Bungalow

2

By morning, I was fully energized, and ready to organize the rest of the scattered house. I sorted through Miss Brown's things, such as old makeup and clothing that I'd never use. I kept her books and trinkets. I did the same in the kitchen, throwing out expired food, and other general trash. Then, after a thorough scrub of all surfaces in the house, I was able to unpack.

I took my boxes to my room and hung them in the dresser or folded them into the drawers. I could feel the breeze from the open window, and I smiled. This house was mine. I put my things down, distracted, and wandered to the living room. I'd vacuumed, threw the pillow covers in the wash, and dusted the old TV set and other furniture, so now I could sit down, and relax.

I looked out the bay window to the front yard, watching as the trees swayed in the wind. I could hear the whistling, and it calmed me. It made me happy. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep in this now clean and fresh house of mine.

***

    Of course, my nap didn't last forever, as I was woken by the sound of rustling above my head. I was confused. This wasn't a bungalow, so there isn't a second floor... but there is an attic. All I needed to do was find the hatch.

I wandered through the rooms, keeping an eye on the ceiling for the way into the attic, finding none in the rooms I'd visited most often when I'd arrived. Then, I hesitantly entered Samantha's old room. It wasn't as clean as the others, I wanted to leave some things as they were. Although I wasn't a superstitious person, I still didn't want any ghosts after my ass.

In her room, above the large dresser, was a brown hatch, big enough for a person to fit through. After a bit of sweat, I was able to push the dresser out of the way, and access the small doorway. I pulled it down, and out popped a ladder. Before climbing up, I ran to grab a flashlight from the kitchen, as well as a spray bottle filled with Pest-B-Gone. The ladder creaked as I stepped on, so I continued on cautiously, careful not to break any rungs with my weight. Not that I was worried, I was fairly thin for my height and age. But, nonetheless, I was careful. Upon arriving, I turned on the flashlight and looked around. What I saw surprised me, until I remembered there wasn't a third bedroom downstairs. In the attic, was a low bed, a desk, and several posters of architectural anomalies. Callum's room. I should have known. What surprised me however, was the telescope that sat near the sliding window, and the handful of star maps around the room.

Mrs. Brown had never told me about Callum's hobby of stargazing, although it was pretty easy to assume that is was something he enjoyed. In addition to the star maps, there were also a few hand-draw diagrams, as well as a certificate to the deed of a star named after him. I smiled. It was nice to know he wasn't swamped with design all the time, and even when he was, he had something he could relax to.

After admiring the room, I looked for the source of the tumbling I'd heard downstairs. After locating the area I assumed was above the living room, I noticed a pile of books had been knocked over. I walked over to investigate, but the titles caught my eye. Death and the Afterlife. Life After Life. We Don't Die; Conversations with the Other Side. And these worried me. It almost seemed like he had... an obsession with death, and what would happen after. Then again, who wouldn't, if you know you were going to die within the next couple months. Perhaps this was his way of coping. I wondered if he was in a better place.

But he wasn't.

And he wasn't exactly somewhere worse either.

After giving the room another scan, I decided to head back downstairs, thinking it was nothing. If I heard another noise up here, or if I saw something, I'd call pest control, but for now everything seemed to be fine. It might've just been a breeze that seeped through the cracks of the old house. I climbed down the ladder, and closed the top hatch.  

The rest of the day went on without any more interruptions. No noises in the attic, nothing. I was quite comfortable until I was about to go to bed, when a thought occurred to me.

There was no breeze in the attic.