Silver Pumpkins

[Likesn]

A Halloween story at the beginning of October? I don't see a reason why not 😉

Part 1:

Fitting in can be tricky when moving to a new place. For Gina, it was particularly difficult. She was a small-town girl who recently moved far away from home to a big city university. Gina was a very friendly girl, but she felt out of place. Everyone around her seemed so urban and sophisticated, immune to Gina's natural charm. Trying to figure out the best way to make new friends, Gina finally decided she would try joining a sorority. Her best bet was Zeta Omicron Omega, or "ZOO". It was rumored that getting in wasn't too hard. After all, how hard could it be if the sorority was called "ZOO"? Pledges were required to go through a "test" of some sort, which would change every year. The test was decided during the first sorority meeting, after all the pledges were introduced. Once the test was decided, one of the sorority members was chosen to serve as a "guide" for the pledges, overseeing their test and reporting the results to the other members. The first "ZOO" meeting of the year took place at the end of September. Gina was sitting in a small room, surrounded by the sorority members as well as the two other pledges, Alex and Emily. The sorority members debated possible tests passionately while the pledges awaited nervously.

"I just hope they don't choose anything animal related" said Alex. "Animal hair makes me sneeze like crazy".

"Why would they choose something animal related?" Emily asked.

"The sorority is called 'Zoo' after all" Alex replied.

"Don't worry. I don't think they take that name so seriously when it comes to choosing a test" Gina said, trying to sound confident. She didn't actually know anything about how the sorority chooses tests, but she tried to be friendly and help her fellow pledge feel comfortable.

"Make them do the Silver pumpkins challenge on Halloween" one girl suddenly called. Gina couldn't tell who it was, but she felt like the girl who spoke was sitting very close to her. She turned around, trying to find that girl, but the commotion was so great that she couldn't do so. Whoever that girl was, eventually she got her wish. It was decided that the pledges' test would be the Silver pumpkins challenge and that it would take place on Halloween. A girl named Lori was chosen to be their guide.

"So, what can you tell us about our test?" Gina asked Lori a few days later. The pledges had a meeting with Lori in order to prepare them for the test.

"It's something that hasn't been done for ages" said Alex. Gina was surprised that it was Alex who spoke.

"That's right" said Lori. "I'm honestly surprised that they chose this challenge. It's kinda childish if you ask me, but whatever".

"What do we have to do?" Emily asked.

"I've never heard of silver pumpkins before" said Gina. "Is that big city slang for something"?

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of Silver pumpkins" said Alex. "This story's been going around for ages".

"Around here, sure, but I'm sure it hasn't made it to where Gina is from" said Lori. Gina knew that Lori wasn't making fun of her, but she still felt a little embarrassed. It isn't easy being the only one who doesn't know what everyone is talking about.

