Happy Halloween!

Who needs candy when you can get a FREE creepy eBook for Halloween!

I hope you enjoy my short story “Oh, Deer”

FREE on Amazon.com

Jacob Ellis and his wife Donna live in the north woods of Wisconsin. Like most young couples, they have hobbies they enjoy. Jacob likes the outdoors, choosing four-wheeling and hunting as his forms of relaxation. Donna loves cooking, but her true passion is working in her flower garden. That is until her labor of love becomes nothing more than a colorful, tasty treat for the white-tailed deer, who share their surroundings.

One night the pair has an eerie experience with the four-legged visitors in their yard that would haunt them in the nights ahead. The evening sets the path for Jacob’s decision to go against nature. After hearing a legend passed down through generations of the Chippewa Indians, Jacob must now decide if it’s just a myth or a lesson in the balance of law and justice—between people and nature.

Teaser…

The guys stood around talking about work, vehicles, and whatever else came up in the conversation. Seeing that the women were paying them no mind, the three male friends decided to shoot some pool.

Jacob was glad for the distraction his friends supplied, instead of being focused on looming thoughts of deer and the afternoon’s illegal activity. After several games of pool, the guys rejoined the women. The group sat around, talking, laughing and drinking; everyone seemed to be having a good time.

“Want a refill?” Mark asked noticing that Jacob’s glass was empty.

“Nope, I was just gonna head over to the bar and ask Red for a soda. I’m driving tonight, so time to quit with the beer,” Jacob said getting up.

“Hey, I’ll go with you,” Bull said as he got up to join Jacob in going up to the bar.

“Aw shit, might as well wait for me, I don’t want to sit here alone with the ladies,” Mark said trying to sound disgruntled, “On second thought, maybe I will stay here.” The women giggled as they protested. Mark tried to feign being hurt by their remarks, “Fine, I know when I’m not wanted.” He exaggerated his exit by sticking his nose up in the air and left in a huff. The women’s laughter followed him as he joined his friends at the bar.

After the fellows had been given their order of two soda’s and another beer for Mark, Red pulled up a bar stool on the opposite side of the bar to sit and talk with the boys for a spell.

“You going hunting this year, Jacob?” Red asked in his deep, gruff sounding voice.

“Planning on it. Even thinking about bow hunting this year too,” Jacob replied.

“You still having problems with them deer?” Mark asked, as he took a drink from his glass.

“Oh yeah,” was all Jacob said. He wished the subject of hunting and deer hadn’t come up.

“What sort of problems you having?” Red inquired.

“Mostly they’re driving Donna nuts eating all her plants and the garden. They’ve eaten everything in sight it seems. The other night, I swear there was a herd of them in the yard, they were outside every window,” Jacob shared with the men. He halted his recollection there, not wanting to say a word about the eyes of the animals. Jacob took a drink of his soda, and as he did so his eyes met those of Red. The large sized man was looking at him quite intensely, as if searching for something more from him.

“A whole herd you say?” Red started, continuing with the inquisitive piercing look. “Anything else seem out of the ordinary, son?”

Jacob was surprised by the question he’d just been asked. He was beginning to think, Red was interested in more than the average white-tailed deer story, swapping. Still, not wanting to confess what he had witnessed for fear of being thought of as crazy, Jacob simply turned the conversation back to Red by stating, “What do you mean?”

“Did I stutter, boy? I asked if anything else seemed odd, or out of the ordinary,” Red repeated in a voice that told Jacob he was quite serious about the subject. Jacob didn’t answer. His self-proclaimed need for looking sane, kept him from saying more. He broke eye contact with Red and took another drink of the cool beverage. There was no way he could explain to these men what he saw when he looked at the deer’s eyes.

“What you getting at Dad?” Bull inquired. “Seems there are a few folks having some problems with deer on that side of town. I was over at Steve’s last week, he was bitching about the deer too,” Bull continued.

“Yep, I’ve heard the same thing,” Mark interjected, “Dave Harper was just complaining earlier tonight about them causing damage to his corn field.”

Jacob remained silent. As he looked up from his glass, he saw Red glance at each one of the younger men. When he finally spoke, it was with a voice of wisdom and authority.

“There is a story my great-grandfather told me long ago, about the white-tailed deer in these parts.” Red’s eyes showed that his mind had now traveled to a time long ago, as he paused briefly before speaking again.

