Original version for Cop Shop mystery contest. I couldn't get it down to 23 lines. |
Barney Investigates The Haunted Mansion 596WC “Barney, Sarah Sponder called complaining that lights were on at the old mansion; she thinks it’s haunted. Take the squad car over there to investigate. It's probably some of those kids from down the street playing pranks again." “Sheriff, that old mansion is haunted; everybody knows that. You know I'm not the superstitious type, but that old mansion has always given me the Evie jeevies. Mr. Cody Casper told me he saw Dorian Graymont lurking around there. That old witch scares me." "Sheriff you know that I don't scare easily. Besides that, Marcy Drew wrote in her book that the house was built on top of a witch’s crypt. “ “Barney, Mr. Casper’s wife, told Aunt Bee that he has been out drinking with Otis lately. There ain't no telling what all he’s been seeing lurking around. Marcy Drew wasn't writing about the Price mansion. " "Barney, just get on over there and check things out for Sarah. If you're scared, take Goober with you.” "Sherriff, I don't need Goober, and that ain't funny. I'm going, but if I don’t make it back, you just remember, sir, Barney Fife told you that place is haunted." Deputy Barney Fife drives the squad car to the old Price mansion. Barney has always considered himself a rational man. He laughs at the tales of ghosts and ghouls that circulate through the town. Barney stands gazing at the old decrepit mansion, his skepticism wavers’. Ivy has claimed the walls, shrouding the structure in an eerie, creeping darkness. With a deep breath, Barney summoned his courage to approach the ominous foyer entrance. The mansion looms in the moonlight, its once-grand architecture now eroded by time and neglect. Nervous energy courses through Barney's veins as he clutches his flashlight tightly. Broken windows gaped like hollow eye sockets, and the creaking of the old wooden porch echoed through the silence of the night. Every step he took was met with an unsettling echo. Barney couldn't shake the feeling that he was not alone. In the dim light, he catches a glimpse of a shadowy figure disappearing into the shadows. Terror clawed at Deputy Barney as he realized he was not alone in the haunted mansion. Someone, or something, was with him, and the mysteries of the dark mansion were about to unravel in ways he could never have imagined. As he ventured deeper into the mansion, the strange sounds grew louder and more unnerving. Whispers seemed to emanate from the walls. Phantom footsteps echoed through the empty halls. A bloodcurdling scream Barney looks for an exit. He hurries to escape the blackness of the mansion. Barney stumbles over an oddity. He clicks on his weak flashlight. His heart nearly stops as he sees Marcia Drew's bloody head. A flickering lantern sheds some light. Barney sees the door. Beside it, the body of Arlo Guthrey, with blood gushing out of his neck onto his old guitar. Suddenly, the lantern extinguished, plunging him into pitch-black darkness. Barney fumbles his way out the door. His heart is about to beat out of his chest. A cackling scream. A flock of birds takes off. A dark figure ahead. Eyes are glowing red. A fiery sickle of death. Barney falls down the old porch steps. He lands on the rotten, bloody body of Beverly Buxem. He rolls to comes up in a sprint. The squad car is within reach. He pulls open the door of the squad car. A fiery sickle slices through the windshield. |