Photo by Mike Yakaites:
The night was dark and stormy, the wind howled through the trees just like a banshee's cry. There stood an old house on the hill silent like a sentinel, its windows were like empty eyes staring out into the street. A house no one had lived in for years, rumours within the locals was that the house was haunted by the ghost of a little girl, Alice who had died there long ago.
Alice had died in a tragic accident at home when she was just five years old. The trauma was too much on her parents that her mum lost her life a year later. Her father, who was the only survivor, had to move away after his wife's death and ever since the house has been empty.
Now, strange things happen in the old house. People walking by at night confessed to hearing the sound of a child's cry coming from within. Sometimes the curtains would flutter, as if someone was peering out. But on closer look, there was no one there.
The news of the house wasn't new to the residents of that area. All they did was avoid the area except for a group of teenagers , Andre, Lucia and Dave who were new to the town and decided to ride up to the house on a night adventure. On a cold autumn night, they teenagers drove up to the old house, their hearts racing with excitement.
They parked their car in the woods and walked on foot to the house. The wind howled around them, and darkness seemed to close in like a shroud, but they paid no attention. All they could think of was a night out together.
The old house was in disrepair and looked haunted. The windows were broken and there were vines growing up the walls. The front door was hanging loosely off its hinges, and the steps that lead up to the front porch were overgrown with weeds.
Still they were determined to go inside.
Reaching the door, they opened it and were ushered through the threshold. The interior of the house was even creepier than the outside.
"Wow, this place is really creepy," said Lucia. " Seems like no one has been here for ages. Guys, are you sure we should be here?" She asked her peers
"Of course!" replied Dave. "We're here to have some fun, c'mon there's nothing to be scared of."
"Easy for you to say," said a third. "You're not scared of the dark." Andre added.
On the hallway was a stair that rose into the darkness like a shadowy entrance to nowhere. One by one they began to climb as the floorboards creaked beneath their feet. They could hear the loud whistling of the wind through the broken windows. The higher they climbed, the colder it got. Now a chill sense of dread started growing in their chests.
As the got to the top of the stairs the heard a loud baby cry
"What was that?" Lucia whispered already scared
"I don't know, but it sounded like a child's cry," said another. "But how can one be here at this time of the night?" Dave said breathing hard.
They all held their breath as they listened intently. Then, again came the cry, a high-pitched one that echoed through the dark hallway. They looked at each other, eyes widened with fear.
" Let's get out of here," Lucia advised. And they all turned immediately.
" Wait guys," Andre Said stopping thrm.on their tracks. "What if there is a baby there that needs rescuing. C'mon guys" he added walking back into the house to the room the cry came from.
The others stood there looking at him but then joined him without a word. As they drew closer to the room, the sobbing grew louder. Slowly, they pushed open the door, revealing a small, dusty room with a single window overlooking the darkness outside. And there, in the corner, was a small figure huddled on the floor.
They approached cautiously, not knowing what to expect. On the floor was a little girl, of five years old, with long blonde hair and tear-streaked cheeks.
"Are you okay?" Andre asked, his voices trembling with fear.
The little girl looked up at them, her eyes heavy from crying "I'm Alice," she said in her small, quavering voice. "I'm scared."
The teenagers looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Then, Andre knelt down next to the little girl and said.
"It's okay, Alice," they said gently. "We're going to help you. But first, can you tell us how you got here?"
But just then, they heard a loud creak on the stairs behind them. They turned, their hearts pounding. Standing in the hallway was a tall, shadowy figure. The moonlight shining through the window illuminated its face. It was a woman, her face twisted into a cruel smile.
"How dare you intrude!," she yelled, her voice cold and menacing. "How dare you touch my daughter!'
The teenagers stood, frozen in terror, as the woman ascended the stairs toward them. They turned to look at the girl but she wasn't there again. She had disappeared.
Worried and scared, the teenagers stood there. But just then, they heard another sound and the door flew open. The teenagers turned, and their eyes widened in shock. There, standing in the doorway, was a man. He had a chaplet on his hands and he was focused on the woman.
"I'm gonna get sick" Lucia cried.
Then they watched as the woman's eyes widened, and she took a step back. But it was too late. She started yelling scared and in pain then she disappeared just as the little girl.
"Run!" the old man shouted to the teenagers. They didn't need to be told twice as they all bolted for the door. They burst out into the night, running as fast as they could, until they reached the safety of the town. Once they were sure they were far enough away from the old house, they stopped to catch their breath.
They turned to see the old man behind them panting at the top of his breath.
"Thank you," Andre Said to him. "How did you know we were inside?" He asked.
"I'm Nathan, those are the ghosts of my family. Ever since I lost them to the cruel hands of death, their ghost kept appearing to me that I had to park out of there to a nearby house. Just to overlook my building and make sure that no one gets into the house."He swallowed hard and continued. " I saw you guys drive up to the woods and I grabbed my stuff. Thank your stars I was there on time".
The kids stood looking perplexed as the man narrated his history.
"Now get lost and don't come back here again!".
They all thanked the old man, got into their car and left. That was the last time they ever went on a night adventure in an abandoned building.