"I should explain" Lori continued. "This is an old story, from about 30 years ago. An urban myth, you might call it. There's a house not far from campus, where a woman named Miranda Silver used to live. She was this really weird woman who mostly kept to herself. No one knows exactly how long she's been living there, because people hardly ever saw her get out of the house and practically no one ever talked to her. One thing that is known is that every year, around Halloween, there would be massive pumpkins in her front yard. They would just appear out of nowhere every late October and disappear shortly after Halloween. It would happen every year, like clockwork. She even won first prize when the city had a contest for the best pumpkin patch, but she never came to collect the prize. As weird as the whole pumpkins thing was, her neighbors never complained because they never had any problems with her. Troubles only started after the Gold family moved next door to her. Yeah, I know, Silver and Gold, very funny. Anyway, George Gold was a widower who moved there with his daughter after his wife passed away. He was quiet and polite, a very religious type from what I heard. The daughter, Dorothy, was also quiet and polite, but didn't seem to be as religious as her father. My aunt actually went to school with her, but the girl didn't really have friends so very little is known about her. She must've been lonely, not having any friends at school, which is probably why she started hanging out with old Miss Silver. They say Dorothy would often go to the Silver house after school and stay there for hours. At first her father didn't notice and when he did it didn't bother him too much, but when Dorothy started skipping church on Sundays he got worried. This went on until she graduated and when she did her father had a plan to send her away, to some very religious university. Dorothy was not happy about it. She said she wanted to stay here. Her father wondered why she would want to stay in a place where she didn't have any friends and she told him she did have a friend. Realizing that she was talking about Miss Silver, George got angry. He said he forbids Dorothy from ever seeing Miss Silver again. Naturally, Dorothy rebelled and went to Miss Silver the very next day, which happened to be Halloween. George followed her, fully ready to confront Miss Silver. The neighbors saw him knock on the door, practically slamming it with his fist. A few moments later, the door opened and he got in. No one knows exactly what happened inside the house. People heard loud voices, like there was an argument. Shortly after that there was a gunshot, followed by a woman screaming and then silence. At that point, the neighbors called the police. When they arrived they found Mister Gold sitting with his face in his hands outside the Silver house. 'My daughter is gone' was what he kept saying over and over. The cops went into the house were they found... nothing. No bodies, no gun, it was as if the house was empty. They searched the whole place but still nothing. Meanwhile, George was taken to custody, but after the cops found no evidence that there even was a crime they had to release him since they couldn't charge him with anything. He moved away shortly after that and no one around here has ever seen him or heard from him again. No one ever saw Miss Silver or Dorothy either. The house was up for sale, but no one would even go near it, let alone offer to buy it. Finally, some couple from out of town wanted to buy the house. They came to see the property and guess what? It was Halloween again. When the couple came to the neighborhood they were very surprised to find a patch of pumpkins there. They thought that it was a gesture from their would be neighbors, but none of them had any idea how those pumpkins got there. Needless to say they ended up changing their mind and not buying the house. Ever since then, the house has been standing empty for years. At least, we assume it's empty. No one ever had the courage to come close enough to check. The weird thing is, it feels like someone is living there. We never see any lights in the windows or hear sounds coming from inside, but the house still looks exactly as it did all those years ago. I mean it - even the paint on the walls looks like no time has passed. And of course we have the pumpkins, which keep showing up every year around Halloween, just like before. It still happens every year, like clockwork. Occasionally some kids would dare each other to go near the house, but they often chicken out. Your test would be going to the house on Halloween, getting close to the pumpkins and trying to get inside the house".

"That's it?" Gina was puzzled.

"What do mean 'that's it'? Did you not hear all the stuff Lori just told us?" Emily's face looked pale.

"Oh come on, Lori herself said that it's and urban myth" Gina waved her hand dismissively.

"I also told you that my Aunt went to school with Dorothy" said Lori. "The golds were real and so was everything I told you about the police investigation".

"Not to mention the pumpkins" Alex added.

"You mean to tell me you believe this, Alex? I might not know you very well, but you don't strike me a someone who believes in ghost stories" said Gina.

"I never said I believe in ghost stories, but the high-school I went to isn't far from the Silver house and I used to walk by it all the time. The pumpkins were really there every year around Halloween".

"That's the same high-school Dorothy went to, isn't it?" Emily asked.

"And my aunt. Yup, it's the same one" Lori replied.

"Well, I'm not about to let some pumpkins scare me out of trying to get into 'ZOO'. I'm doing this challenge" said Gina.

"That's the spirit. What about you two?' Lori asked Emily and Alex.

Emily still looked a little scared but finally gave a weak nod. Alex just shrugged.

"Great" Gina said, putting on her most confident smile. "We're gonna nail this".

TBC 

[Lilyama]

Wow you're an amazing writer! This is such an intricate story, I can't wait to see where you go with this!

[jke1995]

Excellent start! Can’t wait to read more

[Likesn]

On 10/7/2024 at 1:57 AM, Lilyama said:

Wow you're an amazing writer! This is such an intricate story, I can't wait to see where you go with this!

Thank you so much! It warms my heart to read that 😃. Also, it looks like you're kind new here, so welcome to the forum. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of this story.

1 hour ago, jke1995 said:

Excellent start! Can’t wait to read more

Thanks! I think you're gonna like what's coming.

