HAUNTED HOUSE

HAUNTED HOUSE The house was well-known, to one and all, within a distance of 200 miles. The house sits, all alone, at the crest of a small hill, just a mile beyond the city limits. No one would live, or build, any closer than this, to this house, since no sane person would go near the house, after sunset. As for the reason, this is simple, as well. According to local legends, the house was built by a pioneering businessman. The business man would "set up shop, in this area, since there was no competition, for local labor. Result, he could hire local labor, for pennies, since labor had no other options, for employment. Best of all, since locals were not educated, he could pay whatever wages he wanted, thereby keeping a fortune, in profits, for himself. He would, ofcourse, make sure that his own children were well-schooled, especially in finances. In fact, in the early days, the upper floors, of the house, were full of the sounds, of the youngest children, at play, while, on the lower floors, older children were hard at study, with lessons. The main floor was reserved, strictly, for adults. During the early years, the home would bbe painted bright colors, and would sound of music, and gaity. The home was well-maintained, and would be considered a landmark, in the towns early days. Then, had come the dark times. After years of life, and laughter, the house would grow strangely quiet. No longer were the windows filled with light, after dark. No more did the workers come, to keep the paint looking fresh, and new. No more did the landscapers tend to the property. Alll of this changed, in one night, which no one would forget. Rumor says that, on that fateful night, so long a "vision" was beheld, by those living in the local village. A vision so ominous that, to look upon it, was enough to frighten even the bravest. On that same night, sounds would begin to be heard. Sounds which no trapper recognized. Sounds which turned the blood to ice water. Howls, screams, and cries, which no one hoped to meet. That night, it is said that the house came to "life", turned toward the village, and let out a growl, which sent locals fleeing for their lives. Since that night, it is said that, from time to time, especially on dark, dreary, nights, that a yellow glow is cast, from the homes upper windows, and the house seems to overlook the land, as if looking for someone, or something. Ofcourse, it is also claimed that, from time to time, tracks are found, on the property. Tracks which match with no living creature. Still, it is due to these stories that no one will go near the house, even as its paint flecks, and its shuuters grow crooked, with more seasonal storms. The once-beautiful home now stands, silently, on top of the hill. Its secrets safely tucked in its crawl-spaces. As for the businessman, and his family, all that anyone knows is that none were seen, again, after that night. This is the story, as it has been handed down, through the generations, and between this, and the occassional sounds, and mysterious lights, sometimes seen, on the property, local usually keep a distance, except for Halloween. The local sheriff always knew when Halloween was at hand, since this seemed like the only time when even teens went near the old, very old, property. One thing everyone could count on, every October 31, was the mysterious thunder, and lightning. Where it came from, and why, puzzled even the best minds. Thunder and lightning, from a cloudless sky? One Halloween night, a young man is driving home, with good news for his family, and his girlfriend. He has landed a new job. The job he had sought since entering high school. As he drives through a storm, on his way home, the storm only seems to get worse, the farther he drives, until the cars engine seizes, and stops. Fortunately, by this time, he has reached the outer edge of the storm. Maybe, if he lets the car sit, for a moment, the engine will start, again. As he waits the usual ten minutes, which his father taught him to wait, for the car to reset itself, the storm would fade to a light drizzle, then stop. Even after waiting for twenty minutes, however, the engine would refuse to turn over. Great!, he thought. Stuck by the road side, and on Halloween, of all nights. Looking out of the windshield, into the distance, he could just make out what appearred to be flash-light beams, in the general area where the old, supposedly haunted, house stood. Since the car would not start, yet, the young man decided to brave the thunder, and the wind. Following the sheriff's instructions, given at a recent community seminar, the young man took a pad of paper, and a pen, out of the glove compartment, and wrote this note: Dear sheriff or finder, This car is the property of Clyde Arthur, and it has stalled, during a severe rain. It just wont start. I see some lights, up at the old house, and I hope that atleast one of them has a mobile that I can use. If nothing else, maybe I can be reported as a "trespasser", and get a ride with a deputy. Just as the sheriff had taught, at the seminar, the young man placed the note on the dashboard, in front of the steering wheel, closed the door, and began walking. As he drew closer to the old house, he noticed that the moon had revealled itself, appearing from behind the clouds, and the old house seemed to alter its appearance from a stark, black, silhouette, and