She stood frozen for a few seconds, unable to believe her eyes: the key had snapped in half in her hand.

"I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing; I just stuck the key in the lock," said Jill Shropshire, an American tourist, recounting the mishap from her first trip to England with her sister 29 years ago. They were visiting Shrewsbury, a historic market town in Shropshire county renowned for its medieval architecture. This was the quintessential image of England the two sisters had envisioned throughout their childhood. They had booked a room on the third floor of an old guesthouse located at the end of a cul-de-sac.

The moment the key broke, Jill recalled turning to tell her sister, Jan, but Jan was too sleepy after their visit to the pub. Jan simply advised her sister to get some rest and wait until morning to call the landlord for help. Jill looked around the room – there was no telephone, and neither sister had a mobile phone. She felt that everything "seemed wrong" but was too tired, so she decided to go to bed with the thought of "dealing with it tomorrow".

The guesthouse where Jill and Jan were trapped in their room during their trip to England. *Photo: CNN*

However, the combination of jet lag and the effects of alcohol led the two sisters to sleep soundly until after 11:00 the next day. The guesthouse was silent, and both hoped a passing guest would hear their calls. However, everyone had already gone out early. While not panicking, the sisters did not want to be confined to their room all day. They opened the window, searching for someone outside, but there was no one.

Afterward, the sisters changed out of their pajamas and tried to make the most of their predicament. Their only meal consisted of a jar of peanut butter. With no knife or spoon, they had to fold a piece of cardboard to scoop out portions of butter to eat. The absence of an in-room toilet was a concern. However, the greatest worry was Jan's health. She had type one diabetes since childhood. In 1997, Jan still needed to inject a small vial of insulin daily. Whenever they rented lodging, she would ask the landlord to store these insulin vials in the refrigerator, but now she could not access her medication.

Jan tried not to worry too much. She felt her health was stable and believed they would soon escape. To regain her composure, she opened her suitcase, took out a book, and lay in bed reading. Hours passed, and occasionally they would open the window to shout loudly or bang on the door for help, but without success.

Jill and Jan, pictured today. *Photo: CNN*

As evening approached, the sisters finally heard the voices of a Russian couple in the adjacent room and immediately began banging on their door for help. Although they did not understand what Jill was saying, the Russian couple recognized the panic in her voice. Just a few minutes later, they heard the guesthouse owner repeatedly apologizing from the other side of the door. Jill and Jan acknowledged it was their own fault, but the landlord still felt remorseful upon learning the two young women had been locked in the room all day.

"Then they gave us another key. I don't even remember if I dared to lock the door again that night; probably not," Jill recalled. Nearly three decades have passed since that involuntary "confinement" in the guesthouse's attic room. Jill and Jan still chuckle whenever they recall the broken key and that unforgettable day of being trapped. They realize that minor mishaps encountered while traveling can make one stronger and more capable of overcoming challenges.