“It is said that many Native American tribes of the Mid-west believe that deer, because of their forked antlers, represented choices. The white-tailed deer were thought of as a helper to our tribes. Our fore-father’s lives were dependent on the white-tailed deer in these parts for everything; clothing, food, tools, even for making our shelters.” Red stopped, taking a drink of his bottled water, noticing he had the young men’s full attention. Jacob especially seemed to hang on every word that Red was now speaking.

 “Go on,” urged Jacob.

 With a satisfied smile on his lips, Red continued. “The deer became symbolic of our life source. They were respected and only hunted out of necessity. The stag was particularly respected. It is believed by many, that their antlers showed solitary, nobility, honor, and a strong commitment to the protection of the herd. They are also considered a symbol of sexuality. The male mates with many females in his herd in order to carry on his pedigree. It is said stags keep the balance of law and justice within their herd. The female deer is associated with gentleness, sensitivity, graceful beauty, innocence, and keen observation.”

“Yeah, nothing gets past the female of any species apparently,” Bull joked. “I’ll tell ya, Cindy never misses a damn thing. The Creator should have given the males ‘keen observation’ instead,” Bull continued with a laugh. He knew he had crossed a line, when he saw the look of disappointment mixed with disapproval on his father’s face.

“Sorry,” Bull apologized to his dad, while looking down at the bar. Red looked from Mark to Jacob, speaking once more, “Because of their well-developed senses, it is believed that deer can see through illusions and guide the other forest animals in chaotic situations in nature. The Creator mirrored everything in nature. Good and evil, male and female, it is found in all that exists. For many years things remained in balance between our people and nature.

For more from the story check out the “Oh, Deer” page on this blog!

And if you need to fill your Kindle with more spooktacular reads follow the link below for more FREE reading treats!

http://robinrray.blogspot.com/

Mystic Monday

 

Hi All,

 

 

 

Okay, one date real quick Friday the 18^th is the Full Moon so do your manifesting!

 

 

So this week we are going to continue with ghost stories.

This photo is the one that helped launch Stevens Point Paranormal. Here’s the photo (yep the hair is horrible, I had just taken it out of a ponytail)

And now the story behind the photo:  A friend of mine  (Rob) from Stevens Point, WI wanted to go out and see if I could pick up on any local Stevens Point urban legends. We had two cameras and his research on local haunts. This photo was taken at the Bloody Bride Bridge on Hwy 66 outside of Steven Point going toward Rosholt, WI. The Bloody Bride appears to cars at night (of course, midnight). Sometimes she stands on the bridge, and sometimes she is in the backseat of the car. It is said she was on her way to her wedding when her car went over the bridge and she met an untimely death.

So Rob and I went down to the park where there is a trail that leads to the river and the bridge just upstream. We discovered this bench so I sat on it and started to channel and this is the lovely picture Rob took of me looking like I’m going to explode. But really I was pushing energy because my hands were all pins and needles, a feeling I get when I’m energy working. Now as I began to open up so I could communicate with any ghosts look what appears on my left. You can see a lighter color outline of a woman sitting next to me. At this time my hands were on fire and Rob was busy snapping pictures. This photo once posted was seen by Freddie, the founder of Stevens Point Paranormal Club. He saw the photo and wanted to know about the trip and then invited me to work with the club.

Ruins of Summerwind Mansion in Vilas County, WI

I was invited to Summerwind for a day and couldn’t say no. Who could, I mean it's the most haunted place in Wisconsin come on…  I’m so there!

Well, we arrived and I didn’t shield quick enough and ended up almost sick. I jumped out of the car real quick for air and as I walked behind the car I heard a man say the Deed is not on the property. Well okay, I yelled to Devon, a friend I was with, “Hey, what does the deed is not on the property mean to you?” 

She yelled back, “Who told you that?” 

I yelled, “Some dude, Why? What’s he talking about?” 

She said the story was that the deed to the house was somewhere on the property. Now, I’m not a big Summerwind buff; Devon however is. Check out The Haunting Experience.

While we were there we had a few experiences of communicating with ghosts. A few weird smells going on and a few strange sounds were heard. One person who joined us was there to return a part of the foundation rock that was taken and bad luck followed the person throughout the time they had it. He threw the rock back to the foundation in hopes the bad luck would stop.

There is an entire story attached to this about a haunting in the house and a murder. And a body that was found in the house, but disappeared when the police came out to investigate it.

