House at the End of the Street (Short Story)


'I can come alone now mama! I am not a kid anymore!'... He was clearly not happy about having a parent pick him up from the party. Pre-teen hormones were raging and he wouldn't want to be seen being picked up with all his friends present. It was simply not cool enough. And she was gonna be there too... What would she think? Any little chances he had of getting along with her would die with that pickup.

'How can I let you come alone in the dark?', his mom had always been overprotective of him. While he loved all the attention as a toddler, he was now growing up faster than his age.

"I am old enough now... None of my friend's parents are coming in... and its practically a 20 min walk away from here... I can do it!"... he squealed back.

"Are you sure? It's going to be dark when you come back!"... his mom still trying to convince him.

"I'm not scared of the dark anymore... I'm not 5 mom! I can come back on my own... Plus I have my phone, I can always call you if I need you!"... he was fighting back hard.

"I think it's time to let the young man do it on his own....".. his father coming to the rescue.

"Are you sure?", his mom still unsure... the concern clearly showing on her face.

"Yes!" both father and son said together... the father with a smile (thinking how protective his wife was acting) and his son with the look (you gotta start trusting me now).

She let out a breath of air... and with 10 very specific instructions let him leave for the party.

"He will be ok! He has to start someday...", her husband as he wrapped his hands around her while she was busy watching him walk away from the turn with his usual bunch of friends...

9.30 PM: Mom: Hey. Have you left? Are you doing ok?
9.40 PM: Me: M ok mom! eatin up... be home soon :)

"Gotta leave guys! I'm going home alone today!"... he said with pride, with a side-eyed look at her...

She looked impressed as the guys called him out to be cool... walking home alone already... None of their parents had allowed them at this hour and he knew that very well. He had to leave before they started coming in... Wouldn't want to waste the perfect opportunity to impress the girl he had a huge crush on...

As he bid his goodbyes and started walking down the empty dim-lit street, his heart was pounding... Having had his ego massaged and the complete charade, he was now on his own and had never done this before.

The small heart in his chest was pounding heavily, eyes searching for anything that looked like danger and ears open for any kind of sounds... He did not like to say it, but he was scared and was about to have the longest 20-minute walk of his life.

Past the grocery store, along with the small houses and around that empty creepy house at the end of the street... His mind mapping out the route, ensuring he remembered the fastest way home. 

He stopped at the crossroad to catch his breath, get his orientation right... the final patch... he had to go straight and around the creepy house at the end of the street to his left, another 10 minutes to go... "Stupid house", he whispered... If it hadn't been there with its fences, he could have gone straight through and made it home in under 2 minutes. He could even see the lights of his apartment complex behind the backyard wall.

"Well, if I were to climb that wall, I can actually save 5 minutes and the scary walk all around the house... It's empty, I don't think anyone would really mind"... his teenage mind buzzing.

He looked up straight at the empty road, looked left... 2 houses, bright yellow one and the creepy home at the end of that lane... straight... over the wall... straight... over the wall... his mind was buzzing.

"Heck! I don't want to walk for 10 minutes... I'll take the short cut"... turning left he headed straight for that house... "I need to be quiet and quick... like a ninja... hey I can be a ninja... I can tell everyone tomorrow... they are gonna totally freak out!"... almost like sparks flying through his head.

He walked slowly past the yellow house, to not alert anyone, his eyes looking at that empty house... trying to make sense of the house in the dark... he had seen it a hundred times in the daylight, but never really up close in the dark. He started tip-toeing slowly into the dark alley.

"Hey! Who's there? Stop! Stop right now if you do not want to die a horrendous death!"... a voice from behind... screeching to his ears... heart almost popping out... he froze.

"What do you think you are trying to do young man!"... the voice coming closer... he was shaking now... too scared to even turn.

He could hear the footsteps close in now... Next to him... Facing him now... But he was staring at the ground in fear. He was finding it difficult to breathe... His heart pounding so hard... He felt he was going to vomit everything... Eyes tearing up... He could hear his mom "Are you sure?"... He knew he was going to die here today.

"Young man! Do you know where you are going?"... he was an elderly gentleman... short white stubble... receding hair and dressed a uniform of some kind...

Relieved that it was not a monster, he finally started to breathe... Maybe he could live a little bit longer now...

"I was scared to go down that road... so thought I would take a short cut... climb the wall... no one stays there... no one would mind..."... sheepishly trying to explain his actions.

"And who told you no one lives there?", the old man with his eyebrows arched...

"Well it's clearly deserted, isn't it? I can see it from my house and no one ever seems to visit or live there? I can see it broken down and empty during the day"... trying to justify his stupid stupid decision... 

A smile parted on the old man's face... "But what about in the night?"... he clearly knew something the kid had no clue about... something terrible... something sinister.

