Harmonious

What they are

Sunday morning started the usual way: me waking up with a headache, my sister singing the theme song for Sesame Street, and my parents busy in the kitchen.

I got an early start in the day, and started to do my homework, which was basically everything. Saturday was still fresh in my head, and I had no intention of thinking about it so I went off for a run at around 4pm after I finished my homework. And going out for a run in the late afternoon straight after summer isn't much fun when the sun keeps you dehydrated the whole way. That was a mistake, it was so hot I could smell my flesh cooking in the heat.

So after about 20 minutes of "running" I turned to go back to my neighborhood, and that's when I saw him.

James was walking down the side walk towards an abandoned house at the far end of the neighborhood. The house was a two storied, ancient looking building with paint peeling all over the place, and not much different from the house James lives in now. I was behind him, so he didn't see me. I watched as he looked around, and seeing as nobody was there, he jumped the rusted iron fence and went inside.

1300 Jenkins Way. That was the house that I was standing in front of, also known as "The Howling Death". This house was well known to everyone in town, it was what parents used to keep children inside at night. This house was built in the late 1800s like most houses around here, and it hasn't been used for more than a century. It's first owners died here and it was passed onto their children who also died there. Of old age of course. But after the grandchildren thought the house was a bit creepy, they left it. And every other owner who owned that house only lasted in there for a week, said that they saw things moving around, whispering, and growling at them. Any who, no one ever goes in there, true or not true, that place isn't normal. And no one's ever bothered to bring it down either.

So of course being the true idiot that I am, I followed him inside. I never believed in those stupid rumors anyways.

I carefully climbed up the rusty iron fence which was about 5 feet tall, and jumped silently as I could. After I safely landed on both feet, I opened the door and went inside.

The inside wasn't as bad as it was outside, it was way worse! There were cobwebs hanging allover the place, furniture that belonged in the last century were either lying in pieces on the floor or covered in coats of dust. A staircase with several broken stairs led to a darkened hallway upstairs, and another led down to the basement. James was no where in sight.

I was about to ditch and leave when I heard a noise downstairs. You know that stupid person in every horror movie that goes to the basement of a possibly haunted house because they heard a noise, instead on doing the logical thing and running away? Yeah, that's me.

I climbed down the stairs doing my best not to make a noise. When I got there, it was dark and James was, again, no where in sight. I know I should be scared to my wits right now and this was a dumb idea, but if I could get some possible dirt on him, I could have the upper hand. Or probably figure out what his deal was on Saturday.

So, I walked blindly, my hands in front of me, searching for a light switch. I finally found a string hanging down from the ceiling in the middle of the room and pulled it. Yellow light flickered and lit the room up. There was nothing in the basement, just a couple of empty shelves and broken wood. The only odd thing was the trap door on the floor. I came kneeled down next to it and kept my ear on the door. There was someone in there. It was probably James.

I carefully opened the trap door and, without thinking twice, went down another set of stair spiraling into another room. I was probably 40ft underground right now and it was so dark. And the fact that I'm claustrophobic doesn't help either.