Nightfall -- A Ghost Story
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"I think this is it," said Gordo as he drove the car up the long, steep, tree lined driveway.
"Yes! 999 Forest Hill Drive, we're here!" exclaimed Lizzie.
The house on Forest Hill Drive was an old, Victorian style house, quietly nestled in the woods with a rolling hill as its backdrop. The house was located in a secluded, isolated area in western Massachusetts . . . the nearest house was at least a mile away.
As the car slowly approached the house, Lizzie intently gazed about the property. She could see a cluster of pine trees surrounding the house as if they were there to carefully keep guard over it. It almost feels like we're entering into an entirely different world, she mused.
"Oh!" gasped Lizzie. As the car drew nearer to the house, she could now clearly make out the immense scale and size of the house. "Wow, Gordo, Jennifer said the house would be big, but migosh, it looks like a mansion."
"Heh, yeah, but, I've seen bigger Victorian houses in England," replied Gordo. He maneuvered the car into a parking spot right next to the house. He gently pressed on the brakes, put the car into park, and turned off the ignition. "Okay, the Gordo Express has now reached its destination. Please make sure to pick up all your belongings and thank you for flying with us, now, buh-bye!"
Lizzie playfully nudged Gordo's shoulders. "You're not going to let me forget this, are you?"
He turned his head and with an exaggerated serious stare, replied, " Nope. I think you, Lizzie McGuire, owe me a huge favor for doing this with you."
She clapped her hands together, batted her eyelashes and bowed her head. "Yes, yes, Master Gordon, I am your servant for all of eternity, and you may ask me to do as you wish!"
"I like that sound of that!" Gordo stroked his chin with his fingers and gave her a knowing, mischievous look.
"Gordo!" She slapped his shoulders then said, "I *don't* like the sound of that!"
"Wha--? You mean you wouldn't want to do my laundry and clean my apartment for the next year?"
"Uh . . . . let me think about this, how about . . . . NO?"
"Okay, okay, I'll think of some other favor you can do for me. But, hey, we're here, let's get out of this car and check out the house!"
"Now you're talking some sense, Mr. Gordon!" She gave him a smile, then opened the passenger car side door and let her self out into the afternoon air. She closed her eyes and let the crisp, cool, autumn breeze gently caress her face. Ohhh, the air feels so refreshing!
As Gordo got of the car, he shivered, reached in the back for his jacket, and muttered to himself, I hate the cold. He put on his jacket, closed the car door, and stood and marveled at his surroundings. The house *is* impressive, and it's so beautiful and cozy out here, it's such a romantic place . . . .
With that thought, he gazed over at Lizzie, who was still standing next to the open car door and taking a deep breath of the autumn air. Her eyes remained closed, as if she were in deep concentration, and she had a small, but joyful smile on her face.
You're so beautiful, Lizzie, he whispered to himself. Her cheeks were starting to turn rosy from the brush of cold air, and he just watched, transfixed, noticing how the ruby color on her cheeks brought out her breathtaking natural beauty. He wanted nothing more than to walk over to her, to gently brush his fingers across her cheeks and to kiss her.
Lizzie took another deep breath, then she slowly opened her eyes. She saw Gordo, on the other side of the car, looking at her with a curious half- smile on his face. He looks like he's daydreaming, she thought. She waved her hands and smiled at him, hoping to wake him up from his waking dream. "Uh, Gordo, you there?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm here, I was just, um, thinking about stuff."
She walked over to him and placed an arm around his shoulders. "Isn't this place just absolutely gorgeous? You're gonna be glad that you decided to come house-sit and baby-sit with me."
He turned to her, and replied, "yeah, it's beautiful, and I'm glad I came, but that still doesn't mean you're gonna get out of returning me a big favor some time really soon!"
She giggled, kissed him on the cheeks, and said, "Okay, come on, enough talking, let's get our bags and get in the house! I'm dying to see what it looks like inside!" She quickly opened the back seat car door, grabbed her duffle bag, then began skipping up the steps to the front door.
