Untitled Haunted House Story

Audrey Kent is lying on her bed, looking out the window. The new house she's just moved into is a large, Victorian-style manor. In the daylight, it seems charming. At night, it creaks and groans like an old ship ready to break under the pressure of the sea. It is almost dusk, and the light casts a faint golden glow on the maple and oak leaves surrounding the yard. Suddenly, she remembers that she has homework to finish. She turns the music up - The Pierces' "Boring", readjusts her headphones, puts her pen to the paper, and stops. She is having trouble thinking of what to write. Frustrated, she tosses the pen out the window and lies face down on the bed, burying her notebook in long, raven-colored hair. The thump outside the window makes her jump.

"Hey, you gotta watch that writer's block, girl. Those fits might be the death of me one day." She looks up to see Danny Moss at her window, holding her pen, smiling slyly. Audrey blushes.

"Sorry. I couldn't think of anything to write for my lit paper and I've been at it all day." She glances at him, then away quickly. his big brown eyes are too beautiful to look at for too long; it makes her nervous. He laughs easily.

"Well, I'm almost done mowing the lawn, so give me a few minutes' head start before you start throwing the contents of an entire Office Max out here, okay?" Audrey blushes again, smiles a little.

"Sure, no problem." The house groans so loudly that Audrey and Danny both glance upward, toward the attic.

"How about a ghost story?" He suggests. "There must be some classic out there that has a good ghost story in it. And you've got the perfect place to set the mood..." he grins wickedly. Audrey ponders this.

"That's a pretty good idea. We did just read Macbeth. I suppose I could work something out with that."

"Glad to help. I gotta go finish the lawn, but I'll see you at dinner, Charlie invited me to stay."

"Oh, okay." Audrey knows she is starting to sound breathless, but she can't help it - her heart has just started doing flip flops.

"See ya." He drops down from the window sill onto the porch.

"See ya," Audrey says softly, to the trees. Danny Moss fast became her brother's Charlie's best friend when they moved to Heron Bay a year ago. So far, he was the only positive thing about the move, in her mind. There wasn't much to do around town and she still hadn't made many friends at school - moving in the middle of junior year wasn't exactly ideal. Everyone had already established their cliques well before she'd arrived. Her brother and Danny were a year older than she and had already graduated, but she had a few more months to go until she'd be free to go to a college somewhere else - anywhere else.

More to follow!!