"Come... let me tell you a story...",  he held the boy's hand and walked him towards the empty deserted house...

"The family that lived here... was the richest family in this block... but no one ever knew how they got so rich. I mean look at this town, it's small... no big businesses, no factories... just a small quaint town... and then this mansion in the middle of it and no one knew what they did"... They stopped at the gate... 

It was dark there... and eerily silent... the old man's grip on the boy's hand firm... The boy had no clue what he had gotten himself into... He wanted to leave... he wanted his mom and dad, but for some reason, his lips were sealed... his legs frozen, he felt like he was going to pee in his pants any moment now...

"They say... the father on his travels found a relic... a very old powerful relic, which gave him the riches... but then no magic ever comes for free... the relic needed blood... the more magic it churned, the more blood it needed... and the man's greed grew with every sacrifice..."... the boy was trying to get his hand free from the old man's grasp, but the hold was very firm... The old man just stood there staring at the house...

"You know what so much greed and power and killing do? It makes you desperate... the more you get, the more you want... a lot of people... especially young kids started going missing in the town... no clue... no trace... and then one day... the family disappeared too"... he had no intention of letting the boy go... who was now scared beyond his wits, squirming and crying and begging the old man to let him go... 

"No... I don't want to hear the story... let me go, please... I want my mama... please!"... he was tugging hard for the man to let him go... who seemed unnaturally strong...

"They say.. he sacrificed his own wife and kids when the town started suspecting and hiding away from him... the cops trailing him... he went mad with desperation and when he couldn't hold on anymore... he killed his small children... It turned him into a monster... and they say he still hides in there... waiting for the dark... for some young and stupid people to cross into his domain... his greed won't let him die and his hunger to kill grows with each passing day... You want to cross the house now, don't you?"... the man stared at the crying, shivering boy... "Go jump your wall... if you can that is..." and let go of his hand as the boy tumbled backward into the ground...

He got up and ran.... ran back towards the crossroads.... past the yellow house with the only light... back to his turn till he stopped dead in his tracks... the old man was standing right in front of him...

"No... No... no... How did you get here so fast? You're the monster... Don't kill me!!!" ... he screamed and tried to kick the old man and ran again... without looking back... his heart was pounding... he was close, but the old man was not human... He didn't want to die here tonight... He would never disagree with his mom... He was praying... breathless and praying... please god.. please save me god... he just kept running... until he finally saw...

There he was standing at the door of his house... his father... waiting for him... He ran and jumped into his father's arms... crying and gasping... he didn't know how but he had made it home somehow...

His mom finally managed to calm him, his father standing behind her... as he told them what happened. She looked at his father, who was about to say something and she shook her head... clear message, don't say anything now... He's too scared.

"Don't worry sweetie, you are home now! We are here... he won't come here. We will protect you. You are safe now...", she hugged him tight as his father moved into the kitchen shaking his head.

"I'm sorry Mumma... I will always listen to you... I'm sorry"... he was still clearly in shock...

"Shhh... my boy... don't worry... you are home now!"... she hugged him again and took him to bed...

"I thought this had stopped years ago"... he looked at her as she came into the kitchen... "Those evil twins are old now... but they just won't stop scaring the kids! It's what 3 generations of kids now?"

"Aah... Don't care... Your son's gonna listen to everything I say for a few days now... I'd go and thank them for it..."... she smiled... 

"That's cruel... and God damn those guys... That prank really never gets old..."... he finally laughed... as she joined in... They were going to tease their boy for the rest of his painful life...

4 comments:

  1. Brilliant! As usual...kept me hooked up till the end...

    An alternative ending, may be...just a suggestion (Without the script, of course):

    The boy somehow reaches home...he hugs his father...his mother pacifies him...takes him to bed...he goes to sleep...wakes up after a while...walks down to kitchen for a sip of water...he hears a noise...scared, he starts walking towards the noise...reaches the lounge (lights are on somehow)...sees an old man sitting on the couch, facing the opposite side...boy's heart still pounding, he goes near the man and puts his hand on the man's shoulder...the man turns back and smiles...the boy realizes he's the same old man he met...the boy screams and wakes up from the dream/nightmare, sweating and panting...he hears his mom shouting from the kitchen "honey, wake up or you are gonna be late for the party"...the boy sighs, relieved to know it was all a dream...gets out of his bed and dresses up for the party...

    Of course you can do justice to the script better than me, but just a thought :)

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    Replies
    1. This is Saumitra, by the way...not sure why didn't the page take my name in spite of showing me as logged in...

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    2. Need to update your profile... Yeps thought of dreamscape too, though I'd read the same concept in a few places so chose this one instead to keep the dark humour concept (afterall raavan is my nickname 😀)

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    3. hahaha....this one is good too...

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