Chapter one: The “haunted” house
‘There was a house in the sunshine state of Florida, near a small town at the end of Maron road that is considered infamous among the local housing community. It was an old three-story house that was first built in 1951. It was built for a wealthy university professor and his wife of two years. The man’s name is unknown in the community, long forgotten because he was a very reserved man and because the files are no longer there due to a fire at the precinct that destroying many files. According to many people who lived in the community he only would leave for work early in the morning and come late in the night. Only his wife would attend any social gathering events mainly in a women’s book club. If anyone did see him, they would try and talk to him, but he would keep the conversation very briefly and he would not be very normal. He wasn’t one for small talk as many would recall and would just nod in agreement or talk as if he were from another planet (like many of the local children would say).
But, one thing that everyone would agree on was that the man was indeed intelligent. He was the top teacher at the old University (now a theater), as well as, a part-time teacher at the local high school. Many students didn’t like him. He was strict and very cold. However, many students that struggled academic wise were very fond of him. Even though he wasn’t very good at socializing he was a great teacher. “Even if he could never attempt it, he loved teaching.” One student said.
However, for all the things that were good most come to an end. The professor was found dead in his home with multiple stab wounds. The killer was never found.
Years later (1964) another man moved into the house. Patton Smith was very different than the last owner of the house. He was bubbly and loved telling jokes, everyone who knew him would say ‘he could put a smile on your face without saying a word.’
He would work at the Cawalty Foster home. There he would cook and clean, tell the children so many dad jokes that most would groan at them but still have a goofy smile on their faces. He was just so loved by everyone. But the house claimed its second victim. He started going to the foster home less and less. Many of the children became worried, then one day he stopped coming. He was found dead in the same spot as the old owner.
After that many people called the house cursed and the bank, for the longest time, refused to sell it. Many locals believe that it’s haunted by both owners, seek out the person that wronged them. But, years later and being much wiser and needing to sell the house. The bank finally fixed to house and put it back on the market…’
Thomas looks up from his Joan’s phone, pausing in the middle of reading the small article that Joan begged him to look at. For you see Thomas and his friends were standing in the front yard of said house and Thomas (without knowing it) had just bought.
“Told you that that’s the house. I remember reading about it while scrolling Reddit years ago.” Joan said while fixing his beanie.
“Thomas this is so cool. You will be living in an actual haunted house!” Talyn stuffing her hands into her pants pockets.
“Come on, guys. It’s not haunted. It just had some not-so-nice-things happen inside its walls.” Thomas said, more to himself than to Joan or Talyn.
The truth was he was so excited to be having his own place now. Living with Joan and Talyn had been fun and an enjoyable experienced but, the apartment was barely big enough for one let alone three. Joan and Talyn had made it work because they aren’t at home as much, with Joan having a day job and Talyn a night one. Thomas’s job was very much unique. For he worked at a very popular and highly rated theater. Many traveling shows would perform there, and Thomas would end up working behind the scene making sure everything ran as smoothly as possible. Making sure the tech team was on cue for lights and effects and so on. When there wasn’t a big play in town the theater would host one of their own. Sometimes they would hire new play writes that wanted a shot in making it big, sometimes (if it was meant to be a musical) they would hire Thomas to write the songs for it (which was his favorite part of this job).
The main reason for the big move was mainly for space but it was also because Thomas didn’t drive. I was currently on a college scholarship that would pay for to get his A.A degree but after that, he was on his own. Because of this he needs money which was the theater but the transportation system in Florida is the worst, buses were always late and there wasn’t really any taxi’s around, and Uber was WWWAAAAAYYYYYY out of his price range. However, this house was a 10-minute walk from the theater a 30-minute walk from this campus it was a win-win. Plus, the house (even though big) was a steal. But Thomas who had no idea about the two deaths that surrounded this house had already paid for the house and was now the owner of a haunted house. Lucky him.
“Well, even if it is haunted it’s too late now you already signed the paperwork is it indeed yours so, let get these boxes in before it rains” Joan picked up on of the boxes that were lying on the yard floor and walking straight throw the front door. Thomas could feel his anxiety and blood pressure going above this comfort limit.
For the first few days inside the house was almost torture. Thomas’s imagination would play tricks on him so often that he would have the sudden reg to run out screaming if there was any kind of noise. Even common sounds of pipes shacking or a police siren outside. He would end up talking to himself trying to calm his nerves saying that it wasn’t real. Some nights he wouldn’t get sleep at all.
But as he continued living in the house things started to get better. He would be able to sleep in peace (or as peaceful as he could muster), he could finally unpack his instruments and computer into one of the biggest rooms in the house and decided it to be the drama room. For you see Thomas would sometimes he would take a copy of the script that they would be hosting that no one would miss home with him. He would act out a part or to by himself just for fun. He did not have the courage to actually audition for any part himself. No, he was content with being behind the scenes and making sure that the play was a success.
One thing he did notice a lot was the house would randomly get cold from spot to spot. But never in the same spot twice. Like wherever the source of the cold spot was it would move around in the house.
