The Abandoned House

On his way home from Matthew’s place, William passes the same abandoned house he has walked by countless times. Tall grass fills the yard, and overgrown trees reach across the walkway. Today, he decides to take a closer look. Rumour has it the house is haunted.

He approaches the front door and turns the handle. It is unlocked. He calls out to see if anyone is inside, but no one answers. Slowly, he pushes the door open and steps through the small landing into the living room.

William expects to find an empty house. Instead, most of the furnishings and household belongings are still there, although everything looks dated. Even the television remains, lying beside its stand with a crack across the picture tube, as though someone has dropped it. Perhaps someone tried to steal it without realizing how heavy it was. Or perhaps something startled them.

Other people have clearly been through the house. Drawers lie overturned, their contents scattered across the floor. Books and photographs are strewn everywhere, sofa cushions have been ripped open, and coats are spread throughout the room. Someone has apparently been searching for valuables.

An uneasy feeling follows William as he wanders farther inside. He cannot shake the sensation that someone is watching him. Every few steps, he glances behind him and checks the rooms on either side.

As he crosses the living room, he notices a Ouija board box beneath the coffee table. He picks it up and looks inside. Everything is still there.

A series of loud knocks comes from the direction of the kitchen. William freezes, then cautiously moves toward the sound. Every room he passes is in shambles. In the bedrooms, mattresses have been tossed aside and clothes emptied from the dressers.

Why would the occupants leave so suddenly, abandoning their personal belongings and valuables?

He enters the kitchen and spots an old-fashioned cellar door set into the floor. The cupboards stand open, and broken plates cover the tiles. He picks his way through the shards of porcelain and glass. Vandals must have been here, he thinks, imagining teenagers smashing whatever they can get their hands on.

The thought troubles him. He can understand why someone desperate for money might steal something valuable, even if he does not condone it. But why destroy belongings that another person could have used?

A chill runs through him as he approaches the cellar hatch. He decides not to investigate it alone. The stairs or ladder might be rotten; if he falls and injures himself, there is no telling how long it could take someone to find him.

Still carrying the Ouija board, he turns toward the back door. Another loud bang sounds beneath his feet. He is almost certain he feels the cellar door lift slightly as he steps across it.

Concern gives way to fear. His heart pounds as he hurries out of the house.

William makes his way through the overgrown backyard and notices a couple working in a neighbouring yard. He slips the Ouija board beneath a tree, intending to retrieve it later. The last thing he wants is for anyone to mistake him for one of the people who vandalized the property.

As he heads toward the back lane, the neighbours look up. He waves, and they wave back. Since their yard lies in the direction he is going, he walks over to their fence. They appear to be a friendly, middle-aged couple, and he feels comfortable introducing himself.

They stop their yard work and come over to speak with him. William asks whether they know who used to live in the abandoned house.

To his surprise, they have no idea. They have lived beside the property for fifteen years, yet no one has occupied it during that time. They have complained to the city more than once about the overgrown eyesore. The only people they have ever seen coming out of the house are groups of teenagers, probably looking for somewhere to hang out. Their realtor told them the property had already been abandoned for years when they moved in.

William struggles to reconcile that account with what he has just seen. The inside of the house does not look as though it has been untouched for decades. He cannot recall seeing much dust, and neither the paint nor the wallpaper appears cracked or peeling.

He thanks the couple for their time, wishes them a good day, and continues home.

The mystery stays with him. How can a house that has stood empty for so long remain in such good condition? He decides to return with a few friends, learn what he can about its supposedly haunted history, and perhaps do a little ghost hunting.

Two friends immediately come to mind. Matthew, one of William’s closest friends, has little patience for anything paranormal. His attitude is simple: prove it, or it is not real. But Matthew is tough and fearless, and William knows he will not pass up a chance to tease anyone who believes in ghosts.

Then there is Jessica. She shares William’s fascination with the paranormal and is the first girl he has met who enjoys fishing as much as he does. William also thinks she is the most beautiful girl at school. He has secretly had a crush on her for years, but their friendship means too much to him to risk asking her out if she does not feel the same way. For now, he tells himself, being her friend is enough.

He considers inviting the others, but they already have plans for the evening. Matthew and Jessica will have to do.

It is Saturday, and William expects everyone to eat dinner early enough to leave plenty of time for an evening investigation. When he arrives home, his father is already barbecuing in the backyard and relaxing beside the fish pond.

“Grab me a drink,” his dad calls as William comes through the back door.

William turns around, gets him a drink with ice, and brings it outside. His father seldom asks for anything; he tells people what he wants. He is not mean or tyrannical, but there is a natural authority in his voice. Even when he means to make a request, it sounds like an order, and strangers tend to do as he says without arguing.

William sits beside the pond with his father. Over dinner, they catch up on the past week and talk about their plans for the next one. His dad asks whether William has made any use of the electronics he gave him after an auction they attended a couple of weeks earlier.

William smiles. “I’ve set everything up in the recreation room for me and my friends.”

They usually spend time together at the cabin or on fishing trips, but it has been a while since they have had a chance to do either. When his father invited him to the auction, William jumped at the opportunity. His dad believes in working hard for what you want rather than taking shortcuts, and work occupies much of his time.

William brings up the abandoned house, hoping his father might know something about it.

“That supposed haunted house over by the park?” His dad laughs. “It’s been abandoned for as long as I can remember. When I was your age, some classmates swore they saw a ghost in there when they went snooping around. Why do you ask?”

William does not want to admit that he has been inside. His father has always taught him to respect other people’s property, and trespassing would not sit well with him.

“Some kids in my class said they were going to check it out. They’d heard it was haunted, too. I just wondered if you knew who lived there.”

His father shakes his head.

