THE MYSTERY
OF THE HAUNTED
HOUSE
by
AUTHOR B
Chapter 2
The Chapters
The window curtain, on the second floor, fluttered lightly. A pair of red-shot eyes stared at the two young teens as they walked away….
Joe had just started to relax with Iola. They shared two classes together and were discussing the upcoming math test. As they reached the corner of Elm and High Street, Frank and Chet were getting off the school bus. When Joe caught the Cheshire-like grin on Chet’s face, he almost let out a groan of despair.
Chet Morton knew that his baby sister had a major crush on the young Hardy. Before he had a chance to tease her, someone else beat him to it.
Several other Bayport High students had gotten off the bus. Two boys started razzing Joe and Iola.
“Look-it the love birds!”
“Hey Hardy, did you get to first base yet?”
Iola did her best to ignore them; she placed her hand behind Joe’s back and tried to push him forward. “Come on Joe, don’t listen to those jerks!”
Joe really didn’t care what they said about him, but he wasn’t about to let the two boys get nasty with Iola! With his hands clenched into fists, Joe started to walk towards the two trouble makers. He never got a chance; Chet stepped between them.
“You got something against my sister dating a Hardy?”
The second boy tugged at his friend’s sleeve; he didn’t want to fight. Although a normally easygoing fellow, Chet could be a formidable opponent. His love of food gave Chet a stout figure, and though his father sold real estate; his family lived out in the country. The Mortons had a small farm, and taking care of the animals they owned had built up Chet’s muscles.
“Frank – Joe! Bring your friends inside; I’ve made some chocolate-chip cookies for you!”
Aunt Gertrude stood on the front porch steps, her hands on her hips as she glared over at the small group. Joe reluctantly allowed Iola to lead him inside the house as Frank and Chet slowly backed away. Gertrude continued to stare at the other two teenage boys who finally left with a fearful glance at the older woman.
*****
The following afternoon found Laura Hardy, Catherine Morton, Cindy Hooper and Victoria Shaw at the Miller house. They were there to decorate the house for the Halloween party. Aunt Gertrude was at home preparing the refreshments. Mr. Morton had inspected the house the day before, wanting to make sure the house was in good condition. He cordoned off the staircase, making sure to let Chet know that the top floor was off limits.
As the ladies swept and dusted, hung paper streamers and placed jack-o-lanterns in the front windows. Laura kept feeling as if they were being watched. There were a few times she thought that someone was standing right beside her, only to find nothing but air.
“It’s just my imagination. I’m letting Halloween get away with me!” Laura chided herself.
But Laura Hardy wasn’t the only one who felt an unknown presence.
Cindy Hooper was in the hallway hanging up a string of lights. Mr. Morton managed to have the electricity turned on. As she stood on her toes to straighten the string she heard a child giggle. She stopped what she was doing and stood still. Not hearing anything, Cindy went back to work…she froze when the giggle was heard again.
“Hello?”
The child giggled again…only this time the laugh sounded almost maniacal.
“Who ever you are, this isn’t very funny!” Trying to sound angry, her voice shook with fear. Cindy suddenly realized that the hallway seemed to have become darker. She could see the sun shining brightly in the other room. Mrs. Hooper decided she was done, and was about to leave. She took a step forward and found that something seemed to be preventing her from moving.
“Cindy – Cathy is going to do a food run – anything in particular that you want?”
Victoria Shaw appeared at the end of the hallway; Cindy Hooper breathed a sigh of relief as the hallway became brighter. Taking advantage of the situation, Cindy hurried over to Mrs. Shaw. She was tempted to ask the other woman if she had heard a child giggling. In the end, Mrs. Hooper didn’t say anything.
Frank was putting the finishing touches on his Dracula costume. His eyes shone with excitement. He hadn’t told Joe, mostly due to the recent teasing he gave his younger brother, but Frank had met someone special at Bayport High. Her name was Callie Shaw; she had light brown hair and brown eyes. Although she came up to his shoulders, Frank thought that she seemed tiny. Tonight’s party was going to be their “first” date.
Frank couldn’t wait to see Callie; she was going to be Glinda, the Good Witch from the Wizard of OZ.
Joe was eager to see Iola again. He wondered what she would look like in her costume. He could hear Frank getting ready, and was curious about his brother’s mood. He could tell something was up; Frank had been acting strange ever since he started high school. His brother had even been talking on the phone, and not just with Chet! A few days ago, Joe had answered the phone and a girl was calling for Frank!
There was a knock on Joe’s door, he looked up and smiled when he saw who was standing in the doorway.
“Dad, you’re back! Did you just get in?”
“Yes, I just got home – nice costume!”
“Aunt Gertrude did a great job! We found the shirt and pants at a thrift store.”
“Should I ask where you found the fur?”
Joe laughed. “Don’t worry; it’s and old coat that belonged to Aunt Gertrude. She said it was too old and ragged to donate to the Red Cross store.”
Hearing his brother talking to someone, Frank went to go see who it was.
“Hi, Dad!”
Fenton let out a whistle. “Your mother told me you were going as Dracula not as a handsome Count.”
Joe was surprised to see his brother blushing.
“I – uh – I haven’t put my teeth in – the fake fangs!”
“Ah – well, your Aunt Gertrude has made an early dinner. I’ve been sent here to get you two. Then afterwards I’ll take you to the Miller place and help you carry in the refreshments.”
After dinner, as Frank and Joe carried the ice cooler to Fenton’s car, Laura told Fenton about her feelings of being watched while at the Miller house.
“That house does have a sad history, maybe you were unconsciously thinking about it….”
“You’re probably right.”
Seeing how concerned his wife was, Fenton pulled her into a hug. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll do a quick check before I leave. I’ll just pretend to be admiring the decorations.”
“Thank you.” She hugged him tighter.
The jack-o-lanterns sitting on the windowsills stared out darkly into the night. The candles inside them waited to be lighted…a gust of wind caused the outside lights to sway…the candles suddenly ignited, giving out an eerie glow.
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.