A Haunted Tail

This story, like many haunted house stories, begins with a dare. A trio of teenage friends, Jeremy, Brandon, and Rachel, had been dared to go into the house-at-the-end-of-the-block at night. As expected, the house was large, old, and creepy to look at even during the day. It seemed to have its own personal bubble of leering, shadowy atmosphere, like a terrifying scene in the world's worst snow globe. Even during a sunny summer day, clouds always seemed to find a way to loom over this house.

"This is stupid." Brandon complained as the three walked together toward the house-at-the-end-of-the-block. "Why did we agree to this?"

"Because if we do this and survive, we will be legends!" Jeremy replied with unmatched enthusiasm.

Brandon rolled his eyes. "Right..." He looked to Rachel. "And why did you insist on joining us?"

"Because I want to see you two wet your pants when we see that ghost." Rachel answered with a confident smirk. "Plus, I want to see the ghost for myself."

"I can't believe you two think this place is actually haunted." Brandon said, clearly lacking any enthusiasm at all for this adventure. "It doesn't even have a history of people dying in it. Just because a house looks creepy doesn't mean it has trapped spirits roaming its halls."

"Wow. I never took you for such a downer, Brandon." Jeremy said, slightly discouraged by his friend's disinterested attitude.

"I just think this is a waste of time. There's no downside to saying no. Lots of people have said no to going here."

"I think he's scared." Rachel cooed with a mocking cheerfulness.

Brandon scoffed. "Please. You two will run out the first time something "moves on its own" and I'll just stay put, laughing at your screams."

"Harsh." Jeremy retorted.

The three reached the house-at-the-end-of-the-block, gazing up at it as it leered at them. They couldn't decide whether it was creepier in the actual darkness of night or in the abnormal darkness during the day. Either way, the building itself was creepy.

"Let's get this over with..." Brandon walked up to the door, trying the handle. He was slightly surprised when it opened almost too willingly, as if the door were about to fall off its hinges entirely. As he pushed the large front door open, it creaked loudly. It almost sounded like a wail of pain, as if the door had not been open in so long that even the thought of doing its job caused it discomfort. He stepped inside, Jeremy eagerly on his heels.

"Whoa, this place is huge..!" Jeremy commented, stating the obvious as if it were an amazing discovery. Despite the room's size, his voice did not echo very much. The three of them turned on their flashlights, the beams dancing around the large room like fireflies.

Rachel gazed around, following her light as it slowly swept across the room. "It's surprisingly preserved, for no one living in it longer than all our parents have been alive..."

"Are we looking for something to serve as proof, Jeremy?" Brandon asked, his tone sounding only slightly less bored and annoyed than before.

"Oh, yeah! Someone said there was like a room with a bunch of expensive antique stuff. If we could get something from there, we could be rich and legendary!"

"Any idea where this room of wealth is?"

"Nope."

Brandon sighed, annoyed tone returning. "Of course..."