The Ghost of Whicker Street (Completed)

Chapter 2

The door opened with an eerie creak. I took a step in and jumped when the door closed behind me. I took a minute to convince myself that it was the wind before I scanned my surroundings. The foyer was dark, the only source of light coming from the windows, holes, and my flashlight. I walked a few steps and came into the living room. The floral wallpaper was torn in several places and badly faded. The hardwood floors were chipped and crawling with bugs and littered with mouse and bird droppings. The sofa in the middle of the room was infested with mice. The smallish wooden coffee table was in okay condition. I continued to the next room, looking for something worth giving to Tina. The next room I came to was the kitchen. Apparently this was where the cockroaches resided. every flat surface was crawling with cockroaches. And I mean CRAWLING. Everywhere. On the oak countertops, on the matching shelves, on the terracotta floors, on the walls, EVERYWHERE! I was so disgusted that I had to quickly leave the room. I next came into a hallway that had several closed doors along its sides. I opened them all and peeked inside as I walked across the hallway. The first door led to a bathroom, the second and third closets, the fourth was a staircase leading to the basement, and the fifth and final one led to a staircase leading up. I gulped and  ascended the stairs. Most of them creaked creepily and annoyingly. Once I reached the second floor, I found myself in another hallway with several doors. At the end of the hallway I noticed that there was a painting of a man hanging on the wall. The man looked to be in his sixties. He had stark white hair and a  neatly trimmed beard to match. He was skinny in the painting. His skin back then was light. He was wearing some kind of suit from way back when that was a dark pine green shade. His dark hazel eyes seemed to follow me. That, or my imagination was getting away from me. For the sake of my sanity I decided to believe the latter. I drew my attention away from the painting and opened the first door. When I opened it the first thing I noticed was the grand piano in the middle of the room. I walked over to the piano and was surprised when I discovered its condition. The thing was, it was in pristine condition. There wasn't even a speck of dust to be found upon its mahogany wood or keys. I circled the piano, trying to figure out how everything to do with this house was in shambles except this. I shook my head. Someone must be taking care of this piano. But who? As if on cue, I felt a chilly breath on the back of my neck. I jumped and may-or-May-not have let out a girly yelp. I quickly turned around to find that I was still alone. I rubbed to back of my neck with my free hand and searched the room with my eyes. A chill went down my spine. There was something very strange about this place. I hurried out of the room and closed the door behind me. I just stood out in the hallway, debating wether I should just leave empty handed. I knew that Levi would never let it down or let me forget about it. And Betty was the biggest gossip in school, so everyone would know about whatever happened tonight by morning. But I could deal with both those things and get over it. But I really didn't want to disappoint Tina or for her to think less of me. Besides, if I managed to get something cool out that of this house, the rewards would be magnificent. So with that in mind, I took a breath and continued with my search. The next door led to a bedroom. The red paint was pealing badly. And the bed was at this point just a pile of junk. against the opposite wall stood a white vanity. On the vanity was a small dusty jewelry box and a half used candle. I flashed my light on the box to get a better look. The box had a butterfly shape carved into the wooden lid. I lifted the dusty lid and looked inside. A huge smile plastered itself across my face. There was a necklace inside the box. The necklace consisted of a silver chain and a beautiful pendant. The pendant was of a light orange lily that had a small orange topaz in the middle. It was perfect. I felt giddy as I set down my flashlight and carefully lifted the necklace. Tina was going to love this! I put the necklace in my pocket then went to pick up my flashlight. Suddenly the candle lit. Just like that. Out of nowhere. I stared at the flame like a moron in shock. WHAT THE HECK?! Then I heard a piano playing. I slowly turned my head towards the open doorway leading to the hallway. My breath hitched as my heart quickened. The tune was the song from jaws. My first thought was that it was Levi trying to scare me. He must have sneaked in behind me to play a stupid joke. But just in case it wasn't I looked around for a possible weapon. I found under the bed a wooden chest whose lock was broken. I opened it and found an old sword that looked like it was from WW1. I grabbed it in one hand and held my flashlight in the other. Then I cautiously walked towards the hallway. The music continued as I made my way to the source. Every rational instinct in me screamed to run and get out, but a morbid curiosity kept me walking towards the music room. Once I got to the door the music stopped for a moment... Then started up again from the beginning. I held up the sword at the ready and slammed the door open. For the rest of my life I will never forget what I saw at that moment. Sitting at the piano and playing was a translucent glowing white figure of a man. To be more specific, of the original owner. Herald Brown.

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Things are picking up now! I hope to see you in the next chapter! Please comment your opinion of my story and how you think I can improve my writing!