‘I need to call someone about that before January.’ Thomas noted while walking up to the third floor of his house. He hadn’t actually gone up to the third floor in the now two weeks living there. Considering that the first week he was a bundle of nerves, jumping at his own shadow.
The house itself was very weirdly built. The stairs that lead to the second floor did not lead to the third, it more or less cut off like the third floor didn’t exist. It was only when you took a sharp left and another left did you see a door, once opened will you find a very narrow and claustrophobic staircase that led to the third floor. Which Thomas was currently climbing. The one thing that he observed from the very narrow staircase was it felt more like they were leading to an attic rather than another floor of the house. The saw that there was only one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and not in a decretive manner. Like how one would use in their attic or garage, one thing was very current, Thomas didn’t like it. For one this staircase was easily the hottest area in the entire house. There was no air vent for the AC to pump through and no window or anything really, just a one-way staircase that leads up to another door that leads to the top floor.
Finally making all the way up Thomas notices something less. The higher he climbed the more he could see his breath, but he wasn’t cold at all. It was like suddenly the air around him got cold, but he didn’t. Thomas grabbed the handle of the door and turned, but the knob didn’t.
‘Oh, come on really?’ Thomas breathed as he tried to wiggle the knob and bang his weight against the door. But Thomas wasn’t really built for such things so all his attempts where failures.
“Guess - gonna have ta call - someone about -bout this too.” He said in between pants of breathes as he made his way back down the small staircase silently muttering to himself about having to actually talk to someone on the phone which was something he’d rather not do.
The new month in the house was just great. He would go to class then go home to change then head out for work then coming home to watch re-runs for Parks and Recreation before turning in late and repeating. It was a much better lifestyle. Joan and Talyn would come to the house when they had a day off and would try being ghost hunters seeing if the “legends” were true.
Thomas was starting to believe they were not, but strange things would keep him guessing otherwise. For example, Thomas was very much a bookworm he had a tall shelf that had all the book has read over the years but could not part with. On occasion, he would feel like reading them again to spark some inspiration or feeling of going on the character’s journey again once done he would place them back on the shelf but when he would go back, he would find it in a different spot. Now that wasn’t really the weird thing, no, the weird thing was that the book on the shelf itself was full and correctly alphabetized by book title. Something Thomas didn’t have the passions for or the nerve to do and it definitely could be done on accident. Or how when he (on the rare occasion) was cooking some food would hear his music coming from his Drama room only for it to disappear when he got close. Thing like those made him second guess if the house was truly haunted or not. But if it was the ghost had not hurt him yet in the month, he lived there so the thought was pushed to the back of his mind.
But today he was definitely sure it was haunted. Thomas had just woken up from its long sleep by the sun in his eye. He then turned over and saw the time. 9:15 am.
“WHAT!?” Thomas yelled jumping out of bed but fell because of the sheet he was tangled in.
“Why didn’t my alarm go – GAH I forgot to set it are you kidding me!”
Thomas raced around his room gathering his clothes to wear while a toothbrush was still in his mouth. Finally, fulling ready he grabbed his phone and bag and raced down the stairs.
“Of all the days I had to forget to set my alarm it had to be today. Right when ‘Be more Chill’ is doing their dress rehers–” Thomas didn’t get to finish his thought for you see Thomas forgot yet another thing. The laws of physics, for Thomas, had put on his socks before descending down the staircase, that was hardwood flooring. Sending himself forward and hitting the back of his head on the edge of a stair and tumbling all the way down the rest, knocking him out cold.
“Oh, I hope he didn’t hurt himself too bad.”
“I don’t know he was an idiot for wear socks while running down a hardwood staircase.”
“Don’t call our son an idiot!”
“Virgil is correct Patton, if he had just taken his time, he wouldn’t be lying on the floor like he is now and instead be at work.”
“Pardon me, but shouldn’t we be a bit more worried about if this man is dead or not.”
“Roman if he was deceased, he would be amongst us and not on the floor like he is now.”
Thomas could hear people around him. He didn’t recognize them at all, in fact, the voice themselves sound very echoey like they were there but very far away.
“Well when he does pass on, I hope he doesn’t stay here.”
“Now, now Debby downer he’s not dead he’s just … um… Logan what’s that thing called again the thing that makes light.”
“That, he’s just out like a lightbulb.”
“That’s not how the saying…”
“Can you please shut up… ow, my head…” Thomas said finally having the strength to get up.
“No, that would be improbable”
“Well, no, considering our current state I’d literally say that nothing is impossible.”
Thomas finally looked up to see who was talking. But what he saw almost made him faint again. There, standing (well most were floating) in a circle around him were four ghosts. Plain as day clearly see through ghosts each dress in different time period clothes three had blood-stained clothes of some kind. Thomas did what any normal human would do. He ran off the house screaming.
The story is inspired by @literallyglitchn @tssidesghostau
go check out their blogs it’s amazing. Also, I took some creative changes for what they had but, keep most. The main change is with Patton.