[Likesn]

Part 2:

October went by as the three pledges waited for their "test". During that time, Gina got closer to the other two. She and Emily had a couple of classes together and they eventually became friends. Connecting with Alex was harder, but Gina still found her likeable, in her own unique way. Finally, it was Halloween. The evening was very chilly. Even though they were all wearing jackets, the four girls shivered as they approached the Silver house. Sure enough, as the house was in sight they could clearly see a patch of massive pumpkins on the front lawn. It wasn't really a "patch" since there were only six pumpkins, three on each side of the driveway, but each pumpkin was bigger than a truck tire.

"You weren't kidding about the size of the pumpkins" said Emily.

"They're even bigger than I remembered" said Alex.

"No way those are real pumpkins" said Gina. "I used to go to the farmer's market in my hometown every year around Halloween. Naturally grown pumpkins never grow that big. They must be fake, plastic or something". 

"Once we get close enough you could see for yourself if they're real or not" said Alex.

"Hi Tshoo!" Lori suddenly let out a girly sneeze.

"Bless you" Gina told her. "Caught a cold"?

"Do *sniffle* it's just Hu I Tshoo! by allergies" Lori blew her nose.

"What are you allergic to?" Emily asked.

"All sorts of growing things" Lori replied. Her voice was no longer congested after she blew her nose, but she was still sniffly. "I've got ha... Hai Tshoo! hay fever *sniffle* ragweed allergy, basically all types of He Tshoo! polled bake by dose super sedsitive".

"So why didn't you take a pill or something?" Alex asked while Lori blew her nose again.

"Of course I took a pill" she said, somewhat agitated. "There's just Hi Tshoo! sobethig id Hu Tshoo! the air that is He I Tshoo! too buch for by dose to haddle. It's like everythig that bakes be I Tshoo! sdeeze is id the air *sniffle* like it's Haa Haa Tshoo! physically attackig by dose".

"Maybe you should take another pill then?" Emily suggested. "If you have one that is".

"I do I Tshoo!" Lori sneezed. "Good thig I always take sobe Hu Hu Hi Tshooooo! extra pills just id case".

Lori then took another pill. She was sniffling constantly and had to battle the urge to sneeze again, so the pledges helped her. Finally, her nose calmed down. She blew it one more time for good measure and they were ready to continue.

"Alright, let's get to it" Gina said and marched towards the house. The other two pledges followed her, Emily doing so somewhat hesitantly, and Lori was just a little behind. When Gina got closer to the pumpkins, she noticed something strange.

"Is that how you usually carve your pumpkins around here?" she asked the others.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked.

"Can't you see? The pumpkins don't have noses" Gina pointed at the pumpkin near them. Indeed, none of the pumpkins had a whole where a nose should have been, only incision marks, as if someone was making them a nose and didn't finish the job.

"Hey you're right" said Alex. "Funny how I've never noticed it before".

"To answer your question: No, we don't usually carve our pumpkins without noses" Lori told Gina. "Though after the allergy attack I just had, I kinda wish I also had no nose".

"Maybe I should give it a nose then" Gina knelt down next to the pumpkin. "It seems wrong. I bet if I just push this piece"

"No don't!" Emily called, but it was too late.

Gina's finger barely touched the pumpkin when the air was filled with a terrifying sound. It was like a scream or a shriek, but it had an unnatural tone to it and it echoed through the quiet night air.

"Quick, hide!" Lori rushed the pledges and the four of them hid behind the large pumpkin.

"What the hell was that?" Alex asked a few minutes later, still a little out of breath as they all were.

"A car alarm? Maybe some twisted Halloween decoration?" Gina suggested.

"Let's just agree that no one should touch the pumpkins again" Emily said, her face almost as pale as a ghost.

"Right, that's probably a good idea" Gina said, trying to sound confident again.

"Can we go back to campus now?" Emily asked Lori. "I think we got pretty close".

"Sorry Emily, but that's not nearly close enough" said Lori. "Plus, I still have to make a video of you doing the challenge or at the very least take some pictures of it. The sorority girls will need some proof that you've passed the test. My word alone won't do".

Emily sighed.

"We should go on then" said Gina. "Hiding here only makes us look stupid".

"Hold on, we better check and see that the coast is clear first" said Alex.

"Fine" Gina raised her head and looked around. She saw nothing, so she sat back down and turned to the others: "All clear".

"I don't know" said Emily. "For some reason, I just can't shake the feeling that we're being watched".

