Ghostly Affairs

Chapter 4: The Haunting Truth

Lin and May arrived at Mrs. Green's house just as the sun was beginning to set. The old, two-story home had an air of quiet neglect, its once-white paint peeling in places, the garden overgrown with weeds. There was an uneasy stillness around it, as if the house itself was holding its breath, waiting.

May walked beside Lin, her steps light but purposeful. "Wow, this place looks like it's straight out of a horror movie," she remarked, glancing at Lin with a mischievous grin. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Lin, pulling a flashlight from her bag, gave May a dry look. "I'm not here to play ghost hunter, May. I'm here to figure out what's really going on."

May shrugged, a playful twinkle in her eyes. "You're no fun. Where's your sense of adventure?"

Lin shook her head, but there was a small smile on her lips as she approached the front door. She tried the handle, and it turned easily in her hand. "It's unlocked. That's odd."

May moved closer, peering through the door as it swung open. "Well, Mrs. Green did say she hasn't been back here for a while. Maybe she didn't lock up properly."

Lin stepped inside cautiously, the beam of her flashlight cutting through the dim interior. The house felt cold, much colder than it should have been for a late autumn evening. Dust covered almost every surface, and the furniture was draped with old sheets, giving the place a ghostly, abandoned look.

"Creepy," May murmured, her voice low. "So, what's the plan, Detective Lin?"

Lin set her bag down on a dusty side table, scanning the space with a critical eye. "First, I'm going to check for any signs of tampering—forced entry, hidden cameras, anything that could indicate someone's been trying to scare Mrs. Green out."

May nodded, her gaze drifting over the walls lined with family photos. She paused, her eyes widening as she spotted a familiar face in one of the old, sepia-toned pictures. "Wait a second..."

Lin, who was examining a set of peculiar symbols carved into the doorframe, glanced over. "What is it?"

May pointed to a photo of a young woman standing beside a large oak tree, her expression bright and cheerful. "That's Mrs. Green—my Mrs. Green! The one from the market. She used to talk about this house all the time."

Lin moved closer, peering at the photo. "So this really is her family home?"

May nodded, her voice filled with wonder. "I didn't know she was connected to Margaret, though. She always said she was waiting to see her children and grandchildren, but they never came. I guess she stayed close to this house because of her niece."

Lin's expression softened as she looked at May. "So this place is important to her, too."

May nodded, a wistful smile on her face. "Yeah. It was one of the few things she still talked about fondly."

They continued their exploration in silence for a while, with Lin meticulously checking windows and doors for any signs of tampering, while May carefully examined the rooms, her fingers brushing lightly over dusty surfaces and forgotten items.

As Lin made her way upstairs, she noticed something strange—the walls were covered in faint, scratched symbols and markings, almost like someone had been carving them in a fit of rage or fear.

"These symbols... they look like they've been here for a while, but they're not random," Lin murmured, tracing one with her finger. "Someone was trying to send a message."

May stepped closer, her expression thoughtful. "They don't look like anything I've seen before. Maybe some kind of warning?"

Lin nodded, snapping a few pictures of the symbols. "Possibly. But I'll need to research them to be sure."