Jim was peering in the lawn of the Ghost house. The trees surrounding the fence were black in this moonlit night. The Ghost house itself was black. A grim shadow slanted from the Ghost house. The lawn with its ugly growth was grey. The only sound heard was the soft whistle of wind in the trees.

Jim looked back on the dirt path. It was empty for as far as his eyes could see. He was alone.

The winds died and the trees hushed as Jim walked closer to the fence. The air was cold. Chilling cold.

He grabbed the thin, rusty fence and looked at the shadowed porch of the Ghost house. Somehow, Jim felt more and more absorbed in the porch. Then, something happened there, and Jim thought the shadows moved. He looked more closely.

The moon hid behind the clouds. His eyes opened wide and wide and wide. A sound came from his right. A clenching sound. Then, an instance of clear silence. Then, he heard the rattling slurp of metal. The soft thud! on the ground. Then a metal clang rang in his ears. And then came a hollow, swinging creak.

Jim's blood ran cold, as if it has frozen under his skin. He didn't need to look. He knew the gate has just opened. But his eyes were still on the porch.

On the dark of the porch, the doorknob twisted, and the wooden door slowly opened making a musical cry. He saw the silhouette opening, opening, and opened. The air became freezing cold. A black hand grabbed Jim's shoulder, and he flung back, shaking with horror but his sealed mouth unable to scream.

"Why, you all right?" Alex asked.

Jim just looked at him for a minute and the horror in Jim's eyes said enough.

Alex waited. Jim turned and looked at the gate. It was locked. It's padlock and chain were intact. Then he turned to Alex and nodded.

"You scared me, kid," Alex said. Jim smiled a little and breathed deep. Then he looked back at the door.

"I'm all right. What caught you up?" Jim said.

"Don't ask...Shall we?" Alex said.

Jim smiled and nodded. They started ahead. Jim looked behind his shoulder one last time to convince himself that it wasn't there. But the white eyes in the doorway were still there, looking at him.