Gina took Emily's hand in her own, softly but firmly.

"Look at me: No one is watching us. Everything is totally"

"He Eshooooo!" Alex suddenly let out a harsh loud sneeze. Gina let go of Emily's hand and turned to Alex.

"Bless you" she said. "Lori's allergies seemed bad, but I didn't think they were so bad that they're contagious".

"It's dot that" Alex sniffled. "There's only one thing I'm allergic to and that's Ha Esho! adibal hair".

"That's weird, I don't remember seeing any animals around" said Gina.

"Meow" the girls turned around when they heard a soft voice. The origin of that voice turned out to be a large black cat that appeared from around the pumpkin. Gina could've sworn it wasn't anywhere in sigh just a moment ago.

"Ha Eshoooo! Get that thig He Eshooooo! away frob be! He Esho!" Alex called through her sneezes.

"I have a better idea: Why don't we all get away from it? Time to get near the house and get this challenge over with" said Gina.

"He Eshooooo! We bight as well" Alex said and the four of them got up and started walking towards the house.

TBC 

[Likesn]

Part 3:

Gina marched with growing confidence until she reached the front door. The entrance deck was very well lit by the street lamps, yet the light seemed somewhat unnatural. Alex and Emily shortly joined Gina by the door while Lori stood behind them, at the bottom of the three steps leading to the entrance.

"Right, grab your phone and start recording" Gina told Lori. "Let's get this done".

"Hey, was that on the door a moment ago?" Emily asked. Gina turned and looked at the door. There was a symbol on it, one that she did not see there when she looked at the door only a moment earlier:

#

"That's weird" said Alex. "Does the house wants us to tag it in our video or something"?

"Don't joke about that stuff" Emily said in a worried voice.

"Keep going guys. This is some good stuff" Lori said from behind her phone. She was recording the whole thing.

"You want me to knock on the door or whatever? Fine" Gina stepped forward and tried knocking on the door, but her hand froze in mid air.

"What's the matter?" Alex asked.

"Something is holding me back" Gina replied. She was surprised, but still tried to remain calm. "It's like a force field. I can't reach the door".

"Let me try" Alex stepped forward but was repelled backwards almost immediately.

"Holly carp! It's real" she said.

"Maybe it has something to do with the symbol" Emily suggested.

"The hashtag? I don't know... I'm pretty sure this house predates social media" Alex said, returning to her normal snarky tone.

"So does this symbol" said Gina. "Before there was social media, a hashtag used to symbolize a digit".

"You're right" said Alex. "I think it's a riddle and we have to guess the digit in order to move forward".

"I'm so glad I'm getting this all on camera" said Lori. "There's no way the girls would believe me otherwise".

The pledges turned to Lori when she said that.

"But how are we supposed to... whoa!" Gina turned back towards the door and notice that the previous symbol was gone. Instead she saw something else:

 

_____ _____ _____

"This is so creepy" said Emily.

"No, it's easy" said Gina. "We need to guess three digits and the first one is obviously six" she pointed at the pumpkins.

"Seems about right" said Alex. "How can we make sure our answer is known though"?

"Let me try something" Gina moved her finger in the air, as if she was drawing the number 6.

"Cuckoo, Cuckoo, Cuckoo"!!!

The three pledges jumped and turned to their left. A cuckoo clock was hanging on the wall near the door, but they haven't noticed it before.

"Aaaahhhhhhh!!! Oh my god!" Emily shouted when she turned back towards the door. Gina and Alex turned as well and saw something new:

  6   🕰️   

_____ _____ _____

"I guess this means we're on the right track" said Alex.

"What's the time on that clock?" Gina asked Emily, who was standing closest to the cuckoo clock.

"Eleven fifty eight" Emily replied.

"So... just before midnight? How very typical" Gina rolled her eyes.

"Not midnight, midday" said Emily. "The clock shows eleven fifty eight, not twenty three fifty eight".

"Huh, that's actually surprising" said Gina. "Why that time though"?

"The gunshot" Alex said suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Gina sked her.

"You know that story Lori told us? Well, I did some research" said Alex.

"That is so like you" Emily told her. "You're fascinated by all those creepy stuff, aren't you"?

