Hell's Secretary

Chapter 1: Gray Hair

A man walked up to a large white desk with a shimmering gold counter. Behind the desk was a woman dressed in the brightest white the man had ever seen. He shyly approached the woman unsure of how she would react to his presence. She looked up at him and smiled.

“Welcome, could I have your name?” she said, carefully scanning a large screen on the right side of her desk.

“Jeremy.”

“Surname?”

Jeremy paused for a moment.

“I don't know my surname. In fact, I'm not sure that I have one.”

The woman cautiously scanned Jeremy’s face. His cheeks flushed red.

“Okay,” she began. “Occupation?”

“Secretary.”

“Company?”

“Ummm…” Jeremy paused. “I’m Hell's secretary.”

The woman’s jaw dropped. Her face went pale. The bright room dimmed. A loud bell beat against Jeremy’s ears. He reached over with his hands quickly silencing his alarm clock.

“What a night!” Jeremy said.

He rolled out of bed and made his way to kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, startling awake small winged creature in the corner of the room.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?” Jeremy asked.

The creature with a beaver-like tail let out a large yawn, revealing his sharp teeth and pointed tongue. He stretched his leathery wings and hopped onto the countertop.

“Yes, I slept just fine, aside from the fact that you haven’t fluffed my bedding in a few decades.”

Jeremy smiled and threw some meaty scraps into a large bowl with the name Orbert etched across it. He then walked over to the cupboard to grab a bowl for his breakfast. Glancing out the window to the early hell sunrise. Jeremy paused for a moment, taking in the view from his apartment. There were a few buildings outside, each bustling with people getting ready for their daily activities. Directly across the way Jeremy could see one of the newest arrivals from Earth making himself at home.

“Looks like Mr. Fiddlesten has moved in across the way. I really hope he enjoys it here. He seemed pretty shook up when he arrived yesterday.”

“Don’t they all seem shook up when you see them?” Orbert asked, his voice comfortably monotone.

“I guess you’re right.”

Jeremy poured himself a bowl of Devil’s Crunchies and sat down at the dining table. As he ate, he couldn’t help but think about the strange dream he had that night. It was rare for someone in Hell to ever dream, since most of the people that live there already lived on Earth and experienced the fullness of their lives.

“Orbert, I had a dream again last night.”

“Another dream? That’s very interesting. It’s also very concerning. What was it this time?”

“I’m not sure. It’s a little fuzzy, but I do remember seeing a beautiful woman, and she was asking me all sorts of questions.”

“Like what?” Orbert asked.

“Like my name, my job, and my employer. Funny thing is, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out my surname.”

“Makes sense, considering you’ve never had parents and haven’t been born. Seems to me you were just dreaming of your work, except this time you were the new arrival, not the secretary.”

“Hmm, maybe you’re right, Orbert. I guess that I’ll just have to move on, I mean it was just a dream anyways.”

Orbert nodded and returned to tearing apart his meat scraps. Jeremy looked at his bowl of cereal, slowly scooping up the pieces and watching the milk drip back onto the drier pieces on top. A hint of wonder glistened into his brown eyes. As he was about to drift into a daydream, his watch let out a repetitive cry, signifying the time to prepare to go to work. Jeremy set his half-eaten breakfast in the sink, signaling to Orbert that anything left was up for grabs.  Jeremey walked back to his bedroom and pulled out his pre-assorted work outfit: a dark suit with a gray shirt. He searched through his array of ties and chose the skinny, maroon one. As he fastened the tie around his neck in the mirror, he observed something he’d never seen before in his many millennia of life.

“Orbert! Come quick!”

The clanking of a cereal bowl being dropped in the sink was heard, followed by the four-legged thumping of Orbert running down the hall. He slid into the room, milk still dripping from his furry chin.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure how to explain it to be honest, but look!”

Jeremy gestured to the bangs of his black hair, which was still unkempt from his night’s sleep. He would comb his bangs back once he was ready for work. There in the middle of his bangs was a large streak of gray hair.

“You’re aging…” Orbert paused.

“Aging? How can I age? I’ve never had a physical body before, let alone been born.”

“I’m not sure, but a lot of weird things are happening to you that I’ve never heard of before, and I’ve talked to a lot of other demon pets in the area. I mean, first the dreaming, and now you’re aging?”

