The Hallway of Mysterious Objects ~ What was here first?

I live in a building consisting of about 60 flats.

The majority of them are on the floors above me. To get to them, I have to walk through a hallway where the entrance to the bike store is and go up some stairs on the left.

But there's something strange about this hallway.

Strange thing number 1: I have never, in the 18 months of living here, seen another person in that hallway.

For a building consisting of 60 flats, averaging between 1 and 2 persons per flat, that works out that there are roughly 90 people in this building ( not including any cats, toddlers who scream at 3 in the morning because they saw a shadow of a tree on their curtain, and of course, hamsters).

But it's not just that I haven't seen anyone in this hallway which is strange.

Strange thing number 2: There are always 'things' in this hallway.

There are two entrances to my building. The side entrance is close to my flat, so I use this most days. But occasionally I'll use the front entrance to check my post and to purposely walk through this particular hallway. And every time I do, without fail, there are 'things' there. Books, CDs, old bags, plant pots...

But it get's worse.

Strange thing number 3: The objects change every day.

It's not just small objects, too. Sometimes it's swivvely office chairs which have had one too many swivvels. A bookcase. A pram. A suitcase. A dining table. And then on top of those are the smaller objects. Coasters. Coat hangers. A pair of jelly shoes from the 1990s. A Dyson Hoover. A Polly Pocket set from when she was actually pocket sized.

Awesome thing number 1: I once found an unopened box of Lindt chocolate in this hallway.

Obviously, I nabbed it. It was just after New Year so someone was most likely discarding it to start their healthy new year diet, so really, I was actually doing them a favour.

Also, whenever I've taken anything, it's been a grab and run jobby.

Not because I know I'm stealing - this stuff is clearly un-owned and up for grabs. But because knowing my luck, just as I'd pick up whatever object took my fancy, Mr Countryfile (the caretaker of my building, who acquired this nickname from me by looking remarkably like the presenter from BBCs Countryfile, albeit a little bit more weathered), would stroll around the corner and give me a jolly good telling off for being a thief (he seems to enjoy having a go at me for whatever reason he can find).

In this way I've also acquired a nifty little candle holder from there which now sits on my bookcase, as well as a handbag and several books.

But, the weird thing is, I'm not quite sure what the rules are about this hallway-free-for-all.

There are no signs or notes anywhere to explain what exactly is going on (and trust me, I've looked).

For example: Can anyone leave stuff there?

This brings me back to strange thing number 1. For the amount of 'things' that are there, and the amount of people who I have never seen there, I hold my suspicion that something strange is going on.

Is there a secret hoarder who, in the depths of night when the rest of us are asleep, empties a different part of their flat into this hallway? Is there an ex-Father Christmas of the building who delivers used gifts un-wrapped and semi broken to his favorite tenants via this corridor?

Or perhaps Mr Countryfile is forever clearing things away, getting to the end of the day after moving all the objects away from the hallway, only to wake up and find another hoard of goodies waiting for him the next day.

Whatever it is, I'm not quite sure what's going on.

And I'm not quite sure I'll ever find out.

And you know what? I think I'm okay with that.

This hallway adds a bit of mystery to my day when I'm taking out the rubbish.

It's like a really crap version of the Generation Game, trying to remember what was there yesterday or the day before and see if anything has changed. Has the microwave with a built in oven gone?!

I have many things in my flat I'd like to discard of, and have often thought about leaving them in this hallway - but until I get to the bottom of this, I think I'll just get rid of all my toot the normal way.

Charity shop.

Below: Some of the many objects I've encountered in the Hallway of Mysterious Objects. Try and contain your jealousy.