The Mysterious Abandoned House by Sarah J. McNeal #AbandonedHouseMystery

Haunted House

When my family lived in Luthersburg, Pennsylvania before we moved to North Carolina in 1952 when I was 4 or 5 years old and my sister was 5 or 6. Next to our house was an open field and, on the other side of the field was an abandoned house. My sister and I were curious about that house. We knew it was empty.

In those days kids were off the leash and allowed to explore. Everybody knew everybody else and were all up in their business, plus the village was barely larger than a football field before it became fields, forest, and farms. It wasn’t like a crime-ridden city—not even close. So parents allowed kids to have the freedom to roam, explore, and play unattended by adults.

My sister and I decided to go to the empty house and see what was inside. The door was unlocked. I don’t remember if we knocked or just walked right in unannounced. Inside, all the furniture was in place, but the paint was peeling off of most of the pieces as if it had stood like that for years. The dishes were all stacked in the cabinets like they might have been washed, dried, and put away long ago and never touched again. I opened a drawer and found it filled with flatware. The spoons, knives, and forks were sort of untidy in their arrangement, but still, it all seemed present. I do have to admit to a crime here. I stole a butter knife. I don’t know why, I just liked it and nobody lived there anymore, right?

While we were sorting out things in the kitchen, we heard footsteps upstairs. Our eyes met, widened with terror. I couldn’t seem to move. So we stood absolutely still like rabbits. There was a rustling sound and then footsteps again. Fear animated us. We scrambled out the door and ran all the way across the field until we reached the safety of our home and ran up to our room to stare out the window to see if anyone—or any thing might be coming after us. There was nothing except an open field and an empty house. We never went back to the house again and, as far as I know, no one was known to live there again. I will never forget that event for as long as I live.

Have any of you had an experience like mine? Have you ever gone into an abandoned house? Did you see anything interesting there?

Sarah J. McNeal

Diverse stories filled with heart

Facebook

Twitter

Website

My Amazon Author’s Page

Prairie Rose Author Page

The Wildings

Prairie Rose Blog

Fantasy & Dreams Blog

Liberty Has Died

Liberty (October 6, 2018) Her Last Day In My Arms

Liberty has died. 

I found her under the desk in the spare room very sick and weak on Saturday morning (October 6, 2018) . She purred a little when I picked her up. Liberty had managed to escape death recently. With multiple visits to the vet for treatment, she managed to recover, but she was never the same. She had grown weaker in the days that followed and I knew I couldn’t save her this time. I did the only thing I could do; I kept her with me and held her all day even into the night because I didn’t want her to be alone when she crossed over. And because I knew that’s what she needed from me. I slept with her beside me, my hand still holding on to her. In the early hours, somewhere between midnight and 2:00 am she clinched my hand with her paw and pulled it close to her. Her claws dug into my hand, but I didn't care. And then she went still and crossed over into that place where she could be happy until I can join her and my other fur babies where we never have to part again.

Liberty Resting In My Desk Drawer

I’m going to miss the way that little six pound cat stomped into a room and her nightly forays running up and down the hall hollering loudly maybe just to warn any critters that might be about that she was in charge. I’m going to miss that persistent spirit of hers that demanded to be held whenever she felt like it, even when I was trying to work.

Liberty Sleeping While I Work

Right now I would love to hold her like that forever. I wanted her to stay and I did everything in my power to keep her with me, but Liberty had to go. The house is quieter and less lively today. It's just me and Lily now.
My darling Liberty is gone. My grief comes in overwhelming waves of sorrow and memories. I will never forget Liberty and I will love her as long as I draw breath on the Earth.

The Mobile I Made For Liberty

I made this mobile for Liberty to honor her. As soon as Hurricane Michael passes and the winds have gone, I'll hang this mobile from a limb of the Japanese Maple tree above her grave. I'm sadder than I can say, but I must take steps toward "normal" again for the sake of my dog, Lily. She needs me now.