Gordo just kept smiling. Lizzie, you don't know just how much I love the fact that I'm here with you. And it really didn't matter to him much that he had to cancel his plans to attend a long awaited concert by his favorite band, because there was nowhere else in the world he'd rather be than with his best friend, with the woman he secretly loved.
Still deep in thought, he walked to the back of the car to open the car trunk.
Meanwhile, while Gordo was just beginning to take out his bags out of the car, Lizzie had already reached the front door. She dropped her bag, fumbled through her pockets, took out her key chain and just as she was about to try one of the keys, she suddenly felt a presence behind her.
"Go-Gordo, is it you?" She asked.
There was no reply.
She then felt something, someone, gently tugging on the back of her coat tail. She turned around.
There was no one there.
"Hey Gordo, where are you?" She shouted. After a second, she heard Gordo yell to her, "I'm still here getting stuff out of the car. I'll be there in a second!"
Hmm, okay, Gordo's still out by the car, so there's no way he could've pulled on my coat. But, I swear, someone was just here, right near me . . . .
She rubbed her eyes, then sighed. I must just be imagining things, it being Halloween weekend and all. I think I just need to eat something really soon.
She grabbed the doorknob, inserted a key, and pushed open the door. Just as she was about to enter the house, she suddenly heard a tiny, soft voice cry, "Let me out, please let me out!" She whirled around again.
"Who's there? Is it you Gordo?"
There was no answer.
No one was there.
Oh-kay, this is getting really freaky. This better not be Gordo playing some trick on me, she thought as she began feeling increasingly apprehensive.
Then, she heard the cry again. "Let me out, please let me out!" But this time, the plaintive voice sounded as if it was coming from the house. She gingerly poked her head in the darkened doorway. As she groped the wall trying to find the light switch, she was suddenly hit with an invisible force. "Ohhh!" It felt as if something had burrowed into her body, and now she could feel something inside of her, she could feel a presence deep inside of her soul.
Oh my god . . .she closed her eyes and with her right hand braced herself against the doorway.
Everything turned pitch dark and she began feeling an incredibly raw, bone shivering cold run up and down her spine. She couldn't breath and it felt like someone was choking her, suffocating her, and her entire being began to succumb to an intense, overwhelming feeling of sadness, despair, and loneliness.
Just as she was about to pass out, suddenly, the presence in her was gone, and she could once breath again. She began coughing and gasping violently, trying to take in as much air as she possibly could. She put her hand to her chest, trying to steady herself as much as she could.
"Oh my god, Lizzie are you okay?" Gordo finally reached the top of the stairs to see Lizzie visibly shaken up, propped up against the doorway, looking as if she was ready to fall to the ground. He dropped his bags, ran to her, grabbed her by her shoulders and carefully led her inside.
Once inside, he quickly turned on the lights, then walked Lizzie over to a couch and gently placed her on it. He sat next to her and asked, "How are you? Do you need some water?"
She turned to him, nodded, then slumped back on the couch and closed her eyes. He ran outside, found his knapsack, took out a bottle of water, raced back inside and gave the bottle to Lizzie. She took a few sips from the bottle, then said, "I'm okay, really. I am. Thanks, Gordo," as she smiled weakly at him.
"You're welcome. You sure you're okay? What happened to you back there?" He continued to give Lizzie a look of deep concern. He didn't really believe her when she said she was okay.
"I don't know, one minute I was opening the door, the next minute I was - I was-"
"What?"
"I don't know, you're going to think I'm crazy, but, I felt like I was --- " She didn't finish her sentence, she couldn't finish her sentence.
She sat on the couch, in a catatonic like daze, thinking to herself, it felt, it felt like I was *possessed*, it felt like there was someone, something, inside of me, with me. . . . and whoever it was, that person, that thing, that spirit, he was scared, terrified, and deeply, deeply, deeply lonely . . . .