“I know, weird right? You gotta promise me you won’t tell anyone about this Orbert. I’ll talk to Luci about it at work when I get the chance.”

“And what if I do tell somebody?”

“You know, I’m surprised Luci’s dad didn’t give you big ears, considering how much you love gossiping. Oh, and I’d clip your wings if you were to snitch on me to the others,” Jeremy said winking.

Orbert’s eyes grew two sizes. He quickly sat down and stared at the floor in defeat.

“Please don’t diss on my miscreation,” he paused, “You wouldn’t actually clip me, would you?”

“You wouldn’t test me, would you?” Jeremy asked.

Orbert grunted and flew his large body into the other room, nesting on his cushion by the window.

“That’s what I thought!” Jeremy yelled toward Orbert, smirking at his reflection in the mirror.

He stared for a second at the growing gray streak in his bangs. He wondered how long he could keep such an obvious sight a secret. He slipped on his shiny black shoes and double-checked himself in the mirror one more time.

“Ready,” he said, nodding at his reflection.

On the side of Jeremy’s bed was a small safe. He shoved a few of his most precious belongings inside, including a small yo-yo like trinket, then locked the safe tight.

“Well, Orbert, it’s time for me to go to work. I’ll see you when I get home.”

Orbert didn’t say anything. He just scratched the side of his head with his foot and curled up in his bed. Jeremy felt a little sorry about what he’d said, but wasn’t sure what to do in the moment. Besides, his watch was beeping again, so he hurried out the door.

Chapter 2: Welcome to Hell

The Beginning of Dreams, The Beginning of Our Story

Dear Everyone,

I have wanted to be an author for over ten years, and finally, I have finished my first book. 

Dreams the Heart Remembers is the story of a young man named Jacob Crawding, who has a gift that enables him to enter other peoples’ dreams. After losing his parents, Jacob moves to Hays, Washington, where he lives with his Uncle Rick. He meets a girl named Emily, but doesn’t understand why she moved to Hays so urgently. They grow closer with time, until Emily is hospitalized. Jacob is challenged by a mysterious girl in his repetitive dream to explore the minds of others, this leads to him getting trapped inside the dream world. Jacob must figure out how to get back to the real world, but first he must find himself. The story is currently retold by Judith Brown PsyD, as I spent months converting this story from first person to third person. She may be cut in the final form of the book.  

I have over a dozen other books that I plan on writing and publishing in my lifetime. Dreams is only the beginning of my journey. I’m looking for someone who wants to invest in me and my dreams. I want to reach out to as many people as I can to get my first book published and introduce all of you to the worlds I have created. If you want to know more message me or comment below.

I’m so appreciative of all the support that I have, and so I have chosen to include the first part of my book. I want to get as many honest opinions as possible. Do you want to keep reading? Would you or someone you know be interested in this book? Are you ready to enter my mind and go on some new adventures with me?

I’m ready for you to join me in this effort. Together we will thrive.

Thank you for your time, and enjoy the beginning of Dreams the Heart Remembers.

Unfortunate Soul

“As the poet has said there is another world, but it isn’t somewhere else, it is right here. This is the place that some call the dream world and others a spiritual limbo is the only place where all alternate realities come together as a singular reality. Where past, present, and future are the same. You aren’t supposed to be here, Jacob. You need to get out. You cannot stay here for much longer.”

-----------------------------

“It came every night, that simple, old dream. Each time I saw it, I couldn’t stop it from happening. It began with a young woman sitting in the living room of my childhood home, all alone. Shortly thereafter, a man would barge in and run into the bedroom down the hall. The woman would get up, walk down the hall, and open the door. He would scream, and BAM he would vanish. It was uncertain to me for the longest time if he would ever return, because after he would disappear, I would wake-up and never see the rest of the story,” the old man began in our first session together. 

Jacob Crawding was born in the small Californian city of Fallen, to very kind and wealthy parents. But, due to events of the past, had been forced to move to the tiny town of Hays, Washington with his Uncle Rick. Although Jacob enjoyed his life in Hays, he has experienced many unbelievable things and seen strange worlds and creatures. Mr. Crawding would seem to most as an ordinary, normal person, but there was one part of him that most people could never understand. A part that most of mankind would love to have, others would fear to receive, and what some people, like myself, spend their whole lives trying to figure out.

