#our_haunted_house

By Sã My

Episode one

My name is Philip.. Am 18 yrs old. My life for the past two yrs have been filled with horrible and terrible experiences which almost led to the lost of my life, my parents and my younger brother.

It all started on the 24th of april 2016. My dad came home with high spirit, excited that finally, he had bought the best mansion in the estate. The mansion was one of the best and was eyed by the big men around the estate..

"It wasn't easy" my dad told my mom as he slumped wearily on the chair "I had to give up quarter of my investment, but it was worth it.. U need to see the way they all bargained as though their lives depended on it"

As my dad chatted away with excitement, my mom placed her hands on her chest and stared up at the ceiling. "Congrats" she said belatedly

We were happy about our new house, but the thought of moving out from our friendly neighborhood was heartbreaking... On the 5th of may we had arranged for a bus that would carry our belongings to our new house while my dad drove us in his car. On our way, I had a terrible dream. 'I saw my self in a deep pit with lots of insects crawling all over my body. There was a man who looked like someone I've seen before standing at the edge of the pit. He was smiling awkwardly and was giving me a hard stare. "Help me" I said..

"I warned u" said the strange man. "I asked u not to step your feet in my mansion.. U think u all could get away with this" he said and went away.. Not long after, I heard footsteps coming towards the direction of the pit i was in and before I knew what was happening, grains of sand was dropping on me...

"No.. No. Pls pls" i shouted as I jerked up from sleep. I opened my eyes just to see every one looking at me.

"Philip, what's wrong" my dad asked.

"Uhmm.. Just had a terrible dream.."

"Too much of watching those scary movies" my Mom said..

"-and we are here" my dad said in excitement as he stopped the car beside the biggest house I've ever seen

"yeee" screamed my younger brother. He quickly opened the door and disappeared to examine the house.

I came out of the car and joined my brother ... The house was really big and beautiful. I looked around and saw my mom having a conversation with a girl of my age "she could be one of our neighbor" i thought. In snatches of overheard conversation, I heard them saying something about the neighborhood which sent a cold shiver down my spine. My mom eyes quickly caught mine and she beckoned on me to come. I moved to where they was and my Mom introduced me to her. Later on, I learnt her name was Lilly. She had this unusual resemblance of the man i saw in my dream and that made me uncomfortable. I also learned her father was late and that her house was a few block away from ours.

After having dinner, I went into my room, turned on the light and jumped on the bed. I brought out my diary to jot some things when the lights went off. I tried switching the lights but it looks like that bulb was dead. I came out of my room in hurry and met James Heading towards the kitchen, he held something in his hand as he whistled merrily as though he just won a price.. However, that was his business.. I said to myself and walked passed him. I went to my parents room to request for a new bulb.

"U mean the bulb we fixed in your room just now has burnt??“ my dad asked as he followed me to my room with a new bulb

"Yes" I answered

When we came to my room, what i saw baffled me... My door was wide open and my room was shining brightly from the bulb i thought got burnt.

My dad looked at me in askance waiting for an explanation. "Philip, i thought u said was bulb was broken?"

"It was...." I tried to explain but my dad just walks out on me.. "Dad" i called. But he didnt reply me. I walked into my room feeling annoyed with my self. "Am I alright....???“ I asked my self looking up at the ceiling....

The next morning, during breakfast, my parents announced to my brother and I that they will be traveling the following day.

"Seriously dad??" James said. "Who is going to stay with us till both of you come back?"

"Don't worry, your aunt Kate will be coming to stay with u boys." My mom replied

"Is it really necessary for both of u to go?" I asked.

"Yes" my dad answered

"Your father and I have talked about this and its for the good of the family." My mom chipped in

"We will be back as soon as possible" my dad said while drinking from a glass of water. "Besides, I trust aunty Kate will take good care of both of u"

My brother James and I weren't comfortable with the idea of staying in the house without our parents. But the thought of aunty Kate coming to stay with us was good news.. Aunty Kate was cheerful, patient and loves playing with us, but she could mean a times. The best part of it was the goodies she brought while coming... Goodies our parents forbade us from having.

After breakfast, my parents went for work. It was James and I Aline in the house.. James felt dizzy and went to have his nap. Me, I had nothing doing so i decided to watch movies. I entered the sitting room, picked up the remote control and switched on the TV... As the TV powered on, few English words appeared on the screen with bold letters. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE" I thought it was a normal screen display so I wasn't bothered at all. I tuned to my favorite TV show and after some few mins, i felt pressed. I paused the TV and head to the bathroom. While in the bathroom, I heard !noises coming from the sitting room "James" i thought.

When I was done urinating, I went to the sitting room expecting to see James there but he wasn't. The TV I paused before going out was playing out loud. "James" i called but there was no response. "I thought I paused this TV" I asked myself. I paused the tv again, and went to James room only to find him sound asleep. "Hmmm" i murmured. I quickly went back to the sitting room and this time the TV wasn't playing by itself. " maybe i left it playing the other time" i thought.

The night before my parents were going to travel, i heard my no telling my dad how she heard a voice singing in the kitchen but then, when she went to check who it was, she found no one there. She also complained of having nightmares since we came to live in the mansion. She also said "I am having a bad feeling about this house. It could be haunted"

The word 'haunted' made me shiver in fear but my dad's words made me relaxed a bit. "You are being superstitious sea" he said. "There is nothing like haunted house and ghost. Come on darling, I dont expect u to believe such things. We are in the 21st century for crying out loud."

These words from my dad were really comforting, but what if there is a truth in what my mom was saying. I mean, from what i have experienced in the last few days, the strange noise and events, this house could really be HAUNTED....