The Old House

 

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            Travis looked up at the old, dilapidated mansion. All the kids told stories of how it was haunted and hadn’t been lived in for more than 50 years. Most kids in Travis’s neighborhood went the long way around to school, but his house was in the lot right next to the ruin. As always, he walked as quickly as he could to get past the broken gates and tried not to let his gaze get drawn into the house’s broken windows and the darkness that emanated from them.

            When he was almost to the other side of the property, a noise made him pause. Footsteps were coming up behind him, and it was all Travis could do to keep himself from bolting down the street. With his heart pounding in his ears, he forced himself to turn toward the sound.

            Relief flooded through him when he saw it was just another one of the kids on his way to school. But who was this? Travis prided himself on knowing all the kids in the neighborhood. He had a gift with names and faces.

            Except he didn’t recognize the boy walking toward him with a backpack slung over his shoulder. He gave a friendly wave and the boy waved back. “Hi! I’m Travis. Did you just move here?”

            The boy nodded. “Yeah, we just moved in yesterday. I’m Stefan.”

            Travis waited until Stefan caught up with him and they could walk side by side. “Which house did you move into?”

            Stefan pointed toward the old mansion.

            Travis’s jaw dropped in shock. “You live there?” His voice rose with disbelief, as he stopped dead, staring at Stefan. “In the haunted house?”

            Stefan looked back at his house and shrugged. “It may be old, but I don’t think it’s haunted. Dad just says that it’s an extreme fixer-upper.” His shoulders sagged as he sighed. “It’s what my dad does. He fixes up old houses and then sells them for lots of money.”

            Travis could only gape back at Stefan, who genuinely didn’t seem to be bothered about living in a creepy old house. They started walking while Travis tried to process this incredible news. A thought struck him and he blurted out, “I didn’t see you move in yesterday. I live right next door to you.” He pointed back the way they’d come.

            Stefan looked a little uncomfortable as he answered, “We came late last night. The moving van is supposed to come either today or tomorrow.”

            “Oh, okay.” As the shock of hearing that Stefan had slept in the old haunted house last night started to dissipate, he moved on to other, safer topics. “What grade are you in?”

            “Fourth. My dad called the school this morning, and I guess I’m in Mrs. Parker’s class.”

            “Hey, that’s my class!” A genuine smile covered Travis’s face. “She’s a pretty good teacher. You’ll like her.”

            They chatted all the way to school. Mrs. Parker asked Travis to help Stefan settle in to his new class. Recess was exciting as the whole school wanted to meet the kid that moved into the haunted house. There were questions about ghosts, but Stefan disappointed them all when he said the house wasn’t haunted.

            The end of the school day came and Travis walked home with Stefan. All the kids in the area opted to come with them to see if Stefan really did live in the old house. As they got closer and closer to Stefan’s house, their questions grew quieter and more subdued. They waved goodbye to Stefan as he walked down the overgrown path to the warped front door.

            No one said anything as they watched Stefan open the door, a loud creak echoing behind him. Then the door closed and the kids went to their own homes.

            Stefan remained an object of curiosity for a while, but as time moved on, the other kids lost interest. It looked like the house wasn’t haunted after all. Travis and Stefan became good friends and walked to school every day together. Travis was glad to have someone to walk with, but he started to notice things as the month of October drew on and the air got colder.

            He never saw Stefan’s parents, ever. He waited to see a moving van that never appeared. Stefan kept explaining that it was just delayed, and Travis stopped asking. Even though Stefan’s dad was supposed to be renovating the house, nothing changed. It continued to look like it was barely being held upright. When Travis asked about it, Stefan’s answer was that his dad was still getting things ready for construction.

            Halloween grew closer, and Travis was excited to go trick-or-treating in his new costume. This year, he was going as a pirate. His mom had put it together with an eye patch and a plastic sword. He and Stefan made plans to go trick-or-treating together. When Travis asked Stefan about his costume, he always answered that it was going to be a surprise.

            When Halloween finally came, Travis waited outside Stefan’s house at the end of the walkway. He twirled his sword around, calling out “Aargh! Ahoy, matey!”

            Dad chuckled. “Your costume looks pretty good, son. Do you have a route planned out for us?”

            “Yes, Stefan and I are planning to do the entire neighborhood.” He smiled. “At the end, I’ll have treasure like a real pirate. Aargh! Hand over your candy, sailor!” He swung his sword dramatically and Dad laughed again.

            They waited for a few minutes, but Stefan didn’t appear. Finally, Dad said, “Why don’t you go and get him, son? If you really want to do every house in the neighborhood, we’d better get started.”

            Travis turned toward the door and hesitated. He’d never actually walked up to the old house before. Stefan was always waiting for him in the mornings. When he didn’t move, Dad gave him a gentle push down the walkway.

            “If you want to collect your pirate booty, you should go get Stefan. It is still a school night, after all.”

            Travis gulped and took a step. Wind suddenly whipped into his face, blowing dead leaves and dust all around him. He coughed and took another step. The night grew silent and his footsteps echoed in the darkness. He looked back to see Dad waiting for him, checking his watch. Slightly comforted, he walked to the door. No matter how many times Stefan told him that the house wasn’t haunted, he still felt fear every time he looked at this house.

            Stepping onto the covered front porch, he saw an old, metal doorknocker. Reaching up with trembling hands, he lifted it and let it fall once, twice, three times. His fingers left prints in the dust and he looked down at the porch. Dust lay heavy all around it, and he saw the prints that his own feet had made.

            A long, drawn-out “cre-e-a-k” sounded as the door slowly opened to reveal only darkness inside. Feeling like he couldn’t breathe properly, he called out, “Hello? Stefan?”

Suddenly, a ferocious wind blew the door shut and he felt something brush the back of his neck. Cold filled him and he heard a breathy whisper, right in his ear. “I can’t go tonight, Travis. Happy Halloween!”

            Lightning flashed, and a huge boom of thunder crashed into him. The noise was so loud, he was pushed several feet away from the house. As he struggled to catch his breath, Dad was right there, calling his name frantically. “Travis! Travis! Are you okay?”

            Travis felt himself nod and became aware of something else. The smell of smoke came from the house and flames soon appeared. Dad picked him up and carried him back to the street.

            Shouts of “Fire!” were heard and soon the fire department was there, putting out the flames. Travis frantically told them about Stefan, and a team of them surged through the front door. When they came back out, there was no one else with them. They managed to put out the fire, but nearly half the house was black and caving in on itself. The firefighters couldn’t find anyone inside, and they said that the building had been abandoned for a long time. When Travis started to protest, they cut him off, saying that the house was empty and there was no evidence that anyone had been there.

            The next day, Travis waited at the corner of the old property, wondering if he would ever see Stefan again. The smell of smoke was still thick in the air, and the house looked even worse than it had last night.

            Days and weeks went by with no sign of Stefan. An entire year passed and Travis was heading out trick-or-treating with his dad. As they walked by the old mansion, he looked down the path and was startled to see a young boy’s face inside the ruined front door. The door hung half open, and he took a few steps toward it to get a closer look. But it was nothing.

As he turned to go, a freezing wind blew behind him, driving him back to the street. That was the last time Travis got that close to the house. He would walk the long way to school every day after that so he wouldn’t have to go past it. No one wanted to be anywhere near the haunted house.