The full moon beamed pale green in the liquid ink night. The old house loomed in the misty dark of midnight. It was a long walk and the group of six was intent on their journey.
"You hold the fence up while we crawl under," said the one that had been there before.
"Are you sure it's safe here?" the male fence-holder remarked.
"Yes, there's no one here. The roadway used to go past here, but it was closed down many years ago."
"This is really a strange place," one of the female companions crawled under the rusty chain link fence.
"Look at the house. Is it out of your worst nightmare or what? said another."
The 150-year-old house stared at its visitors, its windows as eyes, seemed to blink.
"So this is the old Hines Mansion. Weren't they crazy?" the first female walked toward the house.
"I heard they locked people in the basement."
Everyone looked at the basement windows. An old curtain blew from a breeze through a cracked glass pane, waving a greeting.
"Wow, okay you were right, this is a very scary place," the second female rested against an old statute. "Lets go back."
"Why, you're not afraid are you?" her boyfriend taunted.
"Don't be ridiculous, I have you."
"Let's rest before we go back," the leader took the group toward the porch of the old mansion. He sat on an old swing and motioned the rest to sit on adjacent chairs, placing a candle on a nearby table. "I brought a book, I'd like to read a story before we leave. It will be a nice way to spend an October Night."
The group watched while he took the old book out of his pocket. "Scary Stories" the title read.
"Who's up for reading about Bigfoot? A huge hairy monster chased me through the forest," the reader continued, " he caught and tore at the cloth of my jacket. The next day, his prints could be seen around my cabin windows."
"Wow, Bigfoot. I believe in that. My uncle said he saw one up in the Louisiana swamps when he was a kid. He told us all kinds of stories."
"What else do you have," asked the first female.
"Okay lets see, The Haunted Mansion," he reads, turning to a page. "Every time I laid on the bed, even though I knew I was alone, I could feel someone else climb on the mattress with me. When I looked no one was there."
"It was a ghost," answered one.
"How do you know?"
"I know about haunted houses."
"I always thought they were demons," said a person that had been quiet, up until now. Almost everyone looked at the quiet person like he had taken leave of his senses. Somewhere in the distance the sound of a howling dog pierced the silence.
"Well, that is kind of commonplace," the reader commented. "Let me see, The Loch Ness Monster."
I've seen pictures of him, he's a sea serpent, a very old one that still lives."
"Wow," said the group.
The candlelight flickered on the face of the reader, "I brought an ancient mummy back to life and learned the secrets of reincarnation..."
"Cool," said the group.
"I really like this one, 'How to be a Vampire,' make new friends."
"Nah, too messy, always needing all that blood."
"Lets try this one, 'The Space Ship, I was abducted by an aliens. The knowledge in my brain was sucked out by an outer space creature.'"
"Hey, you know there has to be something else out there," the first female looked up at the sky just in time to catch sight of a falling star.
"Of course there's something else out there," the second female shook her head.
"All kinds of people have seen UFO's. You know they exist," the leader gave a knowing glance around the group.
"Well, I didn't mean unidentified flying objects. I meant Jesus."
"What are you talking about? Jesus?" the reader seemed irritated. "Are we going to talk about a myth? Count me out."
"A myth?" the fence-holder blew out the candle, leaving the moon glow to light the area. "Did a myth light that?" he pointed to the sky. "Did a myth hang the stars? Make you and I? Form this planet? He's not a myth. Even if He were, we can talk about other myths why would you not want talk about that?"
"Hey," answered the reader. "I thought we were going to have some fun, not talk about anything offensive."
"Offensive? The Mummy is not offensive? Aliens? Vampires drinking blood? You came here to show us the house of a crazy person," the second female stood up. "Wouldn't that be offensive? Who is behind that abnormal feeling of offense? Isn't it suspicious that you're offended by something that's not offensive and not offended by what is? Why wouldn't you be curious about that, if your so curious about these phenomena?"
"Makes no sense that people get so upset over that topic. It's like some inner, unexplained desire wants to strike out in uncharacteristic outrage over something that's not even an insult. Someone is fueling that attitude. Why else would they feel it?" the fence-holder continued. "If someone is fueling that feeling, then why and who would it be?"
"I always thought it was demons," said the one that had been mostly quiet. Almost everyone looked at him as if he had just taken leave of his senses. In the distance, a lone dog howled, piercing the silence