Now a friend of mine was at a party there when the house was standing in the late 80’s. She said they felt someone push when they were on the staircase. She said there was a set of headlights following them out the driveway when they were the last car in the party to leave. When they got to the end of the driveway the lights were gone.

 

According to Freddy a good paranormal investigator will take a few shots close together in order to prove things are there or not. So this was the parking lot of a local pub between Plover, WI and Wisconsin Rapids on Hwy 54. The first shot was taken just before the second. Mist was in the second. We tried to recreate the mist by blowing in the cold and taking a photo of our breath but it didn’t work to debunk this photo. Now the employees at this establishment  have several stories about a mist out in the parking lot by the garbage cans. The funny thing is, when we were out there you couldn’t see anything with the naked eye. It all showed up on the photos we took.

This is a photo of the same place; now there is a mist at the top of the photo and there is what appears to be the torso of a ghost. Now to me he looks like he has a white shirt, black or dark coat and a red tie, smaller head with a hat. He kinda reminds me of Jake Blues from the Blues Brothers. Again, it is a mist and not a fireplace or our breath. The night was subzero when we were there. We were outside for only 5 minutes at a time.

This place also has a history of having mobsters stay there. There were cottages where they kept “women” on the property. The club now is a very cozy eatery. The local ghost “Melvin” likes to play pranks and bug the ladies on staff and in the bar. www.stevenspointparanormal.com has EVP’s (Disembody voices on voice recorders) and photos of our investigation from the night and updates. While communicating with Melvin here a member on the team had a camera that showed heat in different colors. When I was channeling and asked Melvin to hold my hand to use some Reiki I was channeling to help him communicate, my hands went from red to blue at the same time I told the other person with me my hands were getting cold. Two people witnessed the color change on the camera. It was very exciting.
October 26^th I will be with Stevens Point Paranormal Club at Kristin’s Riverwalk as we host the Second Annual Ghost Tours around Stevens Point. Come out and learn some local history and see some local haunted places.

Go to www.stevenspointparanormal.com to get tickets and information. I will be doing Angel card readings from 6pm to lam.

More next Monday!
 

Blessings All,
Wendy
http://www.intuitivewendy.net/

 

When It Leaves...did you know?

When It Leaves is very special to me. The twins in the story—Steven and KC—are named after my son, Steven and his best friend since grade school, KC. KC is just like a son to me, and spent a great deal of time at my home. While growing up the boys were typical in getting into trouble, being mischievous, and making me laugh. Great memories I can assure you! LOL

In the story the street that Steven lives on “Trellis Lane” is the real name of the road we lived on, and where Steven lives, yet today.

I did write the story just as Steven was approaching his 25^th birthday…just like the character in the story. And his birthday is this month, October 26th.

The rest comes from my imagination! Many readers have commented that the story seems short on some details. That’s intentional on my part. There is a prequel titled Whispering Breezes, that gives an in depth look at Angie Leiberman’s life and the secret it holds. I’m hoping to release it soon.

Then there is also a sequel, Howling Winds of Autumn, that will tie up all those loose ends and readers who have been wondering about who is standing on the porch at the end of When It Leaves, will finally have their answer! I’m planning on releasing Howling Winds of Autumn in 2014 : )

So if you’re looking for a creepy Autumn story, I would suggest When It Leaves… but be warned, you may never look at playing in the leaves the same way ever again.

 

Playing in the leaves is something all children do; twins Steven and K.C are no different. One autumn evening the five year olds ask to go out and play until dinner is ready. What happens that night will haunt Steven for the next twenty years. Nightmares return every autumn to remind him of what happened, and what he saw. Now, on the night of Steven’s twenty-fifth birthday, his thoughts are on the brother he lost so long ago. While crossing the yard, the nightmare becomes a reality…with his young daughter caught in a frightening struggle. Can he stop history from repeating itself?

Excerpt:

“Come on baby, get up,” K.C. laughed, as he reached the slide of the swing set. He climbed the seven, green metal steps of the ladder, stopping when he reached the top of the slide. He stood on the small platform, with his arms straight out like airplane wings. “Look at me Steve—watch this!” Without hesitation, K.C. went under the safety rails, leaning forward on the opposite side before jumping and landing in the leaf pile down below.