My name is Dr. Judith Brown. I met Mr. Crawding many years ago. We became good friends near the end of his physical life. He was a happy man, but his face showed signs of many trials in his life. After a few years, he came to me and said, “Judith, I want to meet with you in a few counselling sessions. I want to tell you my story.” As per his permission, we recorded his life so that I could one day share it with you. I will include a number of transcriptions from Mr. Crawding himself, but will spend the majority of the time writing the story the way it was told to me. Jacob Crawding was a good man, and his story deserves to be heard. 

As a result of his reoccurring dream, his mind obtained a power that enabled him to enter into the minds of living people and even non-human lifeforms. Although he had this ability since his youth, he didn’t fully understand how to use it. As a young man, he hoped for opportunities to learn how to use his gift to the benefit of others. “I am not what you would call a mind reader,” he pointed out, “for I can only enter into people’s minds while they are sleeping. I am physically transferred into the realm of dreams, the alternate realities that surround us in space and time.”

I found it quite hard to believe at first, I mean, in all my years as a psychologist, I had never met someone who had any kind of super-natural ability. However, after much analysis and testing I found that Jacob was being honest; he did in fact become involved in dreams and fantasies. As if by magic, he physically entered people’s minds and was able to hear and see things that walked and moved in the covert minds of those sleeping beings. This book is the product of when Mr. Crawding decided to tell the world about his gift, which wasn’t until the end of his life. Mr. Crawding stated, “Some people are born with gifts, others receive talents over time, but for some reason, I obtained my gift in a dream. It entered into my mind in one, single night with no rules, no limitations, and no explanation for how it should be used.”

He obtained this gift during his childhood, sometime in the third grade. He had a puzzling dream about a young woman and man who disappears. Ever since that first night, he found himself with a great desire to wander into the minds of others. This desire encouraged Jacob to search for the meaning behind the unexplainable dream he had. Never, at the time, could he have guessed what was going to happen to him because of this ability. However, as it turns out, when you live with a special gift, your life just works out differently than most people. Usually, in my sessions, I am the counselor, but in the case of Mr. Crawding, I was taught more than I ever imagined possible about the human subconscious. Below, in Mr. Crawding’s words, is his dream and the beginning of his story. 

“This is what the original dream was like. It was an overcast day, but there was just enough light to break through the windows of the couple’s two-story house. A brunette woman was sitting in the living room restlessly tapping her right foot. I didn’t understand why she was so anxious, so I watched and waited in the back corner of the room by the window. Suddenly, a car roared into the driveway and a man appeared. He ran into the house, escaped to the bedroom down the hall, and slammed the door. If you’ve ever been in a room with a fighting couple, you’ll understand how I was feeling. The woman sat still for a few minutes, her incessant tapping paused. Then she stood up, to walk to the door of the room where the man stowed away. My initial assumption was that he had a bad day at work, but I later learned that there was another issue. She approached the door, quietly turned the handle. The scene faded. Now, I was in the room with the man, as he stared at the door. Even in a dream inside my own head, I didn’t seem to have control over my physical location. He was breathing heavily. The door squeaked, her hand grasping the side of the door as it opened. “Go way! I can’t see you right now!” the man yelled. She entered the room completely, reaching to touch him. In the slightest bit of an instant, the man vanished from the room.”

About once a month since the third grade, Jacob would have this dream, and every time, it would end exactly the same. After the man vanished, Jacob would wake up. It was because of this dream that he received his power, a gift that would contain the ability to change the destinies of time. But Jacob wouldn’t understand this for many years to come. In fact, he barely even understood his gift until his late teenage years. 

Getting to Know Mr. Crawding

“After the traumatic years of my childhood, I graduated from high school and desired to discover the full purpose of my gift. I will admit, had I known what this pursuit was going to entail, I may have avoided it, but I grew more and more curious every year I postponed using my gift. I will admit, I thought I could change the world someday. In my naïve eighteen-year-old self, I thought I had this undiscovered superpower that could better mankind. Plus, I believed myself to be a very attractive young man, and mostly all superheroes were attractive.”

