This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locals is purely coincidental.
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"So this is it." I thought.
I stood in the moonless night, pensively staring up at the so-called haunted house.
Even after all these years, it was still an impressive structure. Built in the late Eighteen Nineties, the four-story house still had all the hallmarks of a great home.
Detailed woodwork adorned the large covered entrance and marched its way across the brick façade, while large multi-paned windows offered views of the outside.
They were strategically placed and stood ready to coax sunlight in at the first hint of dawn. Looking higher I could see the grey slate roof and the many chimneys that crowned the house. They gave promise to the fireplaces inside, ready to warm the occupants on cold or damp nights.
Yet as I paused at the gate, staring at the gracefully arched entrance to the home, it appeared strangely uninviting to me. The decorative marble pillars on either side of the front door seemed cold and unwelcoming.
As luck would have it, I had been dared to stay the night in this now deserted home by a childhood friend who had the same opportunity a month ago.
She never told me what had happened when she spent the night; just that she would never set foot in that building again.
I questioned her about what she had seen and experienced but she only gave vague explanations and mutterings. My disbelief of ghosts and haunted houses seemed reasonable to me since she wouldn't offer any details of what had happened.
It seemed that every time we got together after that, our conversations always seemed to gravitate back to that night.
You couldn't enjoy a meal or a few glasses of wine without her mumblings and warnings always popping up; just like the mysterious ghosts.
I'd end up asking her to tell me what happened and we'd end up arguing because she wouldn't give the details. It was just so damn annoying.
Our last conversation nearly ended in a brawl, hence, the dare. She dared me to go and see for myself, but I wasn't about to waste a Friday night without getting something in return.
I'd wanted to date her ex-girlfriend, Jhene, ever since I first met her on our usual Friday night – it's the weekend – celebrations. However, with the best friend code of not dating someone's sister or ex-girlfriends, I thought it would never happen.
Therefore, when I asked her to give me a pass on the rule to ask Jhene out, she agreed, convinced that I wouldn't be able to stay the night.
