The Mystery House!

I

 "Don't touch it. Return my book, Peter." "No, I won't. Let me have a look." Paula squealed and jumped up high in the air like a kangaroo and grabbed the book with all her might. "Don't you dare read my personal entries" Yelled Paula. The commotion caused their parents to come upstairs and check on them. David and Donna Higgins entered with a frown and asked them to settle down. "For god's sake, stop quarreling you two. I and your dad have left an important discussion midway due to the commotion." Said Donna sternly. "Why can't you two get along together? Even the neighbors have started complaining regarding the chaos caused because of you two." Ejaculated David. Without waiting for a reply, both of them scurried down the stairs leaving Peter and Paula alone.

The Higgins lived in Waterbury, Connecticut, and owned a Villa. The backyard though, was the center of attraction for the siblings as it faced the woods, thus giving picturesque scenery. Several other Villas were scattered in their locality which wasn't distant. The Villa adjacent to the Higgins was that of the Smiths who were widely addressed as "Debbie Downer Smiths" due to their all-time remorseful expression. Also, they wore a frown whenever they came to the Higgins to complain regarding the siblings as their 'fighting sequence' drew the Smiths crazy. In spite of being quarrelsome, Peter and Paula loved each other and couldn't tolerate words against the other. In case, Mr. Smith, in his fit of anger cussed Peter then Paula wouldn't back in giving him a dose of his own medicine and vice versa.

Getting to the present, the siblings were sitting in the backyard having their jam sponge sandwiches and ginger beer as they stared at the dry leaves of trees being swept over by the wind and the birds chirping away sweetly as if the sight of it made them feel buoyant. The woods looked amazing for a saunter which tempted the siblings to tip-toe out of the backyard and make a move towards it.

They entered the forest which was a ten-minute walk from their Villa. It was eerily quiet which seemed to comfort the siblings. They continued walking deeper and deeper into the forest when they came across an abandoned house. The house had Victorian-style architecture which marked its ancientness. The cement on the walls had shredded most probably due to the rains. It was a two-storey house with an attic upstairs. The house looked deformed and creepy.

"Let's go explore the house!" exclaimed Peter.

"No, it looks scary." Said Paula.

"Oh! Come on, don't be a spoilsport. It will be fun. Let's go." Saying this Peter grabbed Paula's hands and tried opening the rusty brass gates. A loud squeaky noise filled their ears as the gate gradually opened itself to the siblings. "Let's go into the house." said Peter. 

Paula refused to move. "NO, you go in and explore. I am staying right here."  

"Please Paula, it will be fun. I don't want to explore it alone." 

"Why? Are you scared?" 

"No, its just that I don't want to step in danger alone." 

"Peeeeeeeeeetttteerrrrr." Scowled Paula. 

"Relax sis, I am just kidding. Exploring alone is never fun and you know how much I love company." Explained Peter with a puppy face. 

"You really know how to convince me, Peter. Fine, come on now." Frowned Paula.

The siblings made their way in and reached the house. Shockingly, the main gate to the house was ajar. 

"How is that possible? Who could have left the door open? Oh Jesus! I just hope we aren't stepping into a trap. What if this place is a shelter to burglars or what if this place is haunted?" said Paula being anxious. 

"Stop being a Negative Nancy Paula. You know that you are over judgemental and your judgments often end up erroneous." Said Peter, disapproving Paula's concern. Saying this, Peter pushed open the door, held Paula's hand, and stepped in. The furniture was all covered and dust particles emanated from the air inside the house. There were no lights and papers were scattered all across the house.

Suddenly, the siblings heard footsteps coming from the attic. They were descending to the living room, right where the siblings were. Paula was about to scream, but Peter covered her mouth. "Hushhh! Don't make a sound." He held Paula's hand and sprinted out of the house as quickly as he could.

II

Paula was weeping and shaking like a leaf as they managed to reach home and tell their parents the whole story. Donna admonished their action whereas David hugged his children and thanked the Lord for their safety. 

"Why did you go to the forest alone? Why do you both feel that you are adult enough to handle things by yourself? What if you both had landed yourself in trouble? I can't even imagine what would have happened, had you both not sprinted from that horrible place." Reprimanded Donna.

