Cherry Visits the Haunted Mansion

chapter 1

Atticus was in the kitchen, about to get a snack until suddenly, there was a ringing on his cell phone. He then picked up his phone ans answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey..." a grave voice greeted. "Are you alone?"

"Uh, my sisters are in the living room, why?" Atticus replied. "I'm in the kitchen... Who is this...?"

"Never mind that for now..." the voice said. "Tell me... Do you like scary movies?"

"Yeah, at times." Atticus shrugged.

Suddenly, the lights went out and Atticus only heard a dial tone.

"Hello? Hello!" Atticus called through the phone after he heard Darla scream at the sudden darkness.

"Atticus, are you okay?" Jessica came in, using her cell phone as a source of light as Darla latched onto her, looking very scared and upset at the power outage. "The power just went out..."

"Yeah, I'm okay, but that was really weird, let me see if I can find a flashlight." Atticus said.

"I'll come with you." Patch said, coming in the kitchen.

Atticus luckily found a flashlight and clicked it on. "Come on, boy, let's check out the fuse box."

Patch went with him, then looked back to Jessica and Darla. "Don't worry, we'll have the power back on real soon!"

Darla trembled as she held onto Jessica for security and the older girl comforted her the best that she could, showing her big sister instinct even in her just as well after Atticus was born.

Atticus found the fuse box and gently opened it. "Alright, let's see what we got here."

There were crunching footsteps heard behind the boy and dog.

"Jessica? Darla?" Patch asked. "Is that you?"

There was only heavy breathing heard. Patch shivered and clung closer to Atticus.

"Alright, girls, this isn't funny, come on out..." Atticus sighed, then looked to the window to see Darla and Jessica were still inside the house. "Then who's that...?" he then turned around and shined his flashlight to show a ghoulish clown mask and someone holding a cold, iron blade with dripping red substance from it.

Atticus wasn't impressed by this and neither was Patch. "Really? Dude? A clown mask and a blade?" he then asked in deadpan.

"Atticus, is everything-" Darla walked out, then saw the stranger and screamed so loud that she had tears in her eyes.

Atticus hugged Darla to comfort her. "It's okay, it's okay..."

There was laughter heard as the mask came off, revealing Cherry.

"Lighten up, will ya?" Cherry said between genuine laughs. "It was only a joke!"

"That wasn't cool, Cherry!" Jessica glared.

Cherry fell on the floor and kept laughing. "That was hysterical!"

The family looked to each other and glared to her.

"Oh, man..." Cherry put her glasses back on after she wiped her eyes. "That was such a good one..."

"That wasn't funny, Cherry, you scared me to death!" Darla glared firmly.

Cherry snorted and kept laughing. "I'm sorry, but you should've seen your face..."

Atticus simply ignored her and turned the power to the house back on.