“I’ll show you who’s a baby,” Steven yelled as he got up, the crunchy, autumn debris clinging to his rust-colored wool jacket. He ran towards K.C. and once he reached him, dive-bombed on top of him. The two young boys wrestled, rolling around amongst the leaves, laughing. K.C. pulled out of Steven’s grasp and tried to get up to run away, but was stopped when Steven reached out and grabbed his right foot, sending him sprawling to the ground once more.

“Who’s a baby?” Steven laughed, teasing his sibling.

“Not me,” K.C. said as he scooped up an arm full of leaves, then threw them at his brother. The leaves swirled around Steven as they caught the breeze, before they slowly floated back to the ground. The boys continued their horse-play, taking turns tackling each other and throwing leaves.

“You look like a leaf monster,” K.C. chuckled, when he saw that the leaves were now sticking in Steven’s hair, in addition to his wool jacket.

“I’m a monster,” Steven said in a low pitched voice, trying to sound scary. He stretched his arms out in front of him, walking stiff-legged attempting to imitate a Frankenstein type walk.

“Oh no…help me, help me,” K.C. squealed in a high pitch tone, feigning sounds of a girl. “The baby is after me.” He couldn’t hold back his boisterous laughter as Steven kept coming at him, walking all stiff like. He walked backwards so he could enjoy his brother’s leafy rendition of Frankenstein, calling out the occasional taunt. Without notice Steven broke into a run and in a few short steps, caught up to K.C. then jumped at him and tackled him to the ground once more. They took turns throwing more leaves at each other, along with a push here and a shove there. Their laughter echoed in the silence of the rapidly approaching darkness of the night.

“I know,” K.C. stated as he got up, “let’s go around to the side of the house where it’s darker. We can hide from mom and then when she comes looking for us we can scare her.”

“I don’t like that idea, mom will be mad.”

“You’re such a baby. Baby, baby, baby,” K.C. taunted his brother yet again.

“I am not!” Steven yelled. “I just…”

“You’re a big fat wa-wa baby,” K.C. said as he started running to the side of the house. He was hoping he could get to the darkened side of their home and hide, then jump out and scare his brother. Looking back, he was glad when he didn’t see Steven following him yet. Acting quickly, K.C. ran to the medium sized pine tree and stood at an angle where he wouldn’t be seen. He figured its fullness would help camouflage him completely even though it was getting darker and harder to see. He wondered if Steven had decided to follow him and would show up soon, he was sure their mom would be calling them in for supper any minute. Now he merely had to wait.

Just as he was about to give up his hiding place, K.C. saw Steven come around the corner of the house. A devilish grin broke across his rosy, cheeks. Like a predator waits silently for its prey, K.C. stood poised, ready to pounce on Steven as he came closer to the pine tree. Barely able to contain his snickering, he watched anxiously as his victim took just three more steps in his direction and….

“Rarrrr,” K.C. yelled as he jumped out from his hiding place. Steven let out a scream and fell backwards. Exactly the reaction K.C. was hoping for.

“I’m telling mom!”

“No you’re not, baby. Come on let’s play some more before we have to go in and eat.”

“I don’t wanna—I hate you,” Steven replied, his eyes damp with un-shed tears.

“Baby, baby, run to momma then,” K.C. teased. “Hey wanna bury me in the leaves? It’ll be fun, like we did to dad with the sand at the beach.” K.C. hoped if he changed the subject, Steven wouldn’t go in and tell on him. He flashed his biggest grin, hoping it would help persuade his brother.

“I don’t think so.”

“You can bury me first. Look…” He laid down on the ground and started pulling leaves onto himself. “Come on ba—I mean Steve. I need your help.” 

Steven hesitated, not fully trusting his brother. He was getting cold and really wanted to go inside the house and warm up. But as he watched his twin scooping the leaves and covering himself, he thought it would be fun to bury his brother and get back at him. Mom would surely be mad, but it was K.C.’s idea after all.

He crawled over to where K.C. was and started to help him. The leaves were thick on the side of the house because of the mature Oaks and Maples that had been there for at least a hundred years.

“I’m gonna lay back, you can do the rest of me okay?” K.C. instructed.

“Then what?” asked Steven.

“Then go get mom and tell her you can’t find me.”

“That’s mean and mom won’t like it.”

“I will jump out and scare her when she comes closer…she’ll think it’s funny.”

“I don’t know…”

“Look baby, just do it or I’ll tell mom you’re the one who ran over her flowers with your bike,” K.C. threatened. “Now hurry up and make me disappear before mom calls us in.”

