Dear Derry's Manor

The Origins: 1969

"Of course everyone knows about that creepy manor down the street"

"Yeah, the one in the city, where a bunch of folks went missing years ago"

"Yeah that one, my mama said that it's all just nonsense"

Of course nobody knew what exactly happened at the Dear Derry's Manor many years ago, yet they still talk about it. I thought it ought to be gone for good, just a silly little ghost story, but no. Instead it had to come back as a huge ghost tour thingy, it's like dropping bread at the beach, a bunch of no good, fake news seagulls come and scoff it down. That's exactly what these darn tourist are, no good, fake news idiots. I can't believe they just HAD to come on back here, everyone thought they were gone for good. But no, of course they always come back, always. If I had the guts, I'd march down into that manor and prove there was nothing so scary about it. I think it's all just a bunch of bologna, just a myth. I know darn well that others might not agree with me, but I swear if I had the right equipment I could prove those silly legends wrong. Just give me some cameras, and you'll see that it's just a normal, old hotel! My pa always tells me to stay out of trouble, and it'd be best if I didn't interfere, because he darn well knows that I have a habit of proving people wrong. James, Rodger, Frank, and Mary-Sue always talked about the manor, every day, laughing and hollering about how scary the manor was. If I had a dime for every time they were over exaggerating, and lying, I'd be filthy rich. My folks from where I'm from never let a challenge down, we'd fight until we proved we are right! See here, I grew up in a small town in the outskirts of Auburn, and ever since we moved to the city, it's been busy, smells like oil all the time, and the kids are just brain dead! I never asked to move to Chicago, my father got a new job, so we sold the farm and got a house. I loved the farm, and so did pa, but we weren't making as much cash as we were supposed to. Sure I am upset about the move, but I'm happy my pa is happy. Ever since my ma fell ill last month, pa and I have been working day and night to pay the bills for her treatments. Poor ma, Leukemia hasn't been treating her so well, but she's a fighter I'll tell you that.  Some day, I know darn well that I'll prove all of the legends wrong, and the no good tourist will leave the city of Chicago in peace, I'll basically be a hero. I just need to give it time though, I'm only thirteen and my parents are super overprotective. I can't leave to go to the grocery store by myself, I can't go to the movies by myself, I can't do anything by myself, not even going on a harmless bike ride in the neighborhood. My bet is because of what happened to my auntie Sunshine thirty seven years ago.

My auntie Sunshine and my ma would always go on bike rides when they were younger. My ma rode in front of Sunshine, while she struggled to pedal up winding hills, and control the speed of of her bike when going down steep valleys. My ma on the other hand was a natural, she could do anything on her little tricycle. They were about eight when the incident happened, some stranger came right up to my auntie Sunshine, and snatched from her bike like someone picking off a grape from it's bunch. Nobody saw her again after that, so everyone assumed she was dead, and they were right. They found her mangled body in the local fishing lake, a poor young fisherman had to fish her body out from the water. Ever since that day, my ma's been paranoid the same thing'd happen again. I get where she's coming from, but sometimes she gets a little too worked up. "No going outside the fence Dear!" Ma would shout after me whenever I wanted to play in the backyard. Of course this was when we lived in the farm, here in the city you'll possibly get stricken by a car if you attempted to ride a bike in the street.

But besides all of this, I hope someday I'll get to prove these rumors wrong, and bring justice to the city of Chicago. It'll be be Tourist: 0, Me: 1.