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The House Across the Street
Nine-year-old Zack Cussons peered through the chain-link fence that surrounded the condemned house. He watched as a dark-haired girl played with a ball. He was mesmerised that a girl that looked the same age as him was so contented with such a simple play thing.
He tried calling out to her, but she seemed oblivious to the fact that he was there watching her.
"Hey! You know you are not meant to be in there!"
Zack pointed to the freshly erected sign warning everyone to stay out. But the girl just ignored him as she continued to play with her ball.
The more he looked at her the more he thought there was something odd. For a start, she dressed like the people in those period dramas his mum liked to watch on TV. Second, she seemed to be holding a conversation with herself as if she had some invisible friend. Zach giggled to himself. He didn't know anyone of his age who still had imaginary friends.
Bored with the strange little girl, he turned his bike around and was about leave when, she spoke to him. Surprising to hear her speak Zack stop peddling and looked back towards the girl.
"Did you say something?"
She smiled. "I said, would you like to play with me?"
Pushing his bike back to the fence he began saying. "I told you, no-one is allowed in there..."
Then immediately stopped when he saw that she had disappeared!
Looking around she was nowhere to be seen. Then he heard her calling out.
"I'm over here!"
Zack followed the sound of her voice over towards the front door but still couldn't find her.
He should have just forgotten about the girl and cycled home. But he had invested too much time into this mystery encounter to just walk away. He was determined to find her.
He rattled the gates surrounding the house and got rust on his hands from the padlock. He'd had almost given up gaining access, when the padlock fell from the gate and swung open.
The house: according to his father, had been abandoned for as long as anyone could remember. Rumours abound as to why it laid condemned for so long. Some said there were unexploded bombs in the house from the Second World War. Others said a witch placed a hex upon it, making it impossible to be pulled down. Whatever the reason, adults and children alike were warned to stay away!
Once inside the grounds Zack approached the front door. Decades of undisturbed detritus where piled up against it. He wondered how the girl managed to walk up to the door without disturbing the debris?
Standing at the threshold he opened the door, stepped over rotten leaves and newspapers, to gain entry to the dark hallway.
With door closed behind him, the only light coming into the house was from the small window above the door. Zack fumbled for the light switch and flicked it on. The naked light bulb shone briefly before exploding; showering Zack in glass fragments.
Shaking fragments of filament out of his hair, Zack looked down at the floor and noticed litter of all description was sprawled across the hallway carpet. Breaking down giant cobwebs, he progressed along the hallway catching glimpses of dark shapes, spiders, out the corner of his eye as they scurried off their webs to seek solace in the dark corners of the hallway.
Ahead of him was a staircase and it was from the first floor he heard the screaming!
Zack was scared, he wanted to leave. But instead of running out the front door, he backing himself into a downstairs room.
Then, the screaming upstairs stopped. With his heart pounding, Zack looked up towards the ceiling following the new sound of tiny shoes on bare floorboards running from room to room.
Fearful of what might come next he remained alert and transfixed on the ceiling. When it seemed that the house had fallen quiet. Zack began to relax.
Stiff from looking upwards, he lowered his head and that was when he saw in the weak light streaming through the dust covered windows, that the room was empty of furniture. Even the carpet had been removed.
Zack noticed that the floor was covered with old newspapers which he had been shuffling around on.
He picked up a few. Although the editions were different, the headlines read the same:
ANOTHER CHILD GOES MISSING!
Zack looked at the newspaper dates saw that one was from 1846 then another was dated 1946 and the last one he held up read 1973.
Children had been going missing from this area for over a hundred years and the house, thought Zack, had something to do with it.
He let the newspapers fall from his hand. They fluttered to the floor like Autumn leaves. He wanted to run away.
He left the room, passing the staircase heading for the front door. Then stopped when he heard sobbing coming from upstairs. Turning around he saw the girl from outside, sitting halfway up the stairs. He could have sworn she wasn't there a moment ago!
Shaking, he asked her. "Are you OK?"
The girl looked up sobbing then she cried out. "We have to get out of here!"
"Then come with me!" he said running to the front door.
"It's locked, its always locked!" she shouted. She stood up and ran back upstairs.
"Wait!"
Zack ran from the door and followed her upstairs. Once at the top of the stairs, he noticed all the doors were open apart from one. He went over to the closed door, placing his ear against it hoping to hear the girl inside.
Hearing her sobbing again. He rattled the door knob.
"Let me in, I know you are one of the missing kids. I can take you back home with me and we can phone the police!"
The sobbing ceased and Zack heard the key turn in the door. He pushed open the door but the room was empty. The girl was nowhere to be seen.
Zack looked around the bedroom. Under the bed and then under the table, she had once again vanished. He was about to call out when he heard some giggling came from inside the wardrobe. The girl had been playing with him all along? Was that her idea of fun?
Zack opened the wardrobe and instead of seeing its interior, he saw a dark forest!
Curiously, he stepped inside and as the door closed behind him the giggling started but soon became a hoarse cackle. In the dim forest light Zack looked down to see a trail of breadcrumbs at his feet. The door leading out of the wardrobe had vanished there was only a sign nailed to a tree directing him to the 'Gingerbread Cottage'.
