"Ok, back in the 1600's, your house used to be owned by a rich family
of 14. Two adults, and 12 children. They were called, the Greenwich family.
Mr. and Mrs. Greenwich had adopted all of their kids but one. The only
blood-related child they had was a 5-year old daughter. They owned a horse
farm right behind your house, and Mr. Greenwich owned a grand brewery in
downtown Wisconsin. Well, there was one of the African American servants
named Millie, who was having an affair with one of the Civil War soldiers
that was staying in the house. When Mr. and Mrs. Greenwich found out, they
cut one of Millie's feet off so she couldn't go running to her soldier in
the past life when she died and they moved the soldier to another home to
stay in. This all happened right in your house, okay. Well, the Greenwich's
didn't know a lot about Millie. They only knew that she loved children.
Millie was very much into voodoo and had a new trick up her sleeve for Mr.
and Mrs. Greenwich. This trick was an evil ritual called The Darkening
which would first kill the victim with it's poison, and then the victim
would be cursed eternally. In the darkness, they would turn into grueling,
flesh eating corpses, but in the daylight, they were merely plain old
manikins, or so the tale goes. Well, she put the poison into Mr. and Mrs.
Greenwich's food that was not meant for the children. Well, her plan
backfired and the children were served the food also. So the whole family
was cursed and Millie was hung the next day. They buried her very remains
in the walls of your house. The villagers looked throughout the house for
the manikins, but they never found them. The only place they hadn't looked
was the attic and a locked room on the second floor." He explained. I was
terrified. Should I tell Jake about what I had seen? Would he believe me?
"Uh.Jake, do you believe all of that?" I asked him shyly.
"Of course I do, I read a book about it. We can go to the library later on and I'll get it for you with my library card." He offered.
"Thanks, that'd be cool." I said. I knew I had to tell him.
"Jake, I need to tell you something really important, but first let's go back to my house and get something to drink." I said.
"Ok." He replied. We got up and walked down the driveway and back to my house. I opened the dark, oak door and called for my mom.
"Hey mom! We're gonna get something to drink, okay?" I called. I listened for a minute and there was no answer.
"Uh.she must be busy." I said. Jake nodded and we headed for the kitchen. I looked in the fridge and we only had cans of pop.
"We got Sprite, Sierra Mist, or Dr. Pepper." I said as my head was buried in the fridge.
"Sprite, it's my favorite." He said. I smiled and shook my head slowly from side to side.
"Why you smiling?" he asked me curiously.
"Because Sprite's my favorite too." I laughed. Jake smiled. I heard the pattering of little feet and I saw Karly and Tommy come scurrying into the kitchen.
"We want drinks too!" Karly shouted happily. I smiled. I got two Dr. Peppers out of the fridge and handed them to Tommy and Karly. Then I grabbed two Sprites and set them on the table. We popped them open and sat down, gulping the refreshing taste of icy, fizzy pop.
"Mmm.nothing like a good, cold Sprite during the end of summer." I said as I sipped my Sprite.
"Yeah.I think today is August 24th. We start school tomorrow." He said.
"I don't want to start school yet." I said.
"Me either," He agreed, "but after it starts you'll start to feel glad that you're back with your friends again." I stopped drinking and I lowered my head.
"I don't have any friends anymore." I muttered.
"You got me," He smiled; I looked up and returned a grin, "I think you'll get along with my boys just fine." I crushed my can with my bare hands and threw it in the recycle bin that my Mom had put in the kitchen. Jake did the same. I pulled open the screen door to the backyard and peeked out to look for Karly and Tommy. Sure enough, there they were, playing by the pond. I shut the door and ran over to the front door and swung it open. Jake followed me as I walked out and sat down on the porch steps. He sat down next to me. We sat there for a moment, staring out on the front lawn, listening to the buzzing of lawn mowers and thinking about whatever came to mind when Jake finally broke the silence.
"So what did you want to tell me?" He asked. A nervous lump formed in the back of my throat.
"Well, if I tell you this, you have to promise to believe me and to not laugh about it, because it scared the music out of me." I said. He laughed. I shot him a glare and his smile faded.
"Sorry, I've never heard that term used before 'scare the music out of u' , it's clever. Anyways, I swear on my Grandma's grave I will believe you." He smiled. I took one last deep breath and decided to spill out.
"Uh.Jake, do you believe all of that?" I asked him shyly.
"Of course I do, I read a book about it. We can go to the library later on and I'll get it for you with my library card." He offered.
"Thanks, that'd be cool." I said. I knew I had to tell him.
"Jake, I need to tell you something really important, but first let's go back to my house and get something to drink." I said.
"Ok." He replied. We got up and walked down the driveway and back to my house. I opened the dark, oak door and called for my mom.
"Hey mom! We're gonna get something to drink, okay?" I called. I listened for a minute and there was no answer.
"Uh.she must be busy." I said. Jake nodded and we headed for the kitchen. I looked in the fridge and we only had cans of pop.
"We got Sprite, Sierra Mist, or Dr. Pepper." I said as my head was buried in the fridge.
"Sprite, it's my favorite." He said. I smiled and shook my head slowly from side to side.
"Why you smiling?" he asked me curiously.
"Because Sprite's my favorite too." I laughed. Jake smiled. I heard the pattering of little feet and I saw Karly and Tommy come scurrying into the kitchen.
"We want drinks too!" Karly shouted happily. I smiled. I got two Dr. Peppers out of the fridge and handed them to Tommy and Karly. Then I grabbed two Sprites and set them on the table. We popped them open and sat down, gulping the refreshing taste of icy, fizzy pop.
"Mmm.nothing like a good, cold Sprite during the end of summer." I said as I sipped my Sprite.
"Yeah.I think today is August 24th. We start school tomorrow." He said.
"I don't want to start school yet." I said.
"Me either," He agreed, "but after it starts you'll start to feel glad that you're back with your friends again." I stopped drinking and I lowered my head.
"I don't have any friends anymore." I muttered.
"You got me," He smiled; I looked up and returned a grin, "I think you'll get along with my boys just fine." I crushed my can with my bare hands and threw it in the recycle bin that my Mom had put in the kitchen. Jake did the same. I pulled open the screen door to the backyard and peeked out to look for Karly and Tommy. Sure enough, there they were, playing by the pond. I shut the door and ran over to the front door and swung it open. Jake followed me as I walked out and sat down on the porch steps. He sat down next to me. We sat there for a moment, staring out on the front lawn, listening to the buzzing of lawn mowers and thinking about whatever came to mind when Jake finally broke the silence.
"So what did you want to tell me?" He asked. A nervous lump formed in the back of my throat.
"Well, if I tell you this, you have to promise to believe me and to not laugh about it, because it scared the music out of me." I said. He laughed. I shot him a glare and his smile faded.
"Sorry, I've never heard that term used before 'scare the music out of u' , it's clever. Anyways, I swear on my Grandma's grave I will believe you." He smiled. I took one last deep breath and decided to spill out.