 "We are sorry Mom. We are extremely sorry. Next time, we will inform you before we go anywhere." Said, Peter. 

Donna sobbed and embraced her children. "It is our fault. We always proscribed you to enter the forest. That's what made you curious enough to go there all by yourself." Said David with a regretful nod. All of them thanked Jesus and assembled for dinner.

III

The next day, Peter and Paula asked their parents to accompany them to the forest for a stroll. They agreed and went for it. "Mom, let me show you the house we entered." Said, Peter. And there it stood, completely abandoned with its creepy, crooked gesture as if waiting to gobble the Higgins. Donna and David were freaked out. "Hey! This is the same haunted house that our neighbors normally mention." Said, David. 

"Let's go home now. It's time for lunch." interrupted Donna. 

As they were moving away from the house, Donna looked back at it and almost had a heart attack to see the silhouette of a person through the attic window staring back at her.

Once, at home, Donna shared her concern with David. "There was a silhouette at the attic window of that house. I don't think the house is haunted. There is probably somebody living there. Another evidence of that is when Peter said that the main door to the house was ajar. Of course, a ghoul won't open the door. But the question is, who would be living in that ancient property?" 

"I don't know Donna. It's better to stay away from that house." Said, David.

 "Come on, David. Don't be scared. Let's get into the depth of this matter. Let us investigate the whole house." Said Donna excitedly. 

"Donna, why take such a risk? Prevention is better than cure." 

"But what if we unravel an exciting truth and eliminate people's fear regarding the house? We will go there tomorrow at 7 pm sharp. Stay ready!" beamed Donna.

IV

The next day, Donna discussed her plan with David. "We will carry a wooden bat with an attempt to ambush him which will make him unconscious. Then we can call the cops and get that person whatsoever his identity, arrested. Also, it's better to not involve Peter and Paula in this matter. So, I will be tucking them to bed at 7 pm today." 

"Fine, but I feel that we should go with the cops to that house. It's dangerous since we don't know whether there resides one person or a whole gang of hooligans." Said David thoughtfully. 

"No, we can't do that. We don't know who or what is in that house. We should call the cops only when we discover something of 'their interest'." said Donna.

At 7 pm, David and Donna dressed in black, covered their faces, and held wooden bats. They carried a rope and a knife for defense purposes. "Are the children asleep?" questioned David.

 "Yes, I just kissed them good night and told them that we are going to the market and would return after 3 hours." Recalled Donna.

They reached the house, carefully unbolted the brass gates, and pushed the main door. The house was a clear mess as books were scattered all over and glass items were broken. "Mind your step or you'll hurt yourself." Whispered Donna. They just began scanning the place when sudden, prompt footsteps descending to the living room were heard. David and Donna's heart skipped a beat as they hid behind the sofa and waited for the person's arrival. A bald, skinny man appeared. He was frantically searching for something. He screamed "I know you are here. Come out now and surrender and I assure you, it won't be painful." David and Donna were shocked. Donna then, using her presence of mind, held a glass piece, and threw it elsewhere. The man searched in that direction and Donna tiptoed out, held her bat tightly, swayed it in the air, and hit the man on his head. The man responded with an AAAAAHHHH but didn't back in retaliating as he tried ambushing Donna. Donna's strike seemed to have no effect on the man. The man screamed like a maniac, picked up a glass jar, and chased Donna. After running for quite a long time, the man finally caught Donna and twisted her hand. Donna cried in agony as the man swung the jar in the air, thus making it ready to strike Donna. However, David came to the rescue with a knife and wounded the man's arm thus, making him loosen his grip over Donna. Using the rope, David and Donna tied him to a chair. 

 Donna yelled, "Call the police David NOWWW!" David phoned the police and the sirens clearly echoed outside the house after twenty minutes which seemed like forever for David and Donna.

Donna screamed, "Officer, this is the man who occupies the abandoned house. We don't know who he is or what intentions he carries. Please detain him." 

The police got him arrested and a few days later called to inform that the man was mentally unstable and a wanted serial killer. They also said that the man was muttering under his breath to kill those children that came wandering about the house. David and Donna felt grateful that their children were safe. They thanked Jesus and kissed their children with affection.