It was an old and run-down 3-story house, obviously left unloved for many years. Known in the neighborhood as “the Haunted Mansion”, especially coming to life in late October. On Halloween night the braver kids would venture up its long and winding driveway, coated and slick with wet red and orange leaves, bathed in moonlight. The howling winds sounded like hungry wolves and rickety stairs creaked with every step. They finally reached the massive front porch with its sad peeling paint. Brushing away the spider webs, they knocked on the door, with no response.
“Try it again. . . “ She nodded and this time pounded on the wooden door, with the same result, no answer. Suddenly a cat under the porch screeched bloody murder, causing Maggie and Sue to scream and both run back to the safety of main road under the broken street light. Their group of friends were lying in wait. The Black Widow, Batman, Spiderman, a witch and Captain Jack Sparrow, were all laughing hysterically while clutching their bags of candy.
“I knew you’d chicken out.”
“Yeah, well you go up there if you’re so brave.”
“Not me, I think there’s a dead guy in there.”
“Some Superhero you are . . “
“C’mon, let’s go to the next house.” They all agreed and walked as a group down the street, somewhat relived to get the Haunted Mansion out of the way. The old house certainly felt out of place sitting all alone on the two-acre city lot covered in a blanket of ash, maple and pine trees. The bushes were all shifting to fall colors of the Pacific Northwest. It was built in the 1950 in the Queen Anne style architecture. The façade boasted a beautiful front porch entrance and inlaid wooden double front doors with ornate wooded trim and railings. A polygonal front corner tower and conical roof added to its majesty. But years of neglect and exposure to harsh winters and hot summers left the weathered wooden siding scuffed and broken. And the overgrown forest and unattended landscape contributed to its Haunted Mansion persona.
As the kids left to continue their trick-or-treating on the next street, none of them noticed the faint candlelight flickering on the upstairs tower corner room window.
to be continued