THE HOUSE

Some people swore that the house was haunted. Most people just complained about the neglected crabapple trees attracting far too many birds. But I knew there was more to the house than its strange noises and ugly trees.

Vivi told me during recess how she saw the old lady shuffling through a funny little side door of the house. It must have been a Thursday because I remember thinking there was only one stinky day between Saturday morning cartoons and me.

“I never knew the house had a door in its side!” exploded Vivi as she ran up to me. “Imagine that! It was there all the time and we never saw it once this summer! Like, who has a side door? I’ve heard of a back door and a front door, but a side door? How do you know where to let the cat in?”

“I’ve never seen a cat at that place.” I offered.

“Anyways, a side door?! Gawd it’s like having an extra mouth on your belly! Ugh! What if you could eat with your belly? Would you be able to choke down there too?”

“No, you wouldn’t get anything caught in your throat if you’re eating with your belly.” I said absentmindedly.

I was thinking about what I had heard my mom say to Mrs. Balfanz. “Mary told me her kid has stories about that empty house too! Things flying around, some old lady, new doors every day… I think they’re playing a joke.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” I exhaled. “What about the lady? What did she look like this time?”

“Uh… oh gawd, I think she was wearing church clothes, which is too weird because who wears church clothes during the week?”

“What if she was wearing fancy work clothes?”

“Naw, really old ladies don’t work. Anyhow, she doesn’t have a car. Unless she has a really little car and drives it right into her house.”

“Shush. There’s no car, and other people have side doors. My cousin in Minneapolis has a side door. I think it went to a garage but then they destructed…”

“Destroyed?”

“Tore it down and now there’s just a door.”

“Huh.” Blew Vivi. “Well, anyways, I was going to say that I saw something else inside. I saw the old lady, and I thought she’d look at me and then I’d be dead like she’s Medusa. Then I think I see a big something with wings! I knew the place was haunted. She just has a bunch of ghosts or monsters in there and keeps them all shut up until night when she lets them out to catch kids and eat them up.”

“Who?”

“The whatever inside the house! That’s what I’m saying. I thought it was a bird but it was too big. I want to see it but it would probably bite my head off. We’ve got to see it but we have to do it so we don’t die.”

“Okay.” I agreed.

“Ahh! Cici!” The fourth graders had just been let out onto the playground and Vivi galloped away to tackle her little sister Cici.

I crouched next to the swings to think over the door and the lady and the bird-thing. I had watched the house with Vivi for years, but I’d never seen a side door. I don’t know when Vivi started seeing things about the house I didn’t. That’s when I thought of the last time I saw the old lady. I hadn’t seen her in a long time and suddenly knew I never would again.

Nothing was ever the same again after that.