Adventures Of Chris Johnson And I

~ one shot ~

We stood there, leaning against the bark of a wide aging tree. A sea of burnt amber surrounded us in the vast forested area just a few kilometers west of Chris's backyard. The cold autumn breeze blew hard. The sound of howling wolves came around, echoing in the mountains. Yet there we stood, staring at the old abandoned house before us.

" People around towns' been telling very different tales about the old house on the hill." said Chris with a crooked smile, his unkempt ginger hair blowing madly in the wind. " The most common story is that it used to be a wealthy retired politician's mansion. Away from big towns and cities to raise his 2 young children when their mother passed away during World War 2."

Chris Johnson is one of my closest friends. He was like a brother to me and I've known him all my life. His quirky and fun loving attitude never fails to cheer me up on a gloomy day. Felix is my cousin. He, like me, has curly blond hair and bright green eyes. Growing up, we were two peas in a pod. I shivered as another cold gust of wind blew. The sun set was coming soon and we were locked out of Chris's house. His parents were out for the night. Growing up we were always told stories about the mysterious abandoned house just out of small town Bar Harbour, Maine. Being the curious trio we were, we decided to camp out there instead.

"We're never allowed up here." Felix had mentioned earlier in the afternoon. "Why not take the chance to explore?"

So there we were. Felix said nothing as he approached the front door slowly with short hesitant steps, his snow boots making a crunching sound in the thick fresh snow. The old ancient door had mould and was slowly falling apart. It smelt like rust. But through the careful eyes of an artist like me, you would notice the small little bronze details on the door. It was a beautiful bronze floral pattern engraved on the old oak door. Felix's hand hovered in front of the door knob. Frozen for a few seconds, before his hands wrapped around its ancient bronze details. As the door was pushed open, I took a cautious step forward.

The house hasn't been lived in for quite a while. It was quite clear from the moment we walked in. Dark and damp was the best description for it. Boards hammered carelessly on the window sills gave us only the slimmest glimmer of light. The foul stench musty smell of mould filled the house. Though it appeared to have not been inhabited for quite some time, it still seemed to be fully furnished. Which made me quite curious. Had someone lived here not so long ago? Perhaps it wasn't abandoned as long as it appeared to be.... I was woken from my thoughts by the sound of soft footsteps from the floor above us. The floor boards on the bare ceiling creaked above our heads.

I froze like a deer in headlights. My heart was pounding and I took a short intake of breath. Beads of sweat travelled slowly down my forehead as anxiety built up inside me.

"Soph!"

I whipped my head to my right where the soft whisper came from. Felix and Chris crouched behind an old armchair, hidden in the shadows. They beckoned me over and I tiptoed my way over, the creaky floorboards not helping me keep my cover. As I reached the armchair, the footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs. The mysterious stranger paused at the bottom of the stairs, his huge figure creating a big shadow in front of us. His large animal skin snowboots turned slowly in our direction. I squeaked softly though not before Felix covered my mouth quickly. His eyes wide with panic. The mysterious stranger walked just in front of the armchair and paused. He gave a loud familiar hearty laugh. We froze in our spot. Out of the corner of my eye, Chris opened his mouth with a confused and surprised face.

"Dad?"

I peeked around the armchair to Mr Johnson's amused face.

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