“I wish you really would disappear,” Steven mumbled, as he reluctantly started to finish covering his brother with the autumn foliage. He scouted around the ground scooping up whatever leaves he could find. He looked down inspecting his work and saw that he could still see K.C.’s gold jacket. As if reading his mind K.C. said, “And make sure I’m all covered up. I don’t want nothing showing.”

“K.C. I’m cold. I wanna go in.”

“You’re almost done…just get some more to cover up my chest and face and then you can go get mom. Make sure you don’t see me, cover me up good, so I disappear.”

Steven did as he was instructed, gathering up several more large armfuls of leaves, throwing them on top of the still form of his sibling. All he wanted was to make K.C. vanish underneath them so he could go inside and warm up. It was really dark now and he didn’t like being out at night. The eerie sounds and blackness had always spooked him. Looking around he spied quite a few leaves about ten steps away. As he started towards them, he hoped there would be enough to finish the job of concealing K.C.’s entire body.

Halfway to his destination, the wind began to increase. The gust created a strange buzzing sound. Leaves began to swirl about the ground, adding to the vibrant noise.

“K.C., I wanna go,” Steven turned towards K.C. to try to convince his brother to stop with the idea of being buried, when he saw something that made him stop talking mid-sentence and halt his footsteps. Where K.C. was lying on the ground, the leaves began to swirl in a large spiral. They lifted into the air, picking up in speed and quantity. The buzzing noise became louder; the high pitch was starting to hurt Steven’s ears. He watched spellbound as the vegetation lifted higher and higher, forming what looked like a tornado made of leaves to the five year old. The dead, autumn foliage that was covering K.C. seemed to come to life at the base of the leafy twister. The swirling mass was spinning so fast, just watching it was making him dizzy. Steven wanted to run but was frozen with fear, unable to move or scream for help.

Then he saw something that would give him nightmares for years to come. The leaves that had been covering K.C. were sucked up into the rapidly spinning leafy tornado, until the ground below was bare. Steven’s eyes were wide with terror. He opened his mouth and screamed but the buzzing was so loud, his voice seemed silent in the night. He stood there releasing scream after scream, watching the tornadic leaves spin faster and faster. His heart was racing, his head was spinning, and he was starting to feel sick to his stomach. Yet, Steven was oblivious to what his body was trying to tell him—to warn him. His focus was on one thing and one thing only, the ground below the twister was empty. K.C. was gone…vanished…disappeared.

~*~

The honking of the horn coming from Mrs. Leiberman’s vehicle, snapped Steven back to the present. He smiled and waved as he walked behind the blue Ford Focus and crossed the black-topped driveway. He continued the short distance to his home, then crossed the front yard and walked up the steps of the large white porch. He took a few steps to his right and stood there staring at the large pine tree, lost in thought. He liked Angie Leiberman; she had been a good friend to his mom for many years. He remembered all too well the events that brought the women closer together…

The night K.C. disappeared Angie Leiberman’s home was one of the first places his father had checked. The Leiberman’s had three children, and his dad had hoped K.C. had snuck over there to play with them as he’d done in the past. When a search of the neighborhood didn’t produce K.C., his mom had called the police. He recalled Mrs. Leiberman being at their home, trying to calm his hysterical mother, while the police questioned him about what had happened. He remembered how his father had been angry at him, yelling at him to stop lying, every time Steven told the middle-aged officer that K.C. had disappeared in the leaves. For two hours they questioned him and his answer was always the same. None of the adults seemed to believe him or the details of the events that had happened right before his mother came outside looking for them.

Funny, he couldn’t remember what he’d eaten for dinner two nights ago, but Steven could recall each intricate detail of that night twenty years ago, as if it had just happened yesterday. For weeks officers had combed the area and questioned neighbors. Posters had been hung, and he remembered seeing the front page of the local paper lying on the pine coffee table in the living room. The headline read, ‘FIVE YEAR OLD BOY ABDUCTED’, and just below it was a 5x7 color photo of K.C. smiling. An article, which lacked details, was printed next to the picture.

As weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, K.C.’s file eventually joined the unsolved others and became a ‘cold’ case. No clues or evidence of foul play were ever found. It seemed as though K.C. had simply disappeared. But there was nothing ordinary about what had happened.

