By Andrea Chmelik ~
She rang the doorbell. Biting her lip, she took a step back when she heard the footsteps. The door flew open. She flashed a smile.
“Hi, I am Millie Dale,” she said, “your new neighbor. My husband and I just moved in.”
A full figured woman with blond hair and heavy make-up put her hands on her hips. “So you’re the fools who bought the haunted house?”
Millie fidgeted. “Yes, that’s us. But we don’t believe in ghost stories.” The woman didn’t respond, so she continued. “My husband is an author. He writes mystery. For him it’s quite inspirational, you know?”
The woman shook her head. “I’m Rhonda. What can I do for you?”
“I baked my signature brownies. I thought maybe you could come over, have a glass of wine and tell me about the town. I don’t know anyone here.”
Rhonda crossed her arms. “I’ll not be setting foot in that house. At night, I still hear wailing of those poor children, begging for life. Slaughtered like pigs.” Her eyes narrowed. “The previous owners didn’t believe in ghosts either. Guess what? Dead, dead, dead every one of them!” She slammed the door shut.
“Bill, I am serious.” Millie sat hugging her knees. “She meant it. She said we’ll die! I don’t understand why you had to insist on this house.”
Bill looked up from his computer screen, annoyed. “You know very well why we bought this house. We couldn’t afford anything else. Without the haunted nonsense, we couldn’t have afforded this one either.” He ran his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “I need an inspiration. We need money. If I blow it this time, I am done.” He turned his back to her and started typing.
It was the middle of the night when Millie heard shrieking in the attic. She shook Bill, who snored next to her. “Wake up, Bill! Wake up!”
“What?” he mumbled. Another scream pierced the air. Bill jumped from the bed.
“What are you doing?” Millie hissed at him.
“I am going to see what’s happening.”
“You can’t!” she whispered, but he was already out the door.
Millie shook, her hand ready on the phone. Bill returned holding their cat’s limp body in his arms. “I have no idea what happened. She’s dead.”
“Mr. Dale!” the reporters swarmed around Bill. “What can you tell us about your wife’s passing?”
Bill raised his arms. “A tragic accident. My wife had some personal problems that she – unfortunately – addressed with alcohol.”
“But Mr. Dale,– we’ve heard this place is haunted. Will you remain in the house?”
“Of course,” Bill snorted. “Rumors like that convinced my wife she was being chased by a ghost and her only escape route was through the third story window!”
“Cheers, Love,” said Rhonda, tipping her wine glass.
“Cheers,” Bill leaned in for a kiss. “You look dangerously seductive tonight.”
Rhonda laughed. “And you, my dear, are a genius. I still can’t believe she fell for it.”
Bill pulled her closer. “As soon as things settle and I cash her life insurance, we’ll open the Haunted House Museum. Sure to be a crowd pleaser. People love a tragedy. And, a cherry on top, they’ll get a tear-jerker romance, too! Devastated widower nourished back to life by friendly neighbor.”
He gave her backside a squeeze. “This is the best story I’ve ever written.”
Andrea Chmelik is a blogger and a stay-at-home Mom. Her blog posts were featured at BlogHer.com and published in Babble’s “Best of Blogs, Parenting Uncensored” e-book series. She is a featured author in The Best of SLO NightWriters in Tolosa Press 2009-2013 anthology. She lives on the Central Coast with her husband, son, daughter and two cats. Andrea is a member of SLO NightWriters, for writers at all levels in all genres. Find them online at slonightwriters.org.
