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A SEASON OF STORIES

“You don’t think that I’m going in the dark could be murder and maybe the wrong devil was

basement of a haunted house, do you?” pushed down the stairs. Or maybe it was just a bad
“Penny, for goodness sake this house is not accident. There have been lots of rumors over the
haunted.” years, but nothing was ever proven. Every year at
“Don’t you know what happened here?” Halloween it is said that William walks through

“No, I don’t. I haven’t lived here as long as you the house wearing his devil costume.”
have.” “You should tell that story at our Halloween
“Halloween night 1971 the owners, Oliver, and meeting.” She shined the flashlight on her phone
Martha Peabody, had a costume party. There down the hallway. “The basement door should be

were at least 75 people here, caterers, wait staff, at the back of the house.” She batted away cobwebs
and young men from the local college who were as she opened doors. The third door she tried was
parking cars. They did all those things people do a staircase leading down into blackness. “Penny, I
at Halloween parties and consumed a lot of food found it. I’m going down,” she yelled.

and alcohol. The party went late into the night. “Laura, don’t you dare go down there by
The next morning a body was found at the bottom yourself. Wait for the others to get here.”
of the basement stairs, it was the Peabody’s oldest The crash bounced off the walls and ended with
son William, and his neck was broken. He was still a thud that echoed from the bottom of the stairs.

wearing his devil costume. Two other identical “Laura!” screamed Penny.
costumes were worn that night. Police thought it To be continued. . .

26 ONE COMMUNITY