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Creative Writing: Haunted House

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A good old fashioned haunted house, and of course I had to be smack dab in the middle of it. It started with old books. Isn't that always the way? Something old is uncovered and mysterious occurrences begin to take place. This horror catalyst is so common it might even be considered clichè. Though I suppose clichés don't concern the dead. They were old textbooks from Germany, around 18th century I believe. Originally belonging to my ancestor, they were passed down in my family until they reached me. It was actually casual. My mother was cleaning the study and I asked what was in the neon green box. She showed me the books and I was delighted. Mostly because I saw that my ancestor had doodled in his textbook. I guess doodling in class runs …show more content…

I'm stopping the story here to make a note. I have a very bad sense of smell. It occurs to me that my lack of nasal perception began around the time the smells started. Maybe it was for the best I couldn't smell anymore.... It smelled like death. It's unmistakable. The stench of decay and rotting carcasses. I live in the country, so I've seen my fair share of dead animals. I've smelled the unpleasant smells and whipped out the air freshener. So when I smelled it, there was no question that this was the smell of the dead. It would go away and then come back, having no discernible pattern other than location. It would always appear in the same place. A small pocket of air in the hallway would suddenly reek of death and everyone in the house would complain. The smells eventually stopped. Or, at least, I think they did. My sense of smell was never good after that, so perhaps it returned and I just didn't notice. I sure noticed the touch, though. I suppose brushing someone's bangs out of their face while they're trying to sleep is a kind thing, but because no one was in my room to actually do so it quickly became a very bad thing. I moved into my parents room and refused to sleep in my own, fear and anxiety welling up to such a point that I could barely set foot in the …show more content…

It's another clichè. Just bear with me here. Those whispers and voices you hear in the horror movies aren't like the ones in real life. The real ones are different. Filtered, muffled. There's something in the way of making them understandable and clear. A good analogy would be television. If someone is watching the news in another room, you can hear it. However, the voices sound a bit foreign and are difficult to understand. Or, perhaps, you can relate to hearing distant music from a house party. And yes, this happened mostly at night. Not to discount those who had something to say during the day, but I was too preoccupied with getting to school on time to be freaked out by early morning spook sessions. Maybe that's why vision was the next sense to be harassed. As I mentioned before, I was sleeping in my parents' room. There's a little light in the hallway so those going to the restroom at night can see. Imagine my horror when I look up and see a six foot tall shadowy figure in the doorway, outlined by this little light that was supposed to be helpful. Whatever it was, it stayed no matter how much I kept blinking and turning my head. It only dared to leave when I tried to wake my

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