Hidden Treasure
“Mom, we’re going out to meet the guys,” Conrad called
from the door.
“Okay, stay out of that vacant house… You can get hurt,”
she called from the kitchen. Conrad and Piper giggled and pulled the door shut.
The two children hopped on their bicycles and headed out toward the old mansion
on the hill.
“Conrad, mom said we couldn’t go to the house,” Piper
called from behind her brother. She huffed and puffed to keep up.
“Then you can go back home if you’re gonna be a big
baby,” Conrad said and pedaled faster.
“Besides. My posse is meeting me there.
I shouldn’t have my little sister tagging along, anyhow,” he snorted.
“I’m coming,” Piper grunted and caught up with Conrad.
Waiting at the bottom of the last hill to the house
were Conrad’s four friends Davey, Henry, Pete, and
Toby. Davey’s little sister peeked out around him and grinned when she saw
Piper.
“Hey, dude, I see that you had to bring your sister
too…” Davey said, frowning.
“Yeah, no big deal, now Piper will have someone to
wait outside with her!”
“Kim and I aren’t staying outside!” Piper insisted.
“Yeah, what she said,” Kim echoed.
“Whatever!” Conrad shrugged.
The group sped off on their bikes leaving a cloud of
dust in their wake. At the top, they dropped the bikes, ran around the dead
skeletons of bushes and trees, and stood below the enormous house, looking up at the huge
wooden porch with a broken rail. The bare wooden structure appeared old and
weathered. Broken windows allowed the summer breeze to flutter the tattered
drapes in the upstairs bedrooms, adding to the mystery of the mansion.
“Hey, girls, let’s go wake-up the ghosts,” Conrad
teased.
“Connie, that isn’t funny… Do you really think ghosts are living in there?” Piper asked with
wide eyes and a half whisper.
“Sure, don’t you? That’s why no one has found the
treasure in all these years,” Davey laughed and climbed over the broken stair
and onto the porch. “Come on, you big chickens!”
Conrad boosted the girls over the missing steps, and Davey grabbed their hands, helping them
onto the porch. The slats in the floor creaked and bowed under their weight.
“Careful… Walk on the two-by-fours,” Davey instructed.
The other boys climbed onto the porch, and all stood in front of the double doors.
“You first Pete,” Davey said and pushed Pete, the largest in the group, into
the doors. They gave way, squeaking loudly as they swung open. Cobwebs dropped
from above, landing on Pete.
“Not funny man,” Pete said, jumping up and wiping the
sticky, tickling filament from his face with a shiver. The others laughed, but
pushed him aside and stepped into the foyer.
“This place is creepy with the peeling paint and spiders,”
Kim said.
“Why do you think they left the paintings on the walls but took all the furniture?” Toby asked.
“I don’t know. Because the safe is behind one of the pictures?” Conrad said, pushing his way
past the wide-eyed, mouth gaping friends.
“Which one?” Henry asked, looking all around.
“What makes you think someone hasn’t already found the
treasure?” Pete asked.
“Have you heard that someone has found it? No, because
the ghosts won’t let anyone near it,” Conrad said, staring each friend in the
eye.
“And you think, if we divide up, the ghosts won’t get
all of us at the same time,” Toby asked.
“Yes…, are we good?” The friends looked back and forth
at each other. “If not, there’s the door… Leave…” Conrad waited. No one moved a
muscle.
Just then, the house groaned. Piper screeched and
clung to Conrad. The others took steps toward the door. “Come on you guys!”
They stopped and looked back at Conrad. “We can do this… It’s just an old house!”
“Okay, what is the plan?” Davey stuttered, stepping
back into the room.
“You and Kim take the bottom floor. Piper, Pete, and
I’ll take the second floor. Toby and Henry take the top floor. Call if you find
something,” Conrad said.
“How are you going to get the safe open?” Davey asked.
Before Conrad could explain, a woman’s giggle shrieked
above their heads. “What was that?” Piper whispered. The boys shared a look of
surprise.
“Ignore it… Let’s go! And hurry just in case…” Conrad
whispered, but a louder, deeper, haunting
laugh echoed through the house.
All the friends screamed at the top of their lungs and
ran from the house, leaping over the broken porch steps. The children sprinted
to their bicycles, mounted them, and sped down the hill.
Conrad and Piper’s, mom and dad stood in the foyer and
laughed robustly as they watched the seven friend’s race down the hill towards
home. “Hopefully that will keep them out of this deathtrap. Someone needs to
board this place up. Hey, you have a scary laugh,” dad said, taking mom’s hand.
She turned and looked surprised in his direction.
“I thought that was you…,” she said. Just then, continuous laughter echoed throughout the house,
and a strong wind blew. The parents flew
out the front doors and onto the porch, as the doors slammed behind them. In
the foyer stood a tall, muscular man with dark hair, radiant blue eyes, a full
bushy beard, and wearing a tricorn hat. He laughed harder as his footsteps
clicked on every other step, and faded into the walls.
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