"I just thought it would be a good idea to be prepared for our challenge" Alex shrugged.

"And you were right" said Gina. "So, about the gunshot"?

"Right" Alex continued. "According to what I read, the 991 call was made around midday, just after the neighbors heard the gunshot. This would mean that the clock stopped at the moment the gun was fired".

"Genius" said Gina. "Don't get me wrong, I still don't believe all this supernatural stuff, but I'm proud of you for doing that research and making this conclusion. Your professors have no idea what's coming. Now, we need a single digit".

"I'm way ahead of you, it's six again" said Alex. "One plus one plus five plus eight equals fifteen. Five plus one equals six".

"Wow Alex, I'm impressed" said Gina. "You are crushing this".

"Just doing the basic math" Alex said, shrugging again. "Thanks though".

"Alright then" Gina drew another 6 in the air. "One last digit to go".

"Bam"!

The pledges jumped again.

"Gunfire!!" Emily shouted.

"A car's tailpipe" said Gina. She tried to calm herself and the others, but was still a little shaken by the sudden loud noise.

"Yeah, it was a car, but it still got us real good" said Alex. "The important thing is that we were right. look":

  6   6 

_____ _____ _____

"Oh you have got to be kidding me" said Gina. "Really? The number of the"

"Baaaaaaaa"!

"What is it now?!" Gina called when they heard a noise coming from somewhere near.

"I think it came from the back" said Emily.

"Let's go check" Alex said and before anyone had a chance to stop her she started walking towards the back part of the house. Gina and Emily followed her while Lori, still recording, was close behind.

"He Eshoo!" Alex suddenly stopped in her tracks, bending double with a powerful sneeze.

"Look - goats" Emily pointed towards a small corral where a couple of goats were standing peacefully.

"He Shoooo, Ha Esho, Ho Ashoooooo!" Alex started walking backwards, covering her face.

"Hi Tshoo! Oh do *sniffle* sobethig's gettig idto I Tshooo! by dose as well" Lori said, struggling to keep holding her phone up.

"Must be some hay or straw or something" said Gina.

"Whatever it is Hu I Tshoo! I'b dot stayig here ady lodger" said Lori.

"Deither ab I" said Alex.

"So this means we're going back to campus then?" Emily asked hopefully.

"After we got so close? No. We just need to figure out that final digit" Gina said and Emily's face fell.

The four of them then returned to the entrance deck. Lori and Alex blew their noses and were able to breath and speak normally once more. Gina led her fellow pledges to the door and Lori stood back and kept recording.

"Hey, check it out" Alex said and pointed at the door. She was now standing on the left side, close to the cuckoo clock. Gina was standing in the middle and Emily was standing to her right. The symbol on the door changed:

  6    6    ⬇️

_____ _____ _____

"What do you think it means now?" Gina asked.

"I think we should start by looking down. Aaaahhhhh!" Emily shouted when she did as she suggested. The pledges then notice there were letters on the floor, in front of their shoes. Each of them had a letter right before where she was standing, the first letter of her name. 

"Age" Alex quickly figured it out.

"But who's? Oh wait, it must be Dorothy Gold's age" Gina realized.

"Now you're getting the hang of it" said Alex.

"Her age was eighteen, right? I mean, if the story happened right after she graduated" said Emily.

"It wasn't right after she graduated though" said Alex. "Turns out she stayed here for a few years after graduating from high-school. She tried working in all kinds of jobs, but never stuck too long in one place".

"But didn't Lori say that the story happened right after she graduated?" Emily wondered.

"That's what I know" Lori said while still recording. "My aunt never saw her again after graduating".

"Your aunt only knew her back when they went to school together, but you said yourself that they weren't friends" Alex told Lori. "There's no reason your aunt would know anything about Dorothy after graduating, but from what I read I know that when she disappeared she was twenty four".

"Which, if we add the digits, leads us back to six" Gina sighed.

"Just draw the number like you did before and lets get this over with, please?" Emily practically begged.

Gina drew one final 6 in the air and turned towards the others.

"There. Are you happy"?

"Behind you!" Lori called.

When Gina turned around, she saw that the door was gone. However, she couldn't see an entrance to the house. It was as if she was staring right into a dark cloud and it was impossible to see through.

