HAUNTED MANSION

Chapter 5

"Come here and sit down, Tim. I want us all to get to know each other. Since we're going to be sharing this house." Adam says as he pats the couch beside him.

"What do you want to know?" Tim asks as he sits down on the couch.

"I guess it's pretty hard for you having to deal with all this modern day technology." Adam says with a smile.

"Yeah, you might say that." Tim nods.

"They didn't have televisions back in the cowboy and Indian days." Austin chuckles. "They didn't have anything."

"Yes, we did." Tim argues.

"Oh, really? Like what?" Austin says as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Trains. There were railways being built all across the country. And I had read that there were a few horseless carriages showing up in some of the bigger cities." Tim says. "But I've never seen one."

"Horseless carriages? Oh, my God." Austin laughs. "They are called cars, Cowboy."

"F*ck you, okay?" Tim growls.

"Guess you fought in the Civil War too?" Austin asks with a smirk.

"No, I didn't. The war ended when I was ... about six years old, I guess. But my father fought for the Confederacy." Tim answers.

As Adam was watching Tim talk, he notices a light scar around his throat. Right where the rope would have been around his neck when he was hung.

"Why did they hang you?" Adam asks, out of nowhere. "Your death certificate reads that you committed suicide by hanging. But it was later learned that you were murdered."

"So they finally realized it?" Tim asks.

"Yeah, but unfortunately no one was ever charged." Adam says.

"Well, of course not. The men who did it were all prominent members of the community. They formed a group to keep law and order in town. Called themselves The Enforcers. They decided what was wrong or right." Tim says. "They wore robes and hoods over their faces. But I knew who they all were because they tried to get both me and my father to join. But we didn't."

"I guess sort of like the KKK." Adam says and Austin nods in agreement.

"Being attracted to another man wasn't heard of back then. If you were, you had to keep it hid. I was noted as a ladies man but I also was attracted to men. I was secretly seeing this one guy, Nate. The Enforcers got a tip that Nate was having sex with other men. So they beat him to get a confession and to get names of his lovers. Thinking that was the only way to get them to stop, he started naming names. My name just so happened to be on his list. After he confessed, they hung him in the town square for everyone to see." Tim says.

"Oh, God. That's horrible." Adam says, shaking his head.

"Then they came after me. They pulled me out of the house. Judged me guilty in a make-believe trial and hung me in the tree over here next to the house." Tim says with a shrug of his shoulders. "And here I am."

"What about you, Austin? What's your story?" Adam asks.

"Nothing as dramatic as that." Austin chuckles lightly.

"Are you gay/bisexual too?" Adam asks.

"No, I'm straight. I had a beautiful girlfriend named Olena." Austin sighs. "I was a spoiled rich kid. Loved having parties. Loved to drink. So I was going to have a party to celebrate MY new house. (Tim rolls his eyes) During the party, Olena breaks up with me. Come to find out, she had screwing around with a friend of mine. So, I started drinking heavily. I was drunk off my ass. I started to come down the stairs to find my so-called friend to whoop his ass when I stumbled and fell over the balcony. I died instantly from a crushed skull and a broken neck."

"Now, what about you?" Tim asks with a raised brow. "You said you were gifted."

"Well, there's not much to tell. I'm not dead." Adam smiles.

"I guess that's a good thing." Tim smiles.

"I'm gay." Adam shrugs. "And I'm single."

"That's definitely a good thing." Tim chuckles.

"But what about this gift that you have?" Austin asks as he rolls his eyes at Tim's flirting.

"I'm a medium. I discovered at a young age that I could see and hear dead people and they can talk to me." Adam says. "I have a question. Why are you so solid almost like a live person and I can see through Austin?"

"I've been dead for a little over a hundred and twenty years. It takes a while to gain strength and to be able to form a body. I can take any form." Tim answers. "But you've been the only one to see this form. The others only saw me as a shadow person."

"Well, I'm honored." Adam smiles at the handsome spirit. "But here's the deal, guys. I want and WILL get my sleep. I do NOT want to be woken up at night by any stomping or banging on the walls. Or anymore Bon Jovi or anyone else. Understand, Austin? And Tim, I do NOT want to have to replace my electronics every week like the Lundquists had to do. Understand? And another thing, Timothy, those clothes that I packed up? Did you hang them back in the closet?"

"Yes, I did." Tim says proudly with a nod. "Those are MY clothes. They are to be left alone."

"They belong to a guy that I scared off." Austin chuckles. "He left running out of here in his PJs. The old man got tired of walking around looking like Billy The Kid and decided to try on the clothes and they fit."

"Ok, I was kinda wondering about the clothes that you're wearing. I know that Johnny Cash was a little after your time." Adam chuckles. "I'll be right back. I need something to drink."

The minute he walks out of the room, he hears their voices as they begin to talk but can't make out what they were saying. He goes into the kitchen for a beer.

As he is coming up the hallway, the voices have gotten louder. As usual, they were arguing.

"I don't give a rat's ass what you think, Austin!!" Tim yells. "This is my house and what I say goes!!"

"Guys, stop fighting!" Adam says as he walks into the room.

"This ain't your house anymore, you old goat!!" Austin shouts back. "It's mine!!"

"IT WILL ALWAYS BE THE F*CKING FOUST MANSON!! IT WILL NEVER BE THE D*MN BROWN MANSION!!" Tim growls as he slams his fist onto the coffee table. Items flew from the coffee table from the strong energy radiating from the older spirit.

'How the hell does one stop two ghosts from fighting?' Adam thought as he stomps over to the couch.

He suddenly grabs a hand full of Tim's hair and pulls his head back. He leans down and plants a hard kiss on the lips of the unsuspecting ghost. It was strange to do this, but it shut him up.

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