On the night of Halloween, when shadows dance, and secrets whisper through the night, a small town's darkest fears come alive, revealing that some legends are more than just stories.
Rowan and his sister, Juniper, had just moved from New York to liv...
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Rowan never knew owning a collection of skulls as large as the pile before him was possible.
He holds his position on the attic ladder as he looks around the disorganized storage space his dad has created over the years. A lingering smell from a rack of clothes makes him decide it's not worth exploring the strange room.
Rowan slowly steps down the ladder; his younger sister waits for him at the bottom. Juniper bounces impatiently from one foot to another to see what caused Rowan's disgusted expression. His fingers stay pinched on his nose as he slowly shakes his head at her.
"There's nothing worth our time up there," Rowan suggests as he works to close the attic opening. While struggling against the ladder's weight, he continues, "I'm pretty sure I saw a life-sized Venus fly trap up there, and I'd rather not get eaten by it."
Juniper's face flushes a deep shade of red, matching the haircut to her shoulders. She rushes forward to grip the attic ladder before Rowan can fold it away. Her lower lip sticks out in a pout as she reason, "It's probably just one of the movie props Dad created." Juniper then quickly sidesteps Rowan's attempt to stop her and climbs onto the ladder.
Rowan's chest deflates in defeat. He gives in and lets his sister peek into the attic, expecting her to come back down. Still, he glances up to see her red Converses disappearing into the dark room. He calls for her to return, only to see the small attic light turn on shortly afterward. Heavy footsteps then start to pound over his head.
"Juniper!" He tries calling once again. One foot is placed on the first step, hesitant to follow her. Above, he can hear several items shuffled around by his sister who explores. Without letting another anxious thought come to mind, Rowan presses his lips together and hurries into the attic.
The rotting smell hits his nose, but he pushes any second thoughts away and crawls into the attic. Dust coats his hands once they make contact with the floor. After wiping it off on his jeans, Rowan quickly strides past the pile of fake skulls his dad had made for a previous movie set. Even though the skulls are fake, Rowan can still feel their hollow eyes following his movement. Questions on why his dad cares to keep these props come to him as he looks around at all the strange items littered in the small, disorganized space.
Juniper's voice rises behind a wall of cardboard boxes, "What are we looking for again?"
Rowan peaks over the wall to find her sitting on the dusty floor, looking through a box filled with clocks. She seems perfectly content being surrounded by strange items, unlike Rowan. A shiver travels down his back.
"Well, I told Dad I needed a notebook for school. He said I could probably find one up here," Rowan answers, pausing to scan the room for a minute. "I'm willing to bet we could find anything in this place."