was changing into a dull grey silhouette. As he drew closer, he remembered some of the interesting, and even some of the foolish, stories, about the lights that he was seeing. Some said that the lights were fairies, while others said the lights were demons. Some said that the Devil, himself, was present, and being honored, by his minions. Among all of the stories, there was the "common" motive, of a party. One story, which few even wanted to consider, was the story of how the Devil would be presented with a human sacrifice, just not the stab to death type of sacrifice. One of the young mans friends said that the Devil had been observed carrying on, with his minions. The towns-people silenced this story, as soon as it was known. People understood that no one would want to live in a town of weird Devil-worshippers. Besides, on Halloween night, there were no public walks, or door-to-door "trick-or- treating". No, nowadays, children, and teens, would go to a "safe" Halloween party, sponsored by the community. The young mans favorite story, of the "dancing" lights, however, was that they were flash-lights, used by pranksters, to mess around on the old house property. This story made sense, especially when the lights went out, just as people approached. Maybe the lights wouldn't go out, on his approach. Maybe, he could get a ride. He, then, wondered what to do, if the pranksters left the property before he arrived. To this, he thought "Simple, If I reach the house, it is only a mile, back to town." Un-fortunately, he was still out of range when all of the lights just winked off. He hoped that this meant that someone was trying to hide. As he approached the house, however, he would see the phantom candles, in several windows. For many years, these candles had been the subject of more than one ghost story. One, wild, claim was that each candle represented one person, who had died at the house. When a college professor said that, more than likely, it was just a trick, of the moon, or the town lights, few people listened. People like a good spook story, and the town knew it. On Halloween Night, the young man stood before the old place, its dark, imposing shape making him feel like a scared 5 year old, all over again. Looking away from the house was little better since, as he looked towards the woods, he wondered what had happened to the lights. Were the pranksters gone, or were they arrested. While he looked about, however, he would hear a low growl, and twigs breaking, as well. That was how he know that someone was about. When he called out, but got no answer, he decided to wait for help, on the old houses front steps. When he looked up, at the sky, he thought that he saw the house looking down at him. Was it his imagination? All alone, there was no one to ask. When a chill wind came out of nowhere, he decided to enter the house, but only for a moment. Leaving the door wide open, he entered the old relic, and sat beside the door, to rest, for a moment. If someone came by, and saw the door open, he could, still, get a ride to town. If nobody came, he would have only a mile to walk. Inside the house, he kept thinking that he saw people moving about (or was it just the wind, in the tree's, outside.) What he knew was that, as soon as he had his breath back, he would be on the road, and away from this place. As he sat there, trying to catch his breath, he found that he was having a harder time breathing, with each passing moment. With each moment, his legs seemed to get weaker, and his voice dropped to a mere whisper. If he didn't know better, he would think that the house was draining his life energy. Finally, when a young girl came into the house, in a princess costume, the man said hello, and asked if the girl would help him. When she asked how, he suggested that she go for help. He thought it odd that the child said that she was not allowed to leave the property. When he said "I'm not feeling well", and asked her to help him, he was surprised when she said "I already am". When he asked "What do you mean?", the girl pointed to an interior wall, where a group of people stood, as if waiting. When the man called out, for help, the people just stood there, even as the child said "They cannot help you, either". then added "Soon you will be with us". For a moment, the young man looked at the people, then a deep growl drew his attention back to the girl. When he looked back, the child was gone. In her place stood the most horrible vision that the young man had ever seen. With a scream which should have been heard, across the county, the young man faced a horrible truth. He remembered the story of a pretty child, who was said to haunt the property. Legend said that she lured people to their deaths, but it never said how she did it, or why. Just before he lost consciousness, he had a revelation. This was the girl. With that, he passed out. The next day, the sheriff's office would receive an abandoned vehicle report, and the sheriff would find the car, where it had been parked. When he read the note, the sheriff would drive the young mans family up to the old house. Inside the open front door, the young mans body would be found, an expression, of utter horror on his face. What puzzled the sheriff was that the young man had been seen just the day before, yet this corpse looked months old. Just like the previous victims.