<aura:component >
    <aura:handler name="init" value="{!this}" action="{!c.doInit}" />

    <div class="slds-grid slds-p-vertical--small">
               
        <div class="slds-p-horizontal--small">
            <lightning:button variant="brand" label="Save" onclick="{!c.save}" />
            <!-- No save icon, so for now we have this button. -->
        </div>

        <div class="slds-p-horizontal--small">
            <button class="slds-button" onclick="{!c.export}">
                <lightning:icon iconName="action:share" size="medium" alternativeText="Export" />
            </button>
            
            <!--
				<lightning:button variant="brand" label="Export" onclick="{!c.export}" />
			-->
        </div>
        
    </div>
    
    <div role="dialog" tabindex="-1" aria-labelledby="header43" class="slds-modal slds-fade-in-open">
        <div class="slds-modal__container">
            <div class="slds-modal__header">
                <button class="slds-button slds-modal__close slds-button--icon-inverse">

<!-- 
SVG Doesn't work, missing component or something. 
That's no biggie though. I don't think I'm keeping the button.

                    <svg aria-hidden="true" class="slds-button__icon slds-button__icon--large">
                        <use xlink:href="/assets/icons/utility-sprite/svg/symbols.svg#close"></use>
                    </svg>
-->
                    <span class="slds-assistive-text">Close</span>
                </button>
                <h2 id="header43" class="slds-text-heading--medium">Modal Header</h2>
            </div>
            <div class="slds-modal__content slds-p-around--medium">
                <div>
					HERE COMES SOME DYNAMICALLY CREATED TEXT                    
                </div>
            </div>
            <div class="slds-modal__footer">
                <button class="slds-button slds-button--neutral">Cancel</button>
                <button class="slds-button slds-button--brand">Save</button>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="slds-backdrop slds-backdrop--open"></div>
    
</aura:component>

The above code is a snippet with some buttons (you see two, but there's a lot more, but to keep the code clean I removed the others) embedded some layers in my app.

When I load it, the modal springs to life and I can't get it to go away.
I've tried component.find()-ing the div by using its label 'header43', I've tried adding an auraID and finding that, and then setting aira-hidden to true, but nothing would help - I couldn't get the modal to go away...

I put the modal here as the button you can see here (Export) is the one that's going to be activating the modal and then filling it, but if it has to go somewhere else I don't mind, I then will just send an event to the component where it's located and that will do the rest.