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"I think this is it," said Gordo as he drove the car up the long, steep, tree lined driveway.
"Yes! 999 Forest Hill Drive, we're here!" exclaimed Lizzie.
The house on Forest Hill Drive was an old, Victorian style house, quietly nestled in the woods with a rolling hill as its backdrop. The house was located in a secluded, isolated area in western Massachusetts . . . the nearest house was at least a mile away.
As the car slowly approached the house, Lizzie intently gazed about the property. She could see a cluster of pine trees surrounding the house as if they were there to carefully keep guard over it. It almost feels like we're entering into an entirely different world, she mused.
"Oh!" gasped Lizzie. As the car drew nearer to the house, she could now clearly make out the immense scale and size of the house. "Wow, Gordo, Jennifer said the house would be big, but migosh, it looks like a mansion."
"Heh, yeah, but, I've seen bigger Victorian houses in England," replied Gordo. He maneuvered the car into a parking spot right next to the house. He gently pressed on the brakes, put the car into park, and turned off the ignition. "Okay, the Gordo Express has now reached its destination. Please make sure to pick up all your belongings and thank you for flying with us, now, buh-bye!"
Lizzie playfully nudged Gordo's shoulders. "You're not going to let me forget this, are you?"
He turned his head and with an exaggerated serious stare, replied, " Nope. I think you, Lizzie McGuire, owe me a huge favor for doing this with you."
She clapped her hands together, batted her eyelashes and bowed her head. "Yes, yes, Master Gordon, I am your servant for all of eternity, and you may ask me to do as you wish!"
"I like that sound of that!" Gordo stroked his chin with his fingers and gave her a knowing, mischievous look.
"Gordo!" She slapped his shoulders then said, "I *don't* like the sound of that!"
"Wha--? You mean you wouldn't want to do my laundry and clean my apartment for the next year?"
"Uh . . . . let me think about this, how about . . . . NO?"
"Okay, okay, I'll think of some other favor you can do for me. But, hey, we're here, let's get out of this car and check out the house!"
"Now you're talking some sense, Mr. Gordon!" She gave him a smile, then opened the passenger car side door and let her self out into the afternoon air. She closed her eyes and let the crisp, cool, autumn breeze gently caress her face. Ohhh, the air feels so refreshing!
As Gordo got of the car, he shivered, reached in the back for his jacket, and muttered to himself, I hate the cold. He put on his jacket, closed the car door, and stood and marveled at his surroundings. The house *is* impressive, and it's so beautiful and cozy out here, it's such a romantic place . . . .
With that thought, he gazed over at Lizzie, who was still standing next to the open car door and taking a deep breath of the autumn air. Her eyes remained closed, as if she were in deep concentration, and she had a small, but joyful smile on her face.
You're so beautiful, Lizzie, he whispered to himself. Her cheeks were starting to turn rosy from the brush of cold air, and he just watched, transfixed, noticing how the ruby color on her cheeks brought out her breathtaking natural beauty. He wanted nothing more than to walk over to her, to gently brush his fingers across her cheeks and to kiss her.
Lizzie took another deep breath, then she slowly opened her eyes. She saw Gordo, on the other side of the car, looking at her with a curious half- smile on his face. He looks like he's daydreaming, she thought. She waved her hands and smiled at him, hoping to wake him up from his waking dream. "Uh, Gordo, you there?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm here, I was just, um, thinking about stuff."
She walked over to him and placed an arm around his shoulders. "Isn't this place just absolutely gorgeous? You're gonna be glad that you decided to come house-sit and baby-sit with me."
He turned to her, and replied, "yeah, it's beautiful, and I'm glad I came, but that still doesn't mean you're gonna get out of returning me a big favor some time really soon!"
She giggled, kissed him on the cheeks, and said, "Okay, come on, enough talking, let's get our bags and get in the house! I'm dying to see what it looks like inside!" She quickly opened the back seat car door, grabbed her duffle bag, then began skipping up the steps to the front door.
