Fifteen-year-old Charlie Elizabeth had to move in with her aunt when her parents had to work out a few problems back home. More like they were discussing divorce; she did not know how long it would take for her parents to decide what to do. Or if either of them was going to take her in. She hoped, however, that she would not be stuck with her Aunt Claire any longer than three months. The yellow taxicab pulled up to the front of an old run-down house. As the cab pulled into the driveway, Charlie stared at the house with worry. She hoped that this was not her aunt's house because then she feared it would collapse while she was asleep.

"Ma'am is this your house?" asked the taxi driver.

"Yes, sir," Charlie said unenthusiastically. "Why?"

"Well, because" said the man nervously, his eyes looking at the house as if something were looking through the window. "Because your Aunt Claire bought a house that has a lot of history."

"What do you mean?" asked Charlie. "Do you mean that it's historical, like the Blandwood Mansion?"

"No, I mean it's haunted history," answered the driver. "I've said too much; get out immediately." he finished rudely. Not wanting to make him mad, Charlie climbed out of the cab and grabbed her luggage. She began thinking about what the taxi driver said. Shrugging her thoughts aside, she made her way toward the front door and knocked. Charlie waited for a good two minutes before she saw the doorknob turn and the door open; standing in front of her was her Aunt Claire. She had brown hair and brown eyes, and she was also wearing a wraparound skirt with a yellow shirt.

"Charlie!" exclaimed Claire with the biggest smile on her face. She seemed excited that Charlie was staying with her. "What are you standing out there for? Come in, come in!" her aunt moved aside so that she could enter. The minute Charlie did, her aunt gave her a tight hug.

"Aunt Claire," complained Charlie. "I can't breathe!"

"Right," says Aunt Claire, pulling away. "Sorry about that. Why don't you go find your room?"

With that, Aunt Claire walked into the kitchen, allowing Charlie to go down the hall in search of her room. As she found her room, she turned and saw a door with a skull doorknob. Raising an eyebrow, Charlie made her way over to the door and turned the doorknob, but it seemed like it did not budge. She tried looking through the keyhole, hoping to see something. As she looked, a pair of clown pants suddenly appeared in the keyhole followed by the sound of clown laughter, and not the cheerful kind either. It was more of a maniacal laugh that sent chills down your spine every time you hear it. As the thing in the locked room got closer and closer, Charlie fell back, and her aunt appeared at the door.

"What do you think you're doing, Charlie?!" demanded her aunt.

"Aunt Claire, there's something in there!"

"Under no circumstances are you ever allowed to approach this door!"

"But" protested Charlie.

"No!" interrupted her aunt. "This door needs to be locked at all times!"

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter!" said her aunt, raising her voice. Suddenly, though, as if she heard herself, her aunt calmed down. "Now come on," she finished. "Let's go. I've made dinner for you after your long journey." Charlie and her aunt made their way to the kitchen, but Charlie could not help but look back at the door. She wondered what was behind it, and why her aunt did not want her to open it. As they sat side by side at the kitchen table, Charlie ate away, although her curiosity was getting the best of her. Hours later, at around midnight, Charlie was in her room. She would stay in until her parents could work out their problems. She sat in her room engrossed in a book when she suddenly heard something out in the hallway. Hearing the floorboards creak softly, Charlie looked up from her book and made her way toward her bedroom door. Hesitation took hold as she reached for the doorknob. As she was about to open the door, the footsteps started getting closer.

"Aunt Claire?" she called out. "Are you there?" No one answered, but the footsteps started getting closer and closer. Her heart pounded as she finally worked up the courage to open the door. Turning the knob to the right, Charlie opened the door and entered the hallway. The hall was dark and the stairs continuously creaked and groaned as if something was walking up the stairs. Turning and grabbing her cellphone from her nightstand, she turned on the flashlight and walked toward the staircase.

"Hello?" No one answered. She walked closer to the staircase, and the minute she turned the corner, she came face to face with a scary clown. It was on all fours and was practically climbing up the stairs. Charlie screamed and hurried back to her room. As soon as she got inside, she turned and slammed the door shut, then locked it like it was going to keep the clown out of her room. Her heart was beating fast as she crouched against her door and looked through the crack underneath it. Her light was on, so she could see a shadow crossing by it.

"Charlie..." said a voice which got higher. She covered her mouth, thinking that her breathing was going to give her away. "You can't hide from me forever." Biting her lower lip, Charlie tried her best to keep still until the shadow disappeared. Once it did, she let out a sigh of relief, stood up, and ran to her bed. Climbing under the covers, she turned off her light and tried to go to sleep. Three hours later, around three in the morning, she had been in a deep sleep, but she kept tossing and turning repeatedly, and she could not help but feel like she was being watched. Just go to sleep, Charlie. There is nothing there, she thought to herself repeatedly. Do not open your eyes. Do not open your eyes.

While she was trying to get her mind to calm down, her gut instincts had other ideas. There was this pit in her stomach, one that she could not get rid of. Nervously, she opened her eyes and screamed. Standing in the corner of her room was a humanlike figure, and it gave her goosebumps. She could not move, nor speak; she froze in fear. As she tried to yell for her aunt to come to her room, the figure seemed to get closer. She stared at the figure, and the figure stared at her. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming down the hall; she prayed it was her aunt, and if it was, she was going to be excited that her aunt had saved her. Her bedroom door swung open and standing in the doorway was her Aunt Claire. But something was different about her; She looked like she was in a trance. Finally, Charlie could move and speak.

"Aunt Claire?!" she yelled. "What's going on?"

"Join us, Charlie," said her aunt in a raspy voice. "It's not so bad, just join us!"

"No!" yelled Charlie as she got out of her bed and ran toward her bedroom door. Even though her aunt was in the way, she could duck under her aunt's arm and raced out into the hallway. Behind her, Aunt Claire and the scary clown were chasing her. Running as fast as she could, Charlie ran to the front door and turned the knob, but it did not budge. Panic swelled in her throat as she tried to find another exit. Her aunt and the clown were closing in fast. Then her eyes landed on an open window in the kitchen. Pushing off on her left foot, she ran toward the kitchen and jumped out of the window and ran out of the backyard, heading toward the front. As she turned into her front yard, she saw her aunt and the crazed clown coming after her. Facing forward, she ran to the end of the street and turned left. Thinking she was safe; she slowed down as she ran farther and farther away from her pursuers. However, once she stopped, she felt an aluminum bat hit her in the head with a loud ping, and she collapsed on the ground.

"Ah!" she said as she awakened and shot bolt upright, hitting her head against her aunt's head. The minute she looked at her aunt, she jumped in fright and backed away from her. "Don't touch me!"

"Calm down, Charlie!" cried her aunt as she struggled to calm Charlie down. "You were just dreaming!"

"What?" asked Charlie as she noticed her surroundings. "I was?"

"Yes, you sounded like you had a nightmare."

"I did. I dreamed you kept a clown in a room, and it was coming after me," Charlie continued. "And you were a clown also!" Claire hugged Charlie tightly, trying to keep her calm. "Wait, if I was dreaming? Did I also dream that I had arrived here?"

"No, sweetheart. That was real," said her aunt. "You fell asleep last night reading a book."

Finally, Charlie could rest knowing that she was safely in her aunt's house and not running from crazy clowns that wanted her to join them. Maybe the remaining days she was going to be at her aunt's house were going to be enjoyable now that she did not have to worry about something evil chasing after her. Or so she thought...