Mr. Crawding went off on a tangent, in which he assured that his hair was dark-brown back and always perfectly trimmed. He had pure, deep-sea blue eyes, even when I knew him in his old age. He said his eyes stayed young because they were what granted him his gift. He truly was a dreamer and chose to follow his dreams. Of all his traits, a willingness to think of others before himself was the most admirable to me. 

“My young body could endure most physical activities,” he continued, “I wasn’t too tall, and I was prepared for almost any trial that could come my way. Overtime, I learned that it was not just about physical readiness, but that my heart and mind needed to be prepared emotionally for the challenges I would face following my graduation. I was adored by many in that small town of Hays, and many of them felt that I was a key to success in getting their small town on the map.”

After all those years of having his gift, graduation inspired Jacob to decide to start using his gift to solve mystery of his dream: find out how to help the woman in the dream. Better yet, to help find the man and why he disappeared every time. Not many weeks after graduation, Jacob had that fateful dream again. Except this time, it was different. Well, it began the same, but after the man vanished, Jacob didn’t wake up. This time, he remained asleep for a short period longer and watched as the woman fell to the floor in the same spot the man was. As her eyes filled with tears, she spoke. This was the first time Jacob heard her voice. 

“She had the most sincere and beautiful voice imaginable. It was almost as if she was some kind of angel. Then she said, as if she knew I was in the room with her, ‘Where has he gone? Why have the minds of men kept him trapped from me? You can find him. You must find him. It is your destiny.’”

The First Encounter

Partway through our sessions, Mr. Crawding began to open up more emotionally about his life. He was a man of many secrets, and it took all my skills to encourage him to tell me the full extent of his life. 

“Almost instantly the reoccurring dream presented an issue. My mind was taken back to a time when I was twelve. It was more-or-less a bittersweet day. I had received the opportunity to take the day off from school, which is every kids’ dream, but I had to visit the dentist during the same day. Although the experience was sickening, the day off from school helped me feel a lot better about the rest of the day. As I sat in the waiting room, trying to ignore the high-pitched whistling of drills by staring at the fish tank, I noticed an old man sitting across the room from me. He was obviously there with someone who had already gone inside, because he was in a deep sleep.

“I looked closely at the silent man; his old face, aged with wisdom, appeared content as his thoughts walked through his dream world. The most I knew about my gift, at this time, was that I could enter into people’s minds while they were asleep by staring at their eyelids. In fact, I never perfected this way of entering into peoples’ minds because it always worked. At this time, it was strongly against my nature to enter into a stranger’s private mind. I’d only ever practiced on Uncle Rick when he was sleeping once. What I saw I won’t repeat, but it made me very wary of what could be in other people’s minds. I thought for a few minutes until I started to feel more comfortable with the idea of entering into the old man’s mind. Even if for just a second. I concentrated, stared forcefully at the man’s face, gazed deeply into his eyelids, and entered into his dream world. The dream was a little blurry, as if I wasn’t fully engaged in the dream world. What an odd man, I thought. His dream was rather interesting. I was standing in an endless meadow of flowers with a variety of creatures running and bounding around in it. In the distance was a large willow tree, and beside it the tree was a tall, broad-shouldered silhouette of a man. The shadowed looked familiar, as if I knew the man that stood over there. Then, all of a sudden, I heard, ‘Jacob Crawding?’”

“The dental assistant had called my name to go in and see the doctor, making me lose my focus. I hadn’t fully entered into the man’s mind, and still existed in the physical world. At the time, I didn’t even know that my whole body could get sucked into the dream world. I nodded at the assistant and observed that the old man was still dreaming away. Although I wasn’t able to further explore the man’s dream, what I did see became a faded memory in my mind. I figured that if I could somehow use my gift to find the young woman’s man, then maybe I could further understand my purpose and the purpose of my unique ability.”

Jacob thought about the young woman’s words for a matter of weeks and concluded that he was going to help her. Ever since graduation, life was an open road, and he was ready to take on the world. Since it always appeared to him that the dream was a call to action and a part of his destiny, he felt it was his right to fulfill it. According to the woman, the man was trapped in the “minds of men.” Jacob wasn’t sure what that meant, nor was he sure about the consequences of his decision to follow a dream, but deep down he knew he would soon find out. 