Author Note:
I hope you enjoyed reading this and looking forward to hearing from you.
#horror #wtitco
© Alice White
He tried calling out to her, but she seemed oblivious to the fact that he was there watching her.
"Hey! You know you are not meant to be in there!"
Zack pointed to the freshly erected sign warning everyone to stay out. But the girl just ignored him as she continued to play with her ball.
The more he looked at her the more he thought there was something odd. For a start, she dressed like the people in those period dramas his mum liked to watch on TV. Second, she seemed to be holding a conversation with herself as if she had some invisible friend. Zach giggled to himself. He didn't know anyone of his age who still had imaginary friends.
Bored with the strange little girl, he turned his bike around and was about leave when, she spoke to him. Surprising to hear her speak Zack stop peddling and looked back towards the girl.
"Did you say something?"
She smiled. "I said, would you like to play with me?"
Pushing his bike back to the fence he began saying. "I told you, no-one is allowed in there..."
Then immediately stopped when he saw that she had disappeared!
Looking around she was nowhere to be seen. Then he heard her calling out.
"I'm over here!"
Zack followed the sound of her voice over towards the front door but still couldn't find her.
He should have just forgotten about the girl and cycled home. But he had invested too much time into this mystery encounter to just walk away. He was determined to find her.
He rattled the gates surrounding the house and got rust on his hands from the padlock. He'd had almost given up gaining access, when the padlock fell from the gate and swung open.
The house: according to his father, had been abandoned for as long as anyone could remember. Rumours abound as to why it laid condemned for so long. Some said there were unexploded bombs in the house from the Second World War. Others said a witch placed a hex upon it, making it impossible to be pulled down. Whatever the reason, adults and children alike were warned to stay away!
Once inside the grounds Zack approached the front door. Decades of undisturbed detritus where piled up against it. He wondered how the girl managed to walk up to the door without disturbing the debris?
Standing at the threshold he opened the door, stepped over rotten leaves and newspapers, to gain entry to the dark hallway.
With door closed behind him, the only light coming into the house was from the small window above the door. Zack fumbled for the light switch and flicked it on. The naked light bulb shone briefly before exploding; showering Zack in glass fragments.
Shaking fragments of filament out of his hair, Zack looked down at the floor and noticed litter of all description was sprawled across the hallway carpet. Breaking down giant cobwebs, he progressed along the hallway catching glimpses of dark shapes, spiders, out the corner of his eye as they scurried off their webs to seek solace in the dark corners of the hallway.
Ahead of him was a staircase and it was from the first floor he heard the screaming!
Zack was scared, he wanted to leave. But instead of running out the front door, he backing himself into a downstairs room.
Then, the screaming upstairs stopped. With his heart pounding, Zack looked up towards the ceiling following the new sound of tiny shoes on bare floorboards running from room to room.
Fearful of what might come next he remained alert and transfixed on the ceiling. When it seemed that the house had fallen quiet. Zack began to relax.
Stiff from looking upwards, he lowered his head and that was when he saw in the weak light streaming through the dust covered windows, that the room was empty of furniture. Even the carpet had been removed.
Zack noticed that the floor was covered with old newspapers which he had been shuffling around on.
He picked up a few. Although the editions were different, the headlines read the same:
ANOTHER CHILD GOES MISSING!
Zack looked at the newspaper dates saw that one was from 1846 then another was dated 1946 and the last one he held up read 1973.
Children had been going missing from this area for over a hundred years and the house, thought Zack, had something to do with it.
He let the newspapers fall from his hand. They fluttered to the floor like Autumn leaves. He wanted to run away.
He left the room, passing the staircase heading for the front door. Then stopped when he heard sobbing coming from upstairs. Turning around he saw the girl from outside, sitting halfway up the stairs. He could have sworn she wasn't there a moment ago!
Shaking, he asked her. "Are you OK?"
The girl looked up sobbing then she cried out. "We have to get out of here!"
"Then come with me!" he said running to the front door.
"It's locked, its always locked!" she shouted. She stood up and ran back upstairs.
"Wait!"
Zack ran from the door and followed her upstairs. Once at the top of the stairs, he noticed all the doors were open apart from one. He went over to the closed door, placing his ear against it hoping to hear the girl inside.
Hearing her sobbing again. He rattled the door knob.
"Let me in, I know you are one of the missing kids. I can take you back home with me and we can phone the police!"
The sobbing ceased and Zack heard the key turn in the door. He pushed open the door but the room was empty. The girl was nowhere to be seen.
Zack looked around the bedroom. Under the bed and then under the table, she had once again vanished. He was about to call out when he heard some giggling came from inside the wardrobe. The girl had been playing with him all along? Was that her idea of fun?
Zack opened the wardrobe and instead of seeing its interior, he saw a dark forest!
Curiously, he stepped inside and as the door closed behind him the giggling started but soon became a hoarse cackle. In the dim forest light Zack looked down to see a trail of breadcrumbs at his feet. The door leading out of the wardrobe had vanished there was only a sign nailed to a tree directing him to the 'Gingerbread Cottage'.
Author Note:
I hope you enjoyed reading this and looking forward to hearing from you.
#horror #wtitco
© Alice White
