Escaping the Unknown {COMPLETED}

Prologue

When Mr. Henry first came to the town of Oakheart, he didn’t know what to expect.

The stories and myths about the town were enough to convince someone not to live there. The stories made it seem like a horrible place where it was impossible to get a job or raise a good family, but that’s the only place he could go-the only place he could afford.

After losing his job, his savings kept dwindling until he was left to the bare minimum. He couldn’t afford his house any longer and decided that moving was the best choice. After searching and searching for options, he came across Oakheart, a small town far from any other cities with its own government.

The price ranges for them were lower than usual and Mr. Henry saw it as his only option.

On his way there, he thought about what he would do when he arrived. If he found a house, a good one, he would stay there until the day he died. He was nearing his sixties and was now looking for somewhere to stay in peace.

All he hoped for was a nice, warm home and kind neighbors to help him.

Maybe Oakheart wouldn’t be as bad as he thought?

When he arrived at the realtor’s building, it looked sad and unlively just like rest of the old town. He sighed as got out of his old, rundown car.

As he entered the building, he was approached by the first face he had seen in a while.

The woman smiled at him from behind her large, semi-circle desk, “Hello, how may I help you?” she asked.

Mr. Henry tried to smile back through his exhaustion and was able to cover up the tiredness, “I have a meeting with my realtor at 3:00.”

The woman asked who he was seeing and he slid her a small card with the name ‘Mrs. Jenkins’ in bold letters across the top.

She went to her computer and looked at a small chart, then glanced back up at him, “Down this hallway, third door to the right.” She pointed behind her towards a long hallway.

He said a quick thanks before walking in the direction she instructed.

As he approached a door with a plaque with his realtor’s name on it, he knocked firmly but within the silence of the building, it boomed through the hallway making him wince in discomfort.

“Come in!” he heard another voice say through the door. He turned the knob and was welcomed by a room full of pink. It was the first color he had seen since he got to this sad town, so it surprised him.

He hadn’t realized he widened his eyes until the woman at her desk cleared her throat. He turned to face her and she smiled warmly, showing a perfect row of white teeth.

“I apologize,” she said, laughing softly, “I like pigs and the color pink. It’s the only place I can make my own. The town has no color.”

Indeed, most of the pink was coming from pig statues, pictures, stuffed animals, and several piggy banks.

He nodded at her statement, agreeing that the town needed more happiness added to it.

Mr. Henry took off his light jacket and laid it on the back of a chair before sitting in it.

“I’m Mrs. Jenkins,” she held out her hand and he shook it.

“Mr. Henry,” he nodded in her direction and smiled softly.

“So, I assume you're looking for a house. Do you have a price range?”

“The cheapest one you got,” he leaned back in his chair, sighing, “It’s just me. I don’t need anything big.”

Mrs. Jenkins nodded in understanding, then pulled out a pink folder and opened it. Pictures and prices of houses were covering the sheets of paper and Mr. Henry tapped his foot repeatedly in anticipation.

“Ah!” he heard Mrs. Jenkins say after looking over the houses for several minutes, “I think I have just the one for you. It’s priced at $50,000 dollars on the spot. What do you say?”

Mr. Henry’s eyes widened for a second. That was a house he could buy, but he needed to see it first.

“Can I see what it looks like?” he asked.

She nodded and slid him the picture. The house was off-white, dirty, and rundown, just like the rest of the town.

He took a quick glance at the others. They look a little nicer but they weren’t cheap like this one.

He nodded, “Yes, I’ll take it.”

“Wouldn’t you like to go in and see it first?” she asked.

He shook his head negatively, “A house is a house. I’ll see it later when I go.”

Mrs. Jenkins nodded hesitantly and after they arranged their payments, she handed him the keys.

But what Mr. henry didn’t know was that he would regret taking those keys until the day he died.

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Author's Note!

New story! So excited about this one... ;)

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote, comment, and share :)

~Lindy <3