 

©Copyright Savannah Rayne

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Coffee Time Romance

 

You are never too old to

play in the Leaves

 

Beware the Dybbuk ~ Part One

Beware the Dybbuk

By Robin Renee Ray

Part One

         

          The mansion stood alone at the back of a long, dark driveway that passed through a maze of Willow trees that were so thick it was hard to decipher one from the other. Lady Bernstein had lived in the mansion from the time her family had migrated to the United States, escaping the holocaust that took all that they had left behind. It was her death that brought her brother’s children to her home, to begin the daunting task of packing. A task that would take the four, much longer than they ever had expected.

          “You mean to tell me that someone lived out here?” Sam, the youngest asked.

          “Dad said she was one of those people that was very reclusive, that’s why we never met her. I think she had like a butler or something,” Cindy, the second to the oldest replied.

          “She was like that because her husband and kid got killed in a car accident back in the fifties. You guys really need to pay more attention when the folks are telling old stories.”

          “Sure Mike, like you actually believe half of the stuff they say,” Gabby the oldest girl, laughed. “They’ve been telling us stories about their history since we were old enough to understand words.”

          “I believe the stories,” Sam added, leaning up on the back seat. “I’ve read about it in school.”

          “No silly, I believe those stories…it’s the ones they would tell us when we would do something wrong.”

          “I’m not silly, you are.” Sam sit back then rolled down his window. “These trees are a trip, they’re hanging so low they’re touching the car.”

          Mike drove the car through the open gate that allowed them to get their first view of the three story mansion. “We have to pack all the stuff in that?” Gabby spoke as she leaned forward. No one could stop looking out at the big home as Mike came to a stop in front of the columns that held up the large front porch. Seven steps led up to an arched shaped, immaculately carved, wooden door that had a single diamond shaped window in the top center. Faded brown shutters decorated every window that could be seen on the stone home and vines were working their way up to the second floor balcony.  

          “Dad sure didn’t say anything about this,” Cindy said as she rolled her window down. “I bet it’s haunted.”

          “Shut up, Cindy. There isn’t no such thing.” Sam slapped her in the arm.

          “Hey! Hit me again and I’ll start talking about the one thing you really hate little boy.”

          “I’ll be eighteen in one month and I’m only a year younger than you. And if you say one word about…you know what, I’ll do more than hit you.”

          “Oh sure, you’re so grown that you’ll run and tell daddy.” Cindy burst out laughing.

          “You both need to grow up.” Mike killed the motor and got out.

          “And don’t pick on him, Cindy. It wasn’t too long ago that you would freak out when you heard anyone talk about the…”

          “Don’t say it, Gabby,” Sam interrupted. “Remember what dad said. Just even mentioning its name can bring it up from, you know where.”

          “It’s called, hell, stupid. Seventeen, really Sam.” Cindy opened her door as she spoke and got out.

          “Just ignore her, Sam. Will make her pack the basement and then make fun of her when she starts crying about it being too scary down there.” Gabby looked back and smiled.

          She and Sam got out and walked up to their other siblings who were already standing at the foot of the steps. It was Mike who walked up and rang the doorbell then quickly walked back down the steps to join the others. They waited a few minutes, then Mike and Gabby started back up the steps, no sooner did they reach the door and the door swung open. Gabby screamed and would have bolted had Mike not grabbed her arm.

          “You must be Lady Bernstein’s kin,” a man said with a gruff voice and with skin so wrinkled it looked like old leather.

          “We are. I’m David Bernstein’s oldest son, Mike and these are my sisters and brother. We’re here to…”

          “I know why you are here,” the old man interrupted.

          “May I ask who you are?”

          The old man nodded, “I am known as Mr. Gray. If you will get your things, I will show you to your rooms. Then after, I will be on my way.”

          “You mean you won’t be staying?” Gabby asked, shock filling her voice.

          “I am no longer needed,” Mr. Gray said then turned around and walked back into the dark foyer.

          “Come on, let’s get our bags. The sooner he’s gone the better,” Mike whispered as he walked back down the steps with Gabby at his side.

          “Who was that?” Sam asked.

          “The boogie man,” Cindy laughed.

          “I don’t think that was funny,” Gabby glared at her little sister. “And you won’t either when you get as close to him as we were.”

          The four siblings got their bags out of the trunk of the car and with more doubt than they’d had since they drove out from their home in the city, they made their way up the steps and into the dark foyer.

To be continued…..