Gordo just kept smiling. Lizzie, you don't know just how much I love the fact that I'm here with you. And it really didn't matter to him much that he had to cancel his plans to attend a long awaited concert by his favorite band, because there was nowhere else in the world he'd rather be than with his best friend, with the woman he secretly loved.
Still deep in thought, he walked to the back of the car to open the car trunk.
Meanwhile, while Gordo was just beginning to take out his bags out of the car, Lizzie had already reached the front door. She dropped her bag, fumbled through her pockets, took out her key chain and just as she was about to try one of the keys, she suddenly felt a presence behind her.
"Go-Gordo, is it you?" She asked.
There was no reply.
She then felt something, someone, gently tugging on the back of her coat tail. She turned around.
There was no one there.
"Hey Gordo, where are you?" She shouted. After a second, she heard Gordo yell to her, "I'm still here getting stuff out of the car. I'll be there in a second!"
Hmm, okay, Gordo's still out by the car, so there's no way he could've pulled on my coat. But, I swear, someone was just here, right near me . . . .
She rubbed her eyes, then sighed. I must just be imagining things, it being Halloween weekend and all. I think I just need to eat something really soon.
She grabbed the doorknob, inserted a key, and pushed open the door. Just as she was about to enter the house, she suddenly heard a tiny, soft voice cry, "Let me out, please let me out!" She whirled around again.
"Who's there? Is it you Gordo?"
There was no answer.
No one was there.
Oh-kay, this is getting really freaky. This better not be Gordo playing some trick on me, she thought as she began feeling increasingly apprehensive.
Then, she heard the cry again. "Let me out, please let me out!" But this time, the plaintive voice sounded as if it was coming from the house. She gingerly poked her head in the darkened doorway. As she groped the wall trying to find the light switch, she was suddenly hit with an invisible force. "Ohhh!" It felt as if something had burrowed into her body, and now she could feel something inside of her, she could feel a presence deep inside of her soul.
Oh my god . . .she closed her eyes and with her right hand braced herself against the doorway.
Everything turned pitch dark and she began feeling an incredibly raw, bone shivering cold run up and down her spine. She couldn't breath and it felt like someone was choking her, suffocating her, and her entire being began to succumb to an intense, overwhelming feeling of sadness, despair, and loneliness.
Just as she was about to pass out, suddenly, the presence in her was gone, and she could once breath again. She began coughing and gasping violently, trying to take in as much air as she possibly could. She put her hand to her chest, trying to steady herself as much as she could.
"Oh my god, Lizzie are you okay?" Gordo finally reached the top of the stairs to see Lizzie visibly shaken up, propped up against the doorway, looking as if she was ready to fall to the ground. He dropped his bags, ran to her, grabbed her by her shoulders and carefully led her inside.
Once inside, he quickly turned on the lights, then walked Lizzie over to a couch and gently placed her on it. He sat next to her and asked, "How are you? Do you need some water?"
She turned to him, nodded, then slumped back on the couch and closed her eyes. He ran outside, found his knapsack, took out a bottle of water, raced back inside and gave the bottle to Lizzie. She took a few sips from the bottle, then said, "I'm okay, really. I am. Thanks, Gordo," as she smiled weakly at him.
"You're welcome. You sure you're okay? What happened to you back there?" He continued to give Lizzie a look of deep concern. He didn't really believe her when she said she was okay.
"I don't know, one minute I was opening the door, the next minute I was - I was-"
"What?"
"I don't know, you're going to think I'm crazy, but, I felt like I was --- " She didn't finish her sentence, she couldn't finish her sentence.
She sat on the couch, in a catatonic like daze, thinking to herself, it felt, it felt like I was *possessed*, it felt like there was someone, something, inside of me, with me. . . . and whoever it was, that person, that thing, that spirit, he was scared, terrified, and deeply, deeply, deeply lonely . . . .