Brother were art thou

Rusted hinged gates that led up to the huge house creaked and moaned with an eerie groan as I pushed them open

A heavy ghostly mist settled before my feet and entangled my ankles,  

Decaying tree branches creaked in the hissing wind and tapped against the flaky rotten window frames,

Charred with a blackened crust these windows were once the eyes to an inviting abode, instead  now blinded with rotting shutters that flapped against the decaying plaster

This house stood alone on the hill, a gaunt and creaky relic of Victoriana, dingy grey, paint-flaked and neglected, its windowpanes smeary with age and dirt, its brickwork crumbling away. Adorned as it was with all manner of gargoyles and carvings, these Gothic touches held a sinister threat of evil doings within.

The path to the door was overgrown with bushes and brambles whose thorns reached out to capture the unwary, I snag my jacket on the thorny fiend as I pushed through the brambles, the unforgiving thorns dug deep into my skin and teared  at my supple flesh causing a small river to seep down my  leg

Lights flickered on then off, which was strange, this house hasn’t had an electricity supply for 20 years  it was as if the house itself was sending out morse code or inviting a weary traveler into his deathly abode, just like a venus fly trap yet on a larger scale  

 Dark shadows lurked in the still air, a faint smell of death  hung in the chilling darkness  as I enter the house

whispers of long-dead children echoed with the sound of footsteps that seemed to come from nowhere, the old spiral stair case creaked underfoot as if children played

The clip clops of hooves could be heard on that cobbled court yard, yet there were no horses when I turned to their direction, "what’s the connection with this place? i've been here before" I think as I stare through the faded glass looking at my reflection

I turn, my reflection remains, I turn to face the statue figure with pale white skin, his eyes bulged and were bloodshot thin red lines ran across his almost cue ball eyes

“GET OUT” he screams causing the window pane to shatter and fall to the floor, startled I rocket backwards to avoid the oncoming glass projectiles and in my angst nearly lose my balance   

The reflection no more I run to the door, BANG! A cold shiver envelopes my whole body as It slams shut cutting of my exit, I grab the handle and frantically pull as if my life depended on it. I hear a rumble, I slowly turn. In the corner an old piano begins to vibrate so much so that I can feel it echo through the old oak floor boards

Suddenly it slides across the floor, if it wasn’t for my quick reflexes I would have been crushed, however I wasn’t and now have a menacing piano blocking my escape

BANG! Something hits the floor in the room above me, it sounded like a cricket ball. I listen as it rolls across the creaky floor boards and comes to rest at the top of the stairs.

I try the door again but it’s no use it doesn’t budge, it’s as if it is locked, though no key is present.

I walk to the foot of the stairs and peer into the dark abyss above me

Bump! I hear the ball drop onto the step below, bump, bump  it rapidly continues its descent  until it reaches the bottom then just stops.  

I recognize the ball from my childhood; suddenly memories flood back of my childhood, I haven’t seen that ball for years, it still had both our names etched into the leather outer casing were my brother and i had carved it in with a piece of glass.

  My brother and I used to play catch out back, well we did until I threw the ball and he slipped and broke his back. A few days later he died, I was there. I saw the life drain from his eyes. I remember the doctor  Para phrasing something that  made no sense, he said, “ my brothers back was severely bruised, it was like he had been punched that hard it had shattered his spinal column. But I was there and I never laid a finger on him, so what did?

BANG! The window shutters start to tap more violently so much so I thought they might shear off and chase me around the house like a bird of prey with flaky painted wooden wings, however they didn’t,

HEY YOU! I heard the whisper, it seemed to emanate from the room  to the left of the top of the stairs. I gulp and slowly begin my climb whilst listening to the eerie whispers that echoed back on snaked tongue.

CREAK! The whispers dissipate as I reach the top step causing the floorboard to creak. It was as if I had disturbed them.

