Brae
The sound of crickets fills the air outside. It helps to break the mood. From Sterlin's Bluff you can see most of the town, and the lone and level sands that stretch far away beyond it.
"I heard a story once, from an old friend of mine," I say aloud. "He's a patrolman, all the way up in Echo Hills. One day he responded to a disturbance call, comin' from an abandoned house. When he got there he saw the door was wide open. As he walked down, he noticed that there weren't any footprints in the dirt. He thought maybe the wind or somethin' blew it open."
Doc says nothin', but I know he's listenin'.
"So he went in. Took out his light, looked around. There was nothin' inside. Then he heard the laughter. He said it was faint, at first. It was high pitched and soft, like that of a child. He called out but there was no answer.
He heard it again, behind a closed door. So he went and opened it. He looked inside, and sitting on an old table he saw a picture from a children's book. Picked it up and saw that it was a picture of a policeman. Then he heard the laughter right behind him.
He got the hell out of there fast. Advised dispatch that there was nothin' there. A few days later there was another call that someone was screamin' from the house.
The paramedics went in, half expectin' to find some homeless guy or somethin'. They went into the same room, and on the same table sat a picture of a paramedic, ripped from a children's book."
Doc chuckles, lighting another cigarette. "Well, that's quite the story, Brae."
I sigh. "I know. I'm not superstitious, but it's times like these that make me wonder if I'm wrong."
YOU ARE READING
All the Lights are On
Mystery / Thriller"If there was one thing that could throw this town on its head, of course it'd be the goddamned McKenzie house." The McKenzie house stood tall and proud, its walls worn down by time and weather. It sat with windows boarded and shutters closed, with...
