Moving to Hell

Moving

I'm looking outside the window of the car. This morning the sun was shining gloriously, but now it turned into rain and storm. It looks bleak. It causes me to think of what happened this morning, when my parents told me the news. 'We're moving honey,' they said. At first I thought they were kidding, but when I went packing my stuff, I realized it was factial and that we were really moving. I was in a trance and didn't know what to do, what to feel, or even what to think of it. The hardest thing was saying goodbye to my best friend Lulu. It's odd. It was practically like she desired me to leave, the way she spoke to me. I always pondered what it would be like to move away, but I never thought it would actually happen. I know my mother used to tell my brother Johnny and I stories about a neighbourhood they wanted to move to, but they always said it's unlikely that it would ever happen. That appears to be the biggest joke of the year. My reflection reflects in the window of the car. My breath covers it. I can no longer feel my legs, because of the long ride. My father says I'm just complaining, and my brother also thinks I should shut up. We aren't very close, and we don't we really like each other. He always gets irritated by me, and I always shout at him because he's always grumpy. I guess you can call are relationship"be glad I don't kill you". 'Are we almost there?' I say. 'Just hold on a little longer, honey. We'll be there before you know it, okay?' Is the only thing my mother says. I think she and dad are the only ones excited about this whole moving thing. If it was up to Johnny and me, we would stay where we lived. We liked it there; it was fun. I think I'm just scared to move. I mean- the city appears to be bigger, same as the house we're moving into. I saw the house on pictures this morning. My mother showed them to me. It seemed nice, but a house is always different than you see in pictures- otherwise you would never sell them. According to my father, the schools are great. You're getting educated well, and everyone knows and likes each other. I think that's a pretty chilling idea- I mean, how can you like everyone? But there's one thing I'm scared of the most. Next to our house is a cemetery. Even on the pictures it looked creepy. Dad says some of our old family members lay there. Having a cemetery next to your house isn't the nicest thing- no wonder the house was empty for years. Last time someone moved in there, they just disappeared one day. Some people say they went crazy. I wonder how long it takes before I loose my mind as well. Mom says they tell stories like that to scare you, but I don't know what to believe. Everything could've happened, right?... That's almost the only thing Johnny and I agree on. We're sure there's something up with the house- maybe even the whole neighbourhood. I mean, it isn't normal it gives you the shivers, right? Or is that just what happens when you move away instantaneously? When Lulu saw pictures of the house and heard where we were moving to, she was pretty excited and she isn't even going there. She said is was going to be so much fun, but she said it with a weird voice. I guess she was just sad I was leaving. I know I was. It's the first time in years I'm not with her every day. I know we're going to call, but it isn't the same.

After hours of driving- in which my brother and I got into a fight- my father finally says: 'Look outside the window honeys! We're in the neighbourhood!' Both Johnny and I look out the window of the car. The streets are deserted, and the houses look gloomy and fearful. Then we arrive at our enormous house. It's the largest house in the village and it looks more like some kind of haunted house from a horror movie. I don't feel comfortable with it. An ominous sphere around the house gives me the cribs. I look at Johnny, who doesn't seem to like the house either. 'This doesn't look like the pictures...' I say. 'Like- at all,' Johnny adds. When our father has parked the car in the garage that we turn out to have, we loosen our seat belts. 'Well- it can use a make-over, but then it can be really nice!' my mother says. Johnny rolls his eyes. He doesn't believe it. Honestly I don't believe it either. I mean- this house is really creepy. I swallow while I open the car door and go outside. The rain and storm stopped. 'This is pethatic,' I hear Johnny saying. I turn to my father, who looks at the house with a big smile on his face. 'I see this as an adventure!' he says. He opens the trunk and takes out the suitcases. 'Let's go inside before it starts raining again,' he says. We walk to the front door. My father takes a large, heavy, slightly rusted key from his pocket and places that in the lock. The lock crunches while my father turns the key. Slowly the doors open, with a load creaking. One by one we go inside. It's even dustier and more broken than on the outside. The many paintings on the walls are yellowed, the wallpaper has fallen off the walls and the lamps are covered with cobwebs. Johnny immediately goes upstairs to find a room and the steps creak loudly and bend under his weight. I follow him and drag my suitcase with all the power I have. It's immediately clear to me which room my brother has claimed and because I don't feel like nagging, I take the room that is furthest away from it, at the stairs to the attic. I look up and see that the long, bumbling staircase ends in darkness. Fast I go to my room. It appears to be the smallest room in the house- and I included the bathroom. I kinda like it. A big room isn't really my thing. The only things in this room are a closet, a bed and a large chair, which is next to the window. The window is so dirty that I can barely see through it. It also has a deep crack in it. I quickly slide the thick, musty curtains in front of it. I take my stuffed animals, pillow and alarm clock from my suitcase, which I install directly. I realize that it's already late in the evening, so I decide to go to sleep. I have to go to school tomorrow.