The Legend of Atmos: The Somerthian Scouts

“Orpheus J. Barcus was born on the planet Somerth. The Somerthians, as they were called, lived a long life of nearly 800 years and prospered from their many connections around the galaxy. Somerthians were explorers, inventors and investigators, commonly known as scouts. It was a custom on Somerth to enroll your child in scout training when they turned 100 years old. Although young in his training, Orpheus’ interest in space travel and exploration was naturally increasing; many planets were yet to be discovered and each year a class of new recruits would venture into the galaxy to find new worlds and trade partners.”

The first day of class was nearly over and the instructor was sharing a slideshow of the Somerthians’ most treasured discovery. The young scouts stared in awe as images of oceans, trees and animals of every kind flashed before their eyes. Recordings of a world covered with bountiful lands planted a seed of exploration in their hearts.

“Scouts, the objective of your training is not to simply discover new worlds, it is to cure worlds that have been broken and destroyed by its inhabitants. We are Somerthians. We are protectors of the universe,” the instructor said as he continued his lecture.

“Mr. Frost, what world are you showing us?” inquired Orpheus.

“It is a world that was once beautiful,” answered Mr. Frost. “You see, scouts, thousands of years ago many of your ancestors believed that in the universe there was a planet built out of massive landforms with hundreds of types of plants and seeds. At the time, Somerth was short in water, and our comet catcher was not yet invented. Lifetimes passed and no one could find this planet. Then, finally, it was discovered by the great Marlo Herzog. The world was closely watched and its resources were held captive by its inhabitants. Each year we send the top graduating scouts to scan this planet.”

The class silently stared, urging the instructor to continue. The slides changed, displaying a war-torn land, and the tremoring sounds of explosions and destruction filled the room.

“As you may know, we haven’t touched ground on this planet in a few milenia, as it was destroyed by a great war. The planet’s resources were spoiled and its atmosphere ruined.”

“Mr. Frost?” a young scout raised his hand. “Why are you showing us this place?”

“Well,” he peered around another student’s head to read a name tag, “Desnan, is it?” The boy nodded. “It is important that you all understand the first principles of serving the universe.”

As Mr. Frost pushed a button on his remote, the rules appeared on the board and he read each of them.

1. Never interfere with the natural cycle of a planet’s inhabitants.  
2. Never be seen unless invited to be seen. Many planets have a good relationship with Somerth but for most it is better that they do not know of our existence. 
3. Never explore with the intent to invade. Our assignment is to protect and serve, not destroy. 

“As Somerthians we believe in exploring new galactic entities and creating trade with other planets in the universe. You will be tested on these principles. Understood?”

“Yes, Mr. Frost,” the class confirmed.

“Mr. Frost, what is the planet called?” Orpheus anxiously inquired.

“Oh yes, where was I? As you can see by these recent images, we monitor the levels of toxins in the air of this planet each Somerthian year. Since this process began, the world has become healthier and the atmosphere is showing good signs of improvement. Since time passes ten times as quickly there than here, by the end of your lifetime, you may be able to explore this planet yourselves. You’ll want to remember its name, as it is known in the universe, Atmos.”

“I want to be the greatest explorer Somerth has ever seen,” Orpheus whispered to himself.

The bell rang.

“Well scouts, the time has arrived for you to return home. Enjoy the rest of your day and until tomorrow…”

“Protect. Serve. Explore!” the scouts recited.

The scouts rushed out of class to tell their parents of all they learned.

“What do you think about Atmos?” Orpheus asked Desnan, his good friend.

“Sounds like an adventure worth taking to me. What about you?”

“I want to explore everywhere! Maybe one day we could live there!” Orpheus decided.

“That’s quite the dream Orpheus.” Desnan teased.

Orpheus and Desnan, hurried outside of to their bi-gliders. These scooter-like vehicles were invented by Orpheus’ father who was a chief amongst Somerthian scouts. He discovered hovering vehicles as a young explorer and used the technology from them to create single-rider, bi-gliders.

“Hey Orpheus, race you home?” challenged Desnan.

“To the center of Capital?” he invited.

Desnan nodded and zipped out into the street as Orpheus hurried to catch up.

