Amanda's Cry

  A long time ago on a dark, cold, mysterious night, a girl named Karen was walking home from soccer practice and as she walked, she saw the house everyone called the House of Darkness. As she continued to walk by, Karen listened to cries coming from the house. She stopped, listened, and when she looked to see where the sounds were coming from, she saw another little girl watching her through the curtains on the window from the attic in the House of Darkness. Karen stared for a moment, began to walk again, but couldn't help listening to that little girl's cries. Karen didn't stop this time, she walked till she arrived at her own front door. She entered, greeted her mother, and prepared for dinner. Mother served Chinese Rice, and Barbecue Ribs. Karen didn't mention what she saw or heard as she walked home from soccer practice because she wasn't sure that what she saw and heard was real. The House of Darkness was one of the oldest houses in the neighborhood and was also empty for the last sixteen years.
    Rumors about the house went around for years after it was closed down by police. Karen knew that the police were still working on a case pertaining to this house, but had no idea why. All Karen knew was that no one lived in this house for the past sixteen years and couldn't be living in it now because the house was still bordered up around all the doors and windows with the exception of the window in                    the attic. After dinner, Karen asked to be dismissed. She told her mother that she didn't feel well and wanted to go to sleep. While Karen tried to sleep, the thoughts of the House of Darkness, the girl, and the crying kept leaping in and out of her head. She tossed and turned till she finally fell asleep. In the the morning, Karen awoke still thinking about the night before. Her mother called her down for breakfast and asked if she was feeling better. Karen said yes, ate her bacon, eggs, buttered toast, drank her glass of orange juice, and kissed her mother good-bye right before leaving for school. She stopped in front of the old house thinking about the little girl she'd saw, but this time, there was no little girl in the window. Karen took a deep breath, began to walk again, but then stopped at the sound of crying. This time, she could hear the crying and the thump sounds on the window in the attic, but still could not see the girl. Karen wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she was now walking up the stairs to the house instead of following the path to school. Karen reached the front door that had four yellow strip's of tape across it. Although the tape had the words "Danger-Do Not Tresspass" on it, Karen paid them no mind, put her hand on the door, pushed a little, and was surprised to see the door open without hesitation. She squeezed in between the tape, got into the house, and without touching the door behind her, the door slammed shut. Karen screamed, ran to the door, and tried to open it, but it wouldn't open. She took long deep breaths until she calmed herself down, and all seemed quiet while she breathed, but once Karen's breathing drifted off, the girl's crying began coming from upstairs. Karen began walking toward the stairs, putting her hand on the railing, slowly walking up, following the voice, reaching the top of the stairs, listening to the crying get louder and clearer; Karen continued to follow through the hallway on the second floor, and began to search the bedrooms for this crying little girl. Even though Karen searched, she couldn't see the child, but the crying just kept getting louder and louder. Karen began to yell out for the little girl, but there was no response other than crying. Karen let herself into one of the closets in the bedroom where many dolls and clowns hung over the bed and dressers. She pushed the clothes away while walking through them, following the cries of this child she was desperately searching for. Karen pushed over a coat hanger that allowed the wall behind the shoes to open like a door. The girl's voice was now so loud and intense that Karen put her hands over her ears. She followed the path through the door and into a room no larger than the closet she first entered. Once Karen was inside, she could feel the hair on the back ofher neck prickle, she could feel herself begin to freeze, and she realized the crying had stopped completely. Karen called out to the girl asking her to show herself, and within seconds, the child was right in front of her. Karen backed up a little frightened, but the girl reached out for Karen's hand and held it. Karen found herself totally relaxed just moments after the child's touch. Karen asked the girl her name and the child said it was Amanda. Karen asked Amanda why did she cry? Amanda answered, "I cried till you found me." Karen asked Amanda why her? Amanda answered, "you are the only one who can
hear me and if you could hear me, you can help me." Karen said, help you, how?
Amanda said, "I need to be buried along side my parents in Cresent Cemetery."
Karen said, Amanda, are you telling me that you are a ghost? Amanda said, "my
parents were murdered seventeen years ago in this house while I hid up here, I
wasn't killed nor found, but I died oh loneliness and starvation. My parents were
buried by the Sheriff and neighbors. No one ever cared to search for me. This is
where I have remained since. You see Karen, you can set me free. All you have to
do is have me buried with my parents." Karen said, but how? Amanda said, "all you
need to do is hold my hand, walk me to the cemetery, dig a hole for me when I show
you where, and watch me lay myself to sleep. I will thank you, we will say our
good-bye's, you will then cover up the hole and leave the cemetery." Karen asked,
will we see each other again? Amanda said, "I think so, but only in the future."
Karen took Amanda's hand and did all that was spoken about. Before Karen knew it, she was finally home, in the shower, and preparing for supper. Her mother cooked her favorite dish which was White Rice and Beef Stew Casserole. While Karen dressed the table in the kitchen, her mother asked about her day at school and soccer practice.  Karen answered, "my day was awkward, but left me with a wonderful feeling about life." Karen's mother served dinner, and as they sat down to eat, mother said, "Karen, tonight you have this lovely glow, the type of glow one only sees coming from the sun, one that reflects just like an angel in a full circle of light, and one I haven't seen since your father passed away." Karen smiled at her mother, and continued eating.