The Key In The Fireplace

Part 2: The Dreary Old House

Have you ever moved into a new house? Ever experienced that specific smell for the first time. A smell you find awfully comforting. Perfectly foreshadowing the happy days soon to follow after youve unpacked your bags. This house did not have that smell. This house smelt of dust and misery. The floorboards creaked and the ceiling in the master bedroom dripped a liquid one could only describe as most fowl.

Headley was surely going to sell this place to the first unlucky folk to place a bid. Why on earth would they give her this wretched place? Were they perhaps punishing her? Did she wrong them? Were they just senial old people who thought she would enjoy living in filth? Headley couldnt begin to wrap her mind around it.

The surrounding houses in the neighborhood were far more beautiful. Perhaps not the prettiest houses. On their own merit they were dull, grey, bland, brick homes that were meant more for a prison than a family to stay in. But none of them compared to this monstrosity. The way it sat at the end of the block. Twisting and curling. It looked as if any second the house would shatter to a thousand peices.

And there stood Headley Jones, preparing to stay in it for one whole week. What had she gotten herself into? She began up the stairs to unpack. Began being a great descriptive term because she didnt make it that far before one of the steps collapsed and her foot became stuck.

"PERFECT!" Headley shouted, as if anybody could hear her exclaimation let alone the blood curdling scream she released when the step gave way.
Sitting there on the steps she was more annoyed than afraid. What did she have to fear? She couldnt fall she was stuck. And surely no pests lived in this house. This kind of place would be far to pathetic. Even for a rat.

Headley used all her upper body strength to pull herself out of the stairs. She went to the downstairs kitchen (if you could call it that) and forcefully yanked a cupboard door off of its rickety hinges. She covered the broken stair with the door and proceeded to the master bedroom. Headley laid in the bed tossing and turning. It became very doubtful she would get any sleep. But this would soon become the least of her worries. It was about to get much much worse.