The Mansion on the Hill (Part 2)

 

“Just do it one more time,” Billy urged him. “Or are you too chicken to do it again?” he jeered.

“Me? Chicken?” Sean asked, with false bravado . He could still picture the dark figures he saw gliding down the hallway of the mansion. Every time he thought about it, chills would run down his spine.

 

It was a humid Sunday afternoon and Billy, Joel and Sean were hanging out at a playground near their homes.

 

Having proved himself by accepting Billy's challenge to knock on the door of the allegedly most haunted place in Hills City where they lived, Sean was now considered cool enough to hang out with them.

 

But they had been badgering him to repeat the feat. Sean had made the mistake of telling them about the dark figures he saw and now Billy and Joel were keen to find out if they were really ghosts.

 

“Chicken… Chicken… Sean is a chicken!” Billy started mocking him. Joel followed suit and they began to walk around him, flapping their arms and making clucking sounds. Sean could feel his temper rising, but he didn't want to lose his newfound friends.

 

“Alright… Alright, I'll do it. But only one last time,” Sean said with a sigh.

 

“Yeah! Let's do it now,” Billy exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

 

* * *

The three boys stood at the foot of the hill. The mansion loomed over them in the distance. Sunlight filtered over it, but did not seem to be able to pierce through its unnatural gloominess. Even in the day, the mansion looked eerie and menacing.

 

Sean gulped. He was beginning to regret agreeing to this. But he couldn't back out now, not when Billy and Joel were so excited. He would never live down their taunting if he chickened out now.

 

“Let's go,” Billy said, starting up the path to the mansion. All too soon, they were standing before the tall, black, heavy iron gates of the house.

 

“You go first,” Billy said, motioning to Sean. “We'll be right behind you,” he continued.

 

With a pounding heart, Sean pushed the wrought iron gates. It swung open easily, almost as if it was welcoming visitors to explore its mysterious depths. As the trio proceeded up the porch steps, the overwhelming stench of rotting corpses overpowered them again.

 

Sean's eyes watered from the pungent smell. He began to imagine the dead bodies of previous intruders who had dared to trespass on the property, tortured and killed by its ghostly inhabitants. Fear gripped his heart and he wanted to turn back.

 

“Go on, what are you waiting for?” Billy said from behind. “We don't have all day.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Sean raised the knocker and brought it down on the heavy oak door.

 

Nothing happened. There were no wails; the shutters did not open and there was no sight of any dark figures floating around. There was absolute silence. The stillness was unnerving and it was making the boys nervous.

 

“Try again,” Billy instructed. With hands that trembled slightly, Sean rapped sharply on the door.

 

“WHO IS IT…” a hoarse voice boomed out. The shutters began to rattle, shake and shudder as if some invisible force had taken hold of them. From between the gaps, Sean, Billy and Joel could see black figures hanging in midair. They were blacker than the darkness that surrounded them and they were hooded. Beneath the hoods were featureless faces.

 

“Ahhhhh!” Billy and Joel screamed as they took off.

 

Sean turned to flee. But as he was about to leap off the porch steps, a hand shot out and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Sean closed his eyes tightly; afraid of what he might see if he opened them.

 

“Let me go! It wasn't my idea! Let me go!” he cried. He was struggling to free himself, kicking out with his arms and legs at the thing that was holding him hostage.

 

“Stop struggling like that and I'll let you go!” the hoarse voice said.

 

“Strange, that sounded like a human,” Sean thought to himself. He forced his eyes open and found himself face to face with an old man.

 

The man was slightly unkempt. He had a weather-beaten face and badly rotted teeth, but he was undoubtedly human.

 

“You're not a ghost,” Sean blurted out with amazement at the discovery.

 

“Of course, I'm not. Should I be one?” the man said, while peering at him in amusement.

 

“W-w-well… There were all these rumours about strange happenings in this mansion. We all thought it was haunted,” Sean said defensively.

 

“Pah! Those were nothing more than rumours,” the old man said, dismissively .

 

“Well then, how do you explain those dark figures I saw inside?” Sean queried.

 

The old man threw open the front door and walked into the mansion without the slightest sign of fear. “You mean these?” he asked, pointing to some rag dolls hanging on a clothes line.

 

“It's just a way to make a living,” the old man explained. “I sew these rag dolls for a few dollars a day. These don't have eyes, noses, mouths and ears yet,” he said, as he pointed to the dolls that Sean and the two boys had mistaken for ghosts earlier.

 

“O-o-hhh… I see,” Sean said. He was more than a little embarrassed by his blunder.

 

“How do you explain the rumours of strange happenings then?” he asked the old man.

 

“That was me,” the old man winked. “I had nowhere to go and I wanted to stay in this house peacefully. Since there were already rumours about it being haunted, I just… well, helped the rumours along with some tricks, if you know what I mean,” he said, a little guiltily.

 

“Young man, c-c-could you do me a favour by not telling anyone that this mansion is not haunted?” the old man asked, pleadingly. “I am all alone, and I have nowhere to go. I barely earn enough to survive, much less buy a house,” he explained.

 

“I'll keep it a secret, I promise,” Sean said solemnly.

 

The next day, Sean brought parcels of groceries and food to the mansion for the old man. That became the start of an unlikely friendship.

 

True to his word, Sean never breathed a word of the old man's existence. To this day, the residents of Hills City still believe the mansion is haunted and leave it well alone.

 

Dictionary:

 

1) Bravado: boldness, daring

 

2) Allegedly: supposedly, purportedly

 

3) Badgering: pestering, harassing

 

4) Wrought iron: a pure type of iron usually used to make gates and railings

 

5) Unnerving: unsettling, frightening

 

6) Dismissively: disdainfully, frivolously