The Haunted House

A deserted Victorian house stood off the county road just a little way. To keep apace of living I rushed by it most every day. For years I'd wanted to visit there to see what secrets it held, And perhaps find out about the folks who in it had once dwelled. Massive oaks stood erectly as if to guard the old place; Clinging vines held weathered clapboards in precarious embrace. I mused as I opened the latch on the sagging garden gate, "Why was it forsaken and left in such a forlorn state?" The front door was slightly ajar so I entered with pounding heart. As I sauntered down the dusty hall I was brought up short with a start! The door slowly closed to the sound of screechy hinges and slammed locked! I tried to exit the house but all the doors and windows were tightly blocked! The old house groaned and sepulchral voices were heard from within! I ran from room to room stumbling over moldy furniture to avoid the din! Suddenly, the old pump organ in the parlor began playing a haunting dirge! Macabre figures in funereal dress began to dance and mysteriously emerge! Squeaky floors, spider webs and flying bats furthered the home's decay. There was the stench of death about the place that haunts me to this day! I snatched a poker from the hearth and broke a window to flee the place! My curiosity about the house was more than sated as from there I did race! Entry for Dear Hearts' "The Haunted House" Contest (13 August 2018)