PART 3
The much anticipated evening had arrived. Having made full use of her usual charm, Nan had convinced Jo to let their group spend Hallowe'en night in the abandoned house. Mrs Bhaer had permitted it as long as they did not remain out too late. They were to dress warmly and be extremely careful with the lantern.
Dan, Nat, Emil and Tommy rendezvoused with Nan and Bess on the front porch. From inside the house the joyous sounds of the younger children could be heard. Jo did not wish to subject the little ones to any brand of terrifying entertainment, so had arranged a small party with cookies, popcorn and apple cider for them.
The group began their trek to the old house. Bess walked with them only as far as the barn, then had a sudden change of heart and dashed back home.
The conditions were perfect for Hallowe'en. Moonlight cast ambiguous shadows among the trees, and the air was filled with the hoots of owls and odd unidentifiable noises. The wind occasionally wailed in the distance. This was a night that could send chills down the bravest spine.
The deserted house looked even more ominous at night. The entrance, which long ago had lost its door, was but a void, a portal to some ghastly netherworld. Even the lantern beam could not penetrate its solid blackness.
"Well," said Dan, "should we knock first, or just invite ourselves in?" He was met with wide-eyed stares and nervous coughing.
"I'll go first," Nan volunteered, and stepped right up to the threshold. She turned to the others. "Come on! It's just an old house."
Uneasy laugher followed. "Right," said Emil. "This is gonna be fun."
They cautiously entered, floorboards groaning with every step. The feeble lantern light revealed only glimpses of the interior, but even then the state of disrepair was apparent. Something brushed across Nat's forehead and he jumped, sweeping away the offending cobwebs.
"Let's sit near the front door," Tommy suggested, glancing anxiously about.
"I say we go deep into the middle of the house," Dan said smoothly. "How about goin' upstairs? Then nobody can back out easily."
"The stairs are this way," Nan said, and the others followed her. Dan moved to the forefront, lifting the lantern high, and they took one leery step after another up the staircase.
A hallway opened atop the stairs. "We'll take the far bedroom," Dan directed.
Reaching their destination, the five peered into the doorway. The room was strewn with debris and broken furniture. The only intact piece seemed to be an iron-framed bed, although the mattress had rotted years ago.
"Make yourselves at home," Dan chuckled. He kicked away the shattered remnants of some unknown piece of furniture and set the lantern down. Everyone took their place in a circle around the light, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"It's story time," Nan smiled, and began her tale of the voice from the well. Emil followed with a story of a haunted lighthouse, Tommy related a legend of pirates' gold guarded by the ghosts of buccaneers. Nat had temporarily forgotten his story, so he passed his turn onto Dan.
Dan had just begun his tale of a headless ghost, when a loud thump was heard downstairs.
"What was that?" Nat turned quickly around.
"Someone's in the house," said Emil.
"It's probably just the wind," Tommy suggested nervously.
"No, listen!" Emil instructed. "It's definitely the sound of footsteps."
"Maybe Bess decided to join us after all," said Nan.
"It's the Headless Ghost," Dan snickered.
"That's not funny, Dan!" Nat snapped. "There really is someone down there."
"And whoever it is," said Nan, noting the creak of the steps, "they're coming up here."
PART 4
