finds herself going into the basement to get a pack of beer, but before she knows it, shes locked inside. What happens next?…

I should have just said no from the start. Not just when Ethan brought up the idea of his friends coming over for dinner. I mean way before that, like when I first realized how awful they were. I never outright said that I didnt hate them, but let me be honest with you: I think I made it pretty clear.

An annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney

But my husband, Ethan?

Hes so different from these guys. At 35, hes a successful manager at a tech company, and for reasons that I will never understand, hes still friends with the same guys he went to high school with.

Theyre loud, rude, and completely unlike Ethan. Theyre everything he left behind when he made something of himself.

Except, apparently, his loyalty to them.

A man sitting in his office | Source: Midjourney

“Dani, its just one game,” he said that night, sitting in the kitchen with a hopeful grin. “The guys really want to watch the game here. Theyre dying to see our new TV setup. Itll be fun!”

I sighed, trying to stay calm. I could almost see the dreadful evening unfolding. I knew that Ethans friends would take over the house, inappropriate comments getting into every conversation.

“Ethan, you know how I feel about them. Every single time they come over, its like our house gets turned into a frat house. Im not cleaning up after them again. Its not happening.”

A man sitting at a kitchen counter | Source: Midjourney

My husbands face dropped, a look of wounded pride flashing in his eyes.

“Its just one night, Danielle. I dont get to see them very often because of work. Come on, you can hang out upstairs or something. Dont be like this.”

“No,” I said. “Theyre not coming here.”

An annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney

“Please?” Ethan asked, pouting. “I promise you, Ill do all the cleaning before and after. You wont have to do a thing. Why dont you invite your girls over? You guys can use the hot tub outside and catch up or whatever.”

I didnt say anything. Ethan didnt say anything else either.

He just turned back to his bowl of pasta, chewing in silence.

I shouldve seen what was coming next.

A bowl of pasta | Source: Midjourney

A few days later, it happened.

It was Saturday, the night of the big game, but Ethan hadnt said anything about it. In fact, he was the model husband, coming with me to get groceries, even stopping to get me a bouquet of flowers.

“What do you want for dinner tonight?” he asked as we drove home.

A man driving | Source: Midjourney

“Anything that doesnt involve me cooking,” I said.

Ethan chuckled.

“Okay, lets see what we can do.”

In the end, Ethan decided that we would do takeout for dinner.

“I dont feel like cooking either,” he said. “So, I ordered a lot of fried chicken and fries.”

Fried chicken and fries | Source: Midjourney

“Sounds incredible,” I said. “And when I regret this in the morning, just go with the flow.”

“Deal,” Ethan laughed. “Do you think you could get the six-pack of beer from the basement fridge?”

“Sure,” I said. “Ill go in a bit. I just want my nails to dry.”

Ethan nodded and went into the living room, chatting with someone on his phone, but I didnt pay much attention to it. I was glad that he didnt mention the game again, and I was even going to sit with him while it was on.

A close up of a womans hand | Source: Midjourney

I blew on my nails one more time before I headed down to the basement.

“Im going to the basement,” I called to Ethan. “Pay attention for the delivery guy!”

He waved me off, barely glancing at me as I walked down the stairs into the cold, dimly lit space where we stored extra drinks in the spare fridge.

A fridge in a basement | Source: Midjourney

I had been trying to turn the basement into my own little reading haven for a while, but whenever I made big purchases for it, I immediately felt guilty. Now, there was a comfy couch and two empty bookshelves.

“Got you,” I said to myself as I grabbed the six-pack and turned around to head up the stairs.

I was almost up the stairs when the door to the basement slammed shut.

A shut basement door | Source: Midjourney

I blinked in the sudden darkness. That was weird.

“Ethan?” I yelled.

I tried the door handle, but it didnt budge.

“Ethan!” I called again, louder this time. No answer. I rattled the handle harder. Still locked. My stomach twisted.

A frustrated woman looking up | Source: Midjourney

He couldnt have seriously locked me down here by accident, could he?

I banged on the door.

“Ethan! This isnt funny! Open the door!”

Nothing.

I stood there for a moment, listening. I could hear muffled voices, laughter, and the unmistakable sound of basketball commentary blaring from the TV.

A basketball game on TV | Source: Midjourney

My jaw clenched tightly. His friends were here. Of course, those morons were here. He brought them over after I told him not to.

And he locked me in the basement.

The minutes dragged on, stretching into an hour. I tried yelling, pounding on the door, literally anything to get someones attention.

But it was no use.

A woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney

Ethan was there, with his buddies, watching the game and totally ignoring me. I had no phone, no way to call for help. I was stuck.

After what felt like an eternity, the door finally clicked open. There stood Ethan, looking sheepish but casual, like hed just made a minor mistake.

“Oh, Dani! There you are!” he said with a fake laugh. “I didnt know you were down here! I must have locked it by accident. You know, its a habit to keep the basement door locked.”

A laughing man | Source: Midjourney

“An accident?” I repeated, my blood boiling.

“Yeah, I didnt hear you, Dani,” he grinned.

My husband walked into the living room, and I saw that his friends were still there, lounging on the couch. There were beer bottles everywhere, empty chip packets, and two empty barrels of fried chicken. The game was over, and the TV screen showed the winning team celebrating.

A messy living room | Source: Midjourney

Of course, he hadnt heard me. He wanted me down there.

“Sorry, babe,” Ethan said. “The chicken is finished. But I can make you a toasted cheese sandwich. Or do eggs on toast or something?”

Without another word, I brushed past him and headed straight upstairs.

I wasnt going to interact with Ethans friends. I wasnt going to give Ethan the time of day. I was furious, but I knew better than to yell. Ethan wouldnt understand, not right then. No, hed feel bad for a moment, sure, but in the end, hed just make more excuses.

An upset woman | Source: Midjourney

Instead, I waited. I plotted.

A few nights later, after Ethan had passed out in bed, already snoring softly, I crept out of our bedroom. Quietly, I went downstairs and pulled out a small tank Id gotten from my brother earlier in the day.

Inside were two small, non-venomous snakes.

Ethan hated snakes. He was absolutely terrified of them, and my brother loved them. When I told him what Ethan had done, he was more than willing to get on board with my plan.

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

“My babies will get the job done, Sis,” he said.

I opened the bedroom door just wide enough to slip the snakes inside. They slithered across the carpet, disappearing into the darkness. Then, I stepped out and locked the door from the outside.

It was poetic.

Once everything was in place, I went downstairs and settled on the couch with a blanket. I dialed Ethans number and let it ring, waking him up.

Two snakes on a carpet | Source: Midjourney

“What?” he asked, his voice groggy and annoyed.

I smiled to myself, staring up at the ceiling.

“You might want to wake up,” I said.

“What are you talking about? Where are you?”

A man laying in bed | Source: Midjourney

“Theres something in the room with you,” I said calmly. “A couple of things, actually.”

“What did you do?” Ethan shouted.

I heard a thud and then a sharp gasp.

“Oh my God, what the actual… Danielle! Get me out of here! Danielle, what the hell is in here?”

I could almost see him, thrashing around in the dark, terrified. It felt good; finally, he was the one locked up, feeling helpless.

A close up of a man | Source: Midjourney

“Danielle!” he screamed loudly. “Please, babe! Please! Im so sorry. I shouldnt have done that! Please get me out!”

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I let him sweat for a while, listening to his pleas. He sounded truly pathetic. After about two hours of listening to him beg, I finally walked back upstairs.

I opened the door and found my husband standing in the middle of the bed.

“Try a move like that again,” I said. “And youll be out of my house and my life before you know it.”

A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney

What would you have done?

If you enjoyed this story, heres another one for you |

My Son Locked Me in the Basement and Went on a Date — I Got out and Showed up at His Date to Teach Him a LessonAdvertisement

When Callie questions her son about his grades, in typical teenage fashion, he lashes out. Wanting to have the last say, Callie grounds Jason, forbidding him to go on his date. But Jason decides to ground his mother instead…

Being a single mom is hard work, I dont have to harp on about that fact. But being a single mom to a rebellious, stubborn 16-year-old boy is another level of challenging.

A close-up of a tired woman | Source: Midjourney

My son, Jason, has been giving me grief lately, especially when it comes to his schoolwork.

As a mom who works two jobs to make ends meet, I expected him to, at the very least, try to keep his grades up.

Instead, I discovered a side to my son that I didnt know existed.

A teenage boy | Source: Midjourney

“Jason, we need to talk about your grades,” I said to him while making dinner. “You cant keep ignoring your studies like this.”

I didnt have much time, my night shift at the laundromat awaited me, but I always tried to have a hurried dinner with my son before leaving.

“Im trying, Mom,” he sighed. “You just dont understand me. Thats your problem. Leave me alone to figure it out. And anyway, Im doing just fine.”

An angry teenage boy | Source: Midjourney

“No, youre not,” I insisted.

Read the full story here.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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