“Cheater,” he mumbled to himself.

Somerth was home to many creatures and its inhabitants were known as Somerthians. They lived a peaceful life and were protected and led by their Prime Leader, whose palace overlooked the land from the center of Capital.

 “So now you have to cheat?” Orpheus yelled as he caught up with Desnan.

“Well, your model is much faster than mine, since your father designs these things! It’s only fair,” Desnan justified.

“Follow me. I’ve got an idea” Orpheus said.

The young boys raced around buildings and parks, and Desnan willingly followed Orpheus’ explorer spirit. They traveled north toward a wild, unnamed providence. This area was home to one of Somerth’s native creatures the Esox. Esox were small, bear-like animals that had large teeth, a round face and built their homes with the tall, wild grass. They reached the top of a large cliff. Orpheus reversed the generators on his bi-glider and got off.

Desnan was catching up at a high-rate of speed.

“Stop Desnan!” Orpheus yelled.

Desnan quickly reversed the generators and came to a halting stop. 

“Whoa. That was close,” Desnan pointed out.

“Were you day dreaming? If you hadn’t looked up when you did, you could have died!”

From their look-out point they could see most of the Capitol. All across the skyline were different prototypes of hovering homes. Orpheus’ dad had recently been assigned by the Prime Leader, Panndu Sendelli, to create homes that float in the sky. For many Somerthians, the idea of leaving the ground was very appealing. The prototypes were successful until the internal charging system began to become less effective. Overtime each of the failing generator models would lower the homes back to the ground.

D.A.T.A.

Chapter 1 

October 1, 2004: The New Attraction 

A large man in a black and orange striped suit with a skeleton mask materialized in front of the large castle-sized house. “Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening and welcome to the first annual opening of Dr. Thimbault’s Haunted House. As you may or may not know, this house was built in 1894 by Dr. Arthur Thimbault but was abandoned by his family during World War II. For nearly a hundred years, thousands of rumors have been spread concerning the truth behind what happened inside. We have spent months revitalizing this age-old mansion to create the most immersive haunting experience you’ll ever have. Inside you will find monsters, jump-scares, and fears beyond your darkest imagination.”

A slight applause came from the back of the crowd where some eager high school kids were waiting to get inside.

The skeleton man continued, “There are no live actors awaiting you within these ancient walls, for we have designed a state-of-the-art computer system that conjures the scares to your fears using holograms. We’ve built a smart haunted house! Nothing is as it appears. Even I am not really here."

With a sudden flash and jet of smoke the skeleton man vanished into thin air. A silence took over the crowd before it erupted in applause and cheers. It was the eve of October 1, 2004, when Dr. Thimbault’s Haunted House graced Boston Massachusetts with its nightmare inducing scares. Hundreds of people were waiting until six o’clock, the time the house would open itself to the public. In the crowd was a recently married couple, Steven and Ashely Harrold. Ashely’s palms were becoming sticky as she attempted to hide her nerves.

“You doing okay?" Steven said, noticing her nervousness.

“Yeah, I just can’t believe I let you talk me into going with you to this.”

“Don’t worry it’s going to be awesome!” he assured.

“Do you think Timothy is going to be okay at home?”

“Oh come on Ashley, he’s two years old and Bethany is the best fifteen year old babysitter this side of the Mississippi! Besides, we’re only going to be gone for like an hour.”

The crowd had already been shuffling into the massive house, and the Harrolds were almost to the door. Screaming and aching could be heard a few floors up, and even Steven began to feel his nerves twitch. When they reached the door, the house greeted them.

“Welcome to Dr. Thimbault’s Haunted House,” said the house with the eerie voice of the skeleton man. “Beware, beware of what’s inside, my scares will make you run and hide. Running will not get you far, for Dracon, Amethyst, Tuten, and Arthur will wait for you at every turn. Each floor they will watch, waiting to get you at the top. Once complete take the elevator down three floors and return to your homes. Have a good night.”

“I can’t do this,” Ashely insisted.

“Too late now, we have to keep going. We already paid for the tickets,” Steven said, a slight look of amusement in his face. “I can’t wait until the guys at the station hear about this place!”

Just before entering the house, a figure peered out from behind the curtains and gave a howling scