The Back Room

Overview

The story of a man who enters a dusty, empty room and is locked inside when the door suddenly closes. His attempts to leave are in vain, and the old tree outside the window is also out of reach. Accepting the situation is his only option. His gaze wanders around the room and falls on a yellowed piece of wallpaper, which he tears from the wall and begins to fold. He folds a box, a miniature version of the room he is in, but also small models of furniture, which just as suddenly and unexpectedly materialize as real, life-size furnishings. At first the man reacts with fear and suspicion, but then he furnishes the entire room in this strange way. But the furniture he has created only appears real on the outside; in reality it is as fragile as the paper it is made of.