"Now what?" She asked Lori. "I can't exactly go in there if I can't see where I'm going".

"I don't think you're supposed to see where you're going" said Alex. "Look" she pointed towards the darkness. There were words floating in the air:

"You need not fear the dark"

"Of course" Gina sighed again and closed her eyes. Then, with her eyes still closed, she stepped forward. She took a few more steps and stopped when she heard Emily gasping behind her. When she opened her eyes she found herself standing inside the house. There was no one around, but the lights were on, which was very strange considering that there were no lights in the windows.

"Move over. I have to record this" Lori passed by Alex and Emily and rushed into the house.

"Look - there are even flowers in the vase!" she called. "They look fresh too".

"They're probably fake" said Gina. "Plastic or something".

"Isn't that exactly what you said about the pumpkins?" Alex asked. "Those were real so maybe the flowers are too".

"Yeah... the flowers are probably real" Lori sniffled. "By dose tickles *sniffle* so... so... Hi Tshoooooo"!

The sneeze was girly but strong. So strong in fact that Lori dropped her phone. After picking it up she was about to say something to the pledges, but then she suddenly turned around.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"!!!

Lori let out a high-pitched scream and then... she vanished. The entrance to the house remained empty.

TBC 

[Likesn]

Part 4:

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod" Emily was catatonic. She kept mumbling and just barely managed to stay on her feet.

Alex stared at the empty entrance to the house for a few moments before turning to Gina.

"What should we do now?" she asked.

"Go to the police of course!" Emily finally snapped out of her shock.

"And tell them what? 'Listen, remember the Silver house? You know, the one in which someone reportedly vanished about three decades ago but you couldn't find any evidence of a crime? Well, our friend just went missing there'. Yeah... that's bound to go well" said Alex.

"But now we do have evidence" said Emily. "Lori recorded the whole thing on her phone, didn't she"?

"The same phone she picked up right before she suddenly vanished?" Alex pointed out. "We have no evidence".

"So we need to go inside" Gina said decisively.

"Have you lost your mind?! No way we're going in there!" Emily called.

"Do you have a better idea?" Gina asked. "Our friend just vanished inside that house. Alex is right - we can't go to the police without any evidence. They'll just think it's a Halloween prank or something, which I personally still think it might be. Our only choice is to go inside and find Lori".

"E Sho!" Alex suddenly sneezed.

"Meow" the pledges turned around and saw the black cat standing very close to them.

"When did it get so close? I didn't even hear it approaching" said Emily.

"Probably because you had more important things to worry about, just like the rest of us" said Gina.

"Ho Eshooooo! I cad't stay dear that thig" said Alex. "I'b goig He Eshooooo! idside".

"So am I" Gina said and turned to Emily. "Are you coming or do you want to wait here"?

"By myself?! No way!" Emily rushed to join Gina and Alex inside the house, closing the door behind her.

The pledges were standing in a living room that was well lit and they saw lights coming from other parts of the house as well. Everything was quiet inside, as if someone left the house but didn't turn off the lights before leaving.

"Let's start searching for clues" said Gina.

"We could cover more ground quicker if we split up" Alex suggested.

"Oh no, we're sticking together" Emily said in the most decisive tone Alex and Gina has ever heard from her. "This is classic horror stuff: If we split up we get picked off one by one".

"There's no one here to pick us off" said Gina.

"I have to go with Emily on this one" said Alex. "It's the smart thing to do, considering we don't know what happened to Lori".

"Fine" Gina huffed. "We can start searching for clues here".

"Those pictures on the mantlepiece might be useful" Alex pointed at a large fireplace on the other side of the living room. There were pictures on the mantlepiece and there seemed to be people in those pictures, but it was hard to see who they were from afar.

"Sure, I guess" Gina said and crossed the living room towards the fireplace.

"Huh... that's odd" she said when she got there.

"What?" Emily asked as she and Alex joined Gina.

"Those pictures are empty" Gina said, showing her friends the pictures. "I could've sworn I saw people there only a moment ago".

"So could I" said Alex.

"Hey look - there's something on the floor" Emily pointed at the floor right by the door, where they were standing moments earlier.

"I'll go pick it up" Alex said and started walking back towards the entrance.