Not wanting to raise suspicion, William changes the subject. He asks whether the filing cabinets his dad bought for the company at the auction have been useful. They are just what he needed, his father assures him.

William mentions that he will be going out with friends shortly.

“Heading out with your girlfriend again?” his dad asks with a smile.

William shakes his head. His father never misses an opportunity to tease him about Jessica.

A little later, William calls Matthew. His friend has no plans, so they agree to meet at Matthew’s house. William hangs up and picks up the phone to call Jessica, but there is no dial tone.

“Hello?” he says, puzzled. “Hello?”

“Hi, William. How’s it going?”

He nearly jumps. Jessica is already on the other end of the line.

Once he recovers, he asks whether she wants to meet at Matthew’s. She has no other plans and would love to hang out. William tells her he will be at her place in twenty minutes so they can walk over together.

Jessica is sitting on her front steps when he arrives. She stands and comes down the walkway to meet him. William cannot help noticing how beautiful she looks. She is the only girl he knows who acts like a tomboy but looks like a model, and she manages to do almost everything in a skirt and heels.

“Hi, William.”

He stares for a moment without answering.

“William?” she repeats, a little louder.

He snaps out of his daze. “Hi, Jess. How’s it going?”

As they walk toward Matthew’s house, William keeps sneaking glances at her whenever he thinks she is looking away. He is so distracted that he does not notice Matthew standing a few feet in front of them until he looks up.

“Hey, Jessica. Hey, lover boy. How’s it going?”

Caught staring at Jessica, William hurriedly changes the subject. He tells them about the abandoned house, the strange noises, and the Ouija board he has hidden in the backyard.

The three agree it might be fun to try the board, so they head back to retrieve it.

As they approach the house, Matthew suggests looking in the cellar while there is still some daylight. William and Jessica agree. If someone is squatting there, they reason, they might find a blanket, food, or some other sign of an occupant.

Inside, the setting sun throws odd shadows and reflections across the rooms. Jessica begins to feel uneasy.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be here.”

William would not mind leaving. He has no desire to remain in the house after dark, especially since they have forgotten to bring a flashlight.

Matthew laughs. “You two are just letting the shadows and your imaginations spook you. How many times do I have to tell you that all that spiritual stuff is nonsense? You read so many books and watch so many shows about it that you start believing in things that aren’t real.”

They continue toward the cellar. Matthew and Jessica are just as astonished as William by how much has been left behind. William tells them what his father said about classmates who claimed to have seen a ghost there years ago.

“What?” Matthew stops. “You’re telling us this place has been abandoned that long?”

Jessica looks around. “But there’s practically no dust. It looks like someone trashed the place right after it was cleaned.”

William has no explanation.

A tremendous crash comes from one of the bedrooms. William and Jessica flinch. Even Matthew grows cautious as he moves toward the room. He picks up a broken table leg on the way.

“Come out, whoever’s in there! I’m armed, and I’ll bash your skull in if you don’t come out right now!”

They listen. Nothing moves, and no one answers.

Matthew enters the bedroom slowly. William follows with another broken table leg in one hand and Jessica gripping his other. The room is empty. Given the mess, Matthew suggests that something must simply have fallen over.

They turn back toward the kitchen and carefully cross the broken plates and glass. Another loud crash erupts from the bedroom they have just searched.

Matthew looks at William and Jessica and shrugs, but he has seen the room himself. There is almost nothing left on the walls that could have fallen.

Then a low moan rises from the living room.

The house is growing darker, and the trees outside block what remains of the sunlight. None of them wants to stay. They hurry out the back door.

As they head toward the lane, William asks Jessica what she thinks made the noises. She suspects the spirit of a former owner. Matthew laughs and suggests it was probably someone hiding in the cellar. The person might have slipped under a mattress or a pile of clothes when they searched the bedroom.

Whatever the explanation, none of them wants to confront whoever—or whatever—is inside now that darkness is falling. Even Matthew has no interest in facing an intruder without being able to see.

“Where did you put the Ouija board?” he asks.

William points toward the tree.

The night is completely calm. There is not a breath of wind, yet the tree beneath which William hid the board is shaking as though a strong gust is passing through it.

Jessica turns to him. “You’re kidding, right? Of all the trees you could have picked, you put it under the one with a life of its own?”

Matthew stares at the moving branches and takes a step forward. Then he stops. For the first time, he seems reluctant to approach.

“It’s just a novelty anyway,” he mutters. “You can’t contact spirits if they don’t exist.”

“Maybe there’s a spirit trapped in the board,” Jessica suggests, “and it’s trying to get out.”

William looks at the tree and begins backing toward the lane without a word. None of them is eager to find out why it is moving. They leave the Ouija board where it is.

Once they reach the lane, the evening seems surprisingly bright compared with the darkness beneath the trees. As they walk toward William’s house, Jessica talks about how creepy the experience has been.

Before William can respond, Matthew laughs.

“What’s so funny?” William asks.

Matthew looks at him with a perfectly straight face. “You two don’t really believe any of that was caused by ghosts, do you?”

“What makes you so sure it was something else?” William replies. “You haven’t given us another explanation. It’s easy to say it wasn’t paranormal when you don’t have to prove what actually happened.”

“It’s just as easy to say it was something that can’t be proven one way or the other.”

The argument is starting to heat up, and Jessica steps in before it goes any further.

“Why don’t we tell the rest of the group what happened when we see them tomorrow? They can make up their own minds about what it was—or wasn’t.”

Both boys agree.

William suggests they collect some fishing gear and head down to the river. At last, the three have found something they can agree on. They return to William’s house for rods and tackle, hoping they will have better luck catching fish than they have had catching whatever might be lurking in the abandoned house.