There were many people who warned me against it, giving crazy ideas about the house being haunted, but I dismissed them all and bought the house. It was a perfect, urban, old fashioned mansion, complete with a dusty old attic. Apparently no one lived in there because of a 'ghost' that drove them all out. Personally, I think it's the neighbors kid pulling Kevin from Home Alones tricks to get rid of them. I won't fall for his premature pranks though! With a confident smile, I walked in.
The temperature dropped to below freezing the moment I walked in, cold enough for my breath to come out as a white mist. I was momentarily shocked, because it was a hot summer day, and this part of the country never gets THAT cold. Gaining control of myself, I shrugged it off as a prank by the kid, assuming he turned the heater off and the air conditioner on. I pulled open all the curtains, and let the bright rays of the morning sun slide into the room. It then struck me how dark this house was. Given the angle of the windows, the house should have been almost glowing with the curtains open, but it still seemed very dim. It was like something inside the house was sucking out all the light that entered.
I made a mental note to get the windows cleaned.
I walked back out, just in time to see the movers roll up with all my stuff. They climbed out, and started pulling things out.
3 hours later, it was afternoon, and my furniture was set, more or less. There was still a pile of things I wasn't sure where to keep, so I decided to grab a bite, then handle them.
Pulling open the kitchen door, a strange smell greeted me. I crinkled my nose, and looked around, then stepped back in horror. A rotting pigeon lay on the counter, it's head smashed brutally. I quickly closed the door and called the nearest cleaning facility. I regained my composure and decided against lunch, as my brain was now filled with rotting pigeons, I would probably throw up if I attempted eating anything. Realizing I had forgotten to turn up the heater, I took a peek at myself in the mirror and saw a pale face. Good lord how did I forget to turn up the heater. I quickly walked over to it, and smiled.
The heater was turned off, which confirmed my doubts of it being a prank. I turned it on. Soon, the cleaners came, and cleaned up the pigeon. I asked them to check other rooms too, in case there were more of these pranks. They did so, and confirmed there were no more animals lying dead anywhere else. They left immediately after, so I walked them to the door, and closed it behind them. I stretched and walked over to the pile, which was basically just a pile of display items. 2 hours later, all the nails were hammered and pictures hung up, and all vases were carefully placed on tables. The house was starting to look like a home now!
I decided to take a nap, feeling my bones ache every time I stood up. I climbed up the stairs and into the bedroom, a beautiful, large room, complete with a bathroom. I pulled off my jacket and collapsed onto the bed, and shut my eyes.
When I woke up, I felt a burning sensation on my arm, and took a look at it. A shallow scratch was there, deep enough to draw blood, but not enough for permanent damage. The funny part was, I couldn't remember getting it. I got up and walked to the bathroom and pulled out the first aid kit, at the same time wondering how I got the cut. I put some medicine on the wound, then bandaged it up. I decided to go confront the neighbor and tell him about what his kid was doing, and that it had gone too far.
The neighbors house had the same design as mine, except it was smaller. I walked up to the door and rung the bell. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged man. 'Good evening sir, your child has been playing many sorts of pranks in my house, but it has gone too far. He has wounded me, and if I find another one of his sick pranks, I will call the cops on him for trespassing.' I told him. 'What are you talking about? My poor son passed away 3 years ago, may his soul Rest In Peace.' I froze, not expecting that at all. 'Oh... you have my apologies sir, may I ask how it happened?' I ventured. 'That house you live in? It used to belong to his grandfather, my father. After his grandfather passed, he took it upon himself to drive out everyone that came to the house to live there. He thought it would erase his grandfathers memory from his mind. One horrible day, his prank went wrong and....' the man let out a sob. I didn't know what to do with the new information. I was right about the previous people being drove out by the neighbors kid, but who was it now? Could it be... no. Those things don't exist. 'How old was he, sir?' I asked softly. 'Just 14. He had his whole life ahead of him!' The man was practically crying. I attempted to calm him down, but he waved me off. 'It's still hard. He was my only kid y'know. I'll get over it, don't worry. Since you're here, would you like anything? I've got everything, except for alcohol. I don't stock that stuff, because I'm afraid I'll start drinking to hide from the depression and kill myself eventually. I don't think he would want that, so I don't drink anymore. Would you like some pop? Or some tea?' He asked. He looked so desperate, I realized. He wasn't just being kind, he was asking for some company. It hit me that I couldn't hear any sound from inside the house. His wife was either out of the house... or it of his life. The poor guy probably had been alone for a long time. Judging by his state, the wrinkly beard, the sweaty vest, I found it very easy to believe that. I accepted his offer, and followed him for some pop. I silently drank it up, and gave him assurance that if he ever needed someone to talk to, I was right next door. He thanked me, and I left. I walked into the house, and found it freezing again. This time I shivered, but not from the cold. The house was pitch black, which was weird because I hadn't closed the curtains. 'Whose there?' I yelled into the house and cautiously walked forward. Suddenly, out of the dark, a human form walked out, almost like... a ghost. It wasn't easy to see the face though. As it got closer, I started seeing it better, and my heart stopped. The form was that of a 14 year old boy.
Hey guys! I just wanted to give a quick thank you to the judge. I had never thought I would make it this far, so thank you for giving me this chance. I doubt I'm gonna win first place, since there's so many other people that are better than me, so I'm just glad I got a chance to compete. Good luck to all the other contestants, may the best writer win :). Thank you fandombeforeblood0 .