"No don't!" Emily called. "I think it's dangerous. It looks like a gun".

"Your mind is just playing tricks on you because of all the spooky stories you've heard" Alex said and kept walking.

"Stop!" Emily ran past Alex and bent down to examine the object more closely. The only problem was

"There's nothing there" Gina said as she stood next to Emily, who was still bent down. "I think Alex was right: Your mind is playing tricks on you".

"But you saw that object on the floor too, didn't you? Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" Emily screamed and jumped up when she noticed that her hands were covered with something red.

"It's blood! It's blood!" she kept wailing.

"Doesn't seem like blood" Alex touched the red substance on Emily's hands and some of it stuck to her finger. She brought her finger to her nose, smelled the substance and then, to Emily's absolute horror, put her finger in her mouth.

"Strawberry jam" she concluded.

"But how did it appear on Emily's hand?" Gina wondered. "There was nothing on the floor, so she didn't touch anything".

"And there's nothing on her hands now" Alex pointed out. Indeed, Emily's hands were once again clean.

"I think I'm losing my mind" Emily said while looking at her hands.

"Look at the bright side - even if you are losing your mind, Gina and I are going through the same thing" said Alex.

"How is that supposed to help me?" Emily asked. "I wish it was just a bad dream I could wake up from".

"Getting back to reality - we still have to find Lori" said Gina. "I think there's a kitchen over there. Maybe we should search it next".

As the pledges were about to go to the kitchen, they suddenly heard a noise coming from a room on the other side of the house.

"That's the bedroom, I think" said Alex. "We better check and see what that noise was".

"Ohhhhh... I really don't want to" said Emily.

"Come on - we're all together like you wanted" Gina told her. "If there really is someone there, they won't stand a chance against the three of us".

"Unless they're armed" Alex muttered, but fortunately Emily didn't hear her.

They entered the bedroom and saw something on the bed.

"Ha Esho! Dot that cat agaid! Hu E Shoooooo!" Alex sneezed as she backed away.

"But how did it even get in here?" Emily asked Alex. "I thought we left it behind the door when I closed it".

"There's a cat door" said Gina. "It's at the bottom of the main door. I saw it earlier when"

She stopped talking when the lights suddenly went out all around the house. Emily screamed again.

"Quiet!" Gina told her. "Alex, did you touch anything"?

There was no reply.

"Alex? Where are you?" Emily asked but got no reply as well.

Gina took out her phone and turned on the flashlight. The room was empty, no cat and no Alex.

"Do you think she" Emily started to say but stopped when they heard a noise, which appeared to be coming from the kitchen.

"What is Alex doing in the kitchen?" she asked Gina.

"I don't think it's Alex" Gina said seriously. They then heard the clear sound of footsteps coming towards them.

"Quick, let's hide in there" Gina grabbed Emily's hand and led her to a large closet in the back of the room.

The girls got into the closet and closed the door behind them as the sound of footsteps grew stronger.

"Be quiet now" Gina ordered.

"This closet is really dusty" Emily whispered. "My nose is tickling".

"Just hold it" Gina told her.

"I.... hhhhhhh..... can't" Emily's breath was hitching. "It tickles....... hhhhhh...... so........ haaaaa..... bad".

Gina did the only thing she could think of and placed her finger under Emily's nose. Surprisingly, it seemed to work. Judging by the sound of footsteps, someone was right at the entrance to the bedroom. Then, the sound started fading, as if someone was walking away. Before too long, all was quiet again.

"That was close" Gina said and moved her finger from under Emily's nose.

"Ha Ashoooooooo!" Emily's sudden sneeze came with such force that Gina was pushed forward and fell out of the closet.

"What the hell wa..." Gina gut up from the floor and noticed two things: The lights were back on, but Emily was gone.

"Good evening" Gina's heart almost stopped when she heard a voice from behind her. She turned around and saw a woman standing at the entrance to the bedroom. The woman seemed to be in her 40's.

"Who are you? What's going on?" Gina asked.

"Your second question will be answered shortly" said the woman. "As for your first question: My name is Miranda Silver".

TBC 

[Mrs.Primrose]

Aaah, exciting!

[anna]

Ooooh