The House at the End of the Block

The House at the End of the Block (1)

 This is the worst day of my life! Oh, you might ask why? Well my mom wants to move all the way from sunny California to gloomy Massachusetts for her job! It's always about her! Every since my parents divorced, she just couldn't stay still. She keeps saying it's "her job" that's making us move everywhere, but I beg to differ! I was born in North Dakota, then my parents got divorced, when I was 9 years old, and we moved to Alabama. We stayed there until I was in the middle of 6th grade. Then we moved to California and I lived there for 2 1/2 happy, sunny years. Now I have to go to high school in Massachusetts. Ugh.

   "Aria, can you take that box and bring it out into the car please?" pointed my mom.

   "Ugh. Fine!" I yelled back.

   "Aria," my mom put the box she was holding down and stood outside my bedroom door, "Massachusetts is going to be fun! We're moving to Salem, you know, Salem Witch Trials?"

   "Salem what?" I asked.

   "Uh, I'll tell you about it on the car ride," she said and picked up her box and walked away. 

 I walked outside with the box and saw all my friends standing in my driveway. I dropped the box and ran over to my best friend, Sarah and hugged her tightly.

   "I'm going to miss you so much Aria!" she said into my shoulder.

   "I'm going to miss you too Sarah," I said then we stepped back and did our "top secret friendship handshake". We started this the week after I came to California and do the handshake pretty much all the time. After hugging Sarah for a long time, I hugged the rest of my friends. I'm going to miss California so much! The beaches, the water, the surf, the hot surfer guys, I'm going to miss it all. I picked up the box and put it into the car. I whistled and my Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier named Audrey came out of the house. She didn't even want to leave California! I put her in the back of the car and sat in the passenger seat. I gave one last wave goodbye to my friends and my mom drove away.

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   My mom shook me awake and said, "We're almost there Aria, we're in Ohio now!"

   "Yay?" I said with a sarcastic tone.

   "No, Aria, be excited! We're actually going to live in a house that was built all the way in the 1600s!" my mom said very excitedly. 

   "Mom, I just left my friends, my school, my FAVORITE place in the world! I'm not that excited," I told her.

   "Well, let me tell you about The Salem Witch Trials. Maybe you'll be more interested in our new house," she said, "In February of 1692, is where it all started," my mom said like she was beginning to tell a ghost story, "In Salem, Massachusetts the townspeople there started to ponder on the thought of witch craft. There were people who would make up medicine for other people who were ill, but the rest of the town thought that was witchcraft! Neighbors against neighbors! Friends against friends! Family against family! Everyone was out to get one another, to tell the town council that so and so was a witch! In total, 29 people were convicted of witchcraft, and 19 of them were hung to death! And only some of them were real witches, Salem has killed many innocent townsfolk....now are you excited for our new place to call home?"

   "Wow. You reeeeeally did your research!" I said sarcastically.

   "Come on, Aria! I am so excited to be moving to Salem. You know, ever since I was a little girl, I was so interested in The Salem Witch Trials. I had such a fascination with witches and why only 19 out of 29 convicts were killed, what about the other 10? That is why my career is based on this, on my passion," my mom lectured me. Her career is a College History Professor, and a college in Massachusetts asked my mom to be their History Professor.

   "Mom, we have a long drive still ahead of us, so I'm going to go back to my nap and I'll see you in Salem," I closed my eyes and went to sleep.