The House

Sue Grimbly lived in the big white house at the end of the street. It was no secret that her house was by far considered the scariest house in town. Of course this was decided by the rash and discerning minds of small children who pedaled their bikes a little quicker when they reached the house at 21 Maple Grove.

The house simply by appearance was enough to make trick-or-treaters want to run the other direction. However, it was not simply the rickety walls and falling down curtains that captured the children’s attention but rather the woman who lived inside.

Mrs. Grimbly was the sort of woman who rarely seemed to need or want for anything outside her home. She was never seen at the grocery store or the local mall, and she never attended neighborhood barbeques or other events. The only sign of life from her home was when the food delivery man came every other Friday to bring her a few small bags of groceries.

The children in the neighborhood greatly looked forward to this event for it was the only time they were able to see her face. Every other Friday at around noon they climbed swiftly into the maple trees across the street and peered down hoping to catch a glimpse of her white cheeks or tattered cardigan. They whispered that perhaps she would pull the delivery man inside and keep him there to eat piece by piece. Of course, much to their disappointment, that never happened.

There was one particularly brave girl that dared to do what no child had done before. She was the first to enter the house at 21 Maple Grove. Now, she cannot be given all the credit for this feat as there were many events in play that led to her ultimately brave decision, but whichever way you look at it, it was her that entered in the end.

Megan was walking home from school hugging herself to fight off the bitter cold autumn chill. She suspected winter was going to be dreadful this year and regretted not taking the time to patch her jeans which now had gaping holes in them. The wind was so distressing that she quickly ducked for cover behind the shade of an old weeping willow. It was not until she stood for the length of a few minutes that she realized she was standing in the front yard of Mrs. Grimbly.

Her natural instinct was to run but before she could find the motivation to propel her feet back into the wind, she noticed the curtains on the front window draw back slowly and she was mesmerized by the opportunity to see the face of the old woman so terrible in her mind.

The woman was white and grim, her mouth drawn into a small thin line, her hair a giant feathery puff upon her head. Megan felt her heart quicken at the thought that Mrs. Grimbly may be upset that she was trespassing and perhaps eat her for dinner that very night. She began to step out from behind the tree but stopped short when she heard a loud whiny creak ring out through the wind. Looking behind her she could see the door of 21 Maple Grove was wide open and a warm light shown inside beckoning her to come in.

Her heart was beating quickly as she battled with herself over what to do. She considered running, and going home and telling everyone about what had happened, but she knew if she ran now she would always wonder what would have happened if she had been inside the house and seen Mrs. Grimbly face to face. So she went.

The house seemed empty when she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She heard the ticking of a grandfather clock and smelled the musty smell that old houses tend to have. She began to think the place was almost peaceful when she turned to find Mrs. Grimbly standing mere feet from her. She was holding a sewing needle and a pincushion in her shaky hands, white hair standing on end and blue eyes wild.

“A stitch in time saves nine, my dear” She said in a rickety voice beckoning to me with her needle and thread.
I stepped back to escape the swinging needle and held up my hands in defense. “Mrs. Grimsby” my voice shook as I spoke “I don’t need that, no thank you”

“Well surely you do my dear your jeans are ripped clean through” She motioned for me to sit on her small floral patterned side chair.

Not wanting to be rude, Megan took a seat and watched nervously as the frail woman’s repaired her ruined jeans. It struck her then just how small and grandmother-like this woman was, and the thought that she could be dangerous seemed silly.

With her jeans fixed, Mrs. Grimbly shuffled over to her closet and removed a long grey cardigan that looked like it might be 100 years old. She placed the cardigan around Megan’s shoulders and muttered something about the cold. Then she went back to her kitchen and sat down to sip her tea.

Megan stopped before leaving to look back once more at Mrs. Grimbley with her tea and she decided then and there she would never again be afraid of 21 Maple Grove.

With the cardigan pulled around her she raced through the windy streets back to her home a few blocks over. Her brother pulled open the front door as she approached and let out a shriek, pointing at her cardigan “What in the world are you wearing?”

“Oh it’s just a sweater you dummy” She snapped, pulling it tighter around herself and running to her room. A sweater that could very well be as old as Mrs. Grimbley was a treasure she wanted to keep safe.