I Enter the room, the cold chill that brushed my face as I pushed the door opened was disconcerting to say the least, I jest you not it felt like a child’s hand caressing my cheek, “he, he, he”  I hear footsteps run in the opposite direction under a midst of giggles. EEEEEEK! The loud scream that followed chilled me to the core causing goose bumps to rise on my skin

I gulp and follow the adolescent giggles down the pitch black corridor  and navigated using my hands as my guide tracing the wall with my hands until I found the door frame to the next room with my fingers.

CREAK, CREAK! I peer into the dimly lit room, a pale moonlight shone into the room and cast eerie shadows on the wall as the wooden rocking horse begins to rock back and forth, more childish giggles follow.

“Jack is that you?” I ask, the rocking stops, the old curtains begin to flap then lift the rocking horse resume but this time it rocks with intensity faster and faster until CRASH! It leaves the floor and flies through the air and smashes to pieces on the adjacent wall.

 I turn to leave now fearing for my life, at first I thought the spirit friendly but now it seems benevolent. Crash!  the door slams shut followed by the shutters, I pry with my finger but they don’t open and for my troubles a large splinter embeds itself deep into my finger causing me to wince through gritted teeth. I place my teeth around the tip and pull amidst the drip drop of crimson as I pull it out. i suck wildly trying to stem the flow, however my warm breath only makes it flow more freely.

Suddenly the temperature in the room drops below freezing, the window pane begins to ice up, the sweat on my brow ices over and now hangs like mini stalagmites and refuse to budge.

SCREECH! I turn to the window and gulp several times as the word brother is scratched into the ice by an invisible finger.

“Jack is that you?” I ask again. Another screech follows as the word NO is etched into the glass.

I gulp wildly as my name is etched underneath brother and brother is crossed out as if it was making a statement that it injured my brother causing his death.

Fear sets in, I can feel my heart beating  ten to the dozen, my chest may as well have been wooden with how my heart echoed back from my ribcage and drowned my ear canals.

“Show yourself” I shout then thought what the hell am I saying and secretly hoped it hadn’t heard me.

THUMP, THUMP! Heavy footsteps move in my direction. The floor let out an eerie moan under each footstep. THUD! The footsteps stop  dead, an icy wind covets my face. WHACK! A piece of the wooden horse lifts from the floor and flies through the air and hits me on the head with great force so much so that I drop to my knees where I see through the corner of my eyes the another piece flying towards me. WHACK! It hits the base of my skull, I feel faint, my head is spinning, my eyes flutter I feel my body descend quickly under its own momentum CRASH! I hit the floor and roll onto my back. My eyes lids flutter rapidly, I’m almost out cold. Hey! My eyes move to the ceiling and their shrouded in a black ghostly vale was my brother, his eyes are blood curdling yet his face sweet and angelic as I remember him.

“Join me” he whispers

I rapidly shake my head and reply “no Jack, no you’re dead”

"Quite, he’s coming" he whispers in reply

I feel the hands of darkness coming to take me.

Suddenly I lift into the air and something carries me to the top of the stairs, the next few minutes passed in a blur.

I remember free falling in a rapid descent looking back on my brother who was no longer alone. He was now accompanied by a tall woman whose hair hung messily over her face obscuring her features The last thing I remember was the excruciating pain as my right shoulder was impaled on an antique Mongolian spearhead that set the centerpiece of the hallway. And there I hung  until the next morning until  the estate agent found me dangling above a puddle of my own  blood. It was her shrill scream that woke me from my deep slumber.

I was taken to the hospital and from this day forth I vowed I would never set foot in that house again so instead of selling I had the house demolished. a few days later the demolition crew came to collect their cheque and told me as they broke first brick the house screamed it was as if it felt pain. He asked if that sounded silly. I just smiled and handed him the cheque. And replied no i actually believe you. With that said I watched the cherry rush from his face leaving a ghostly white and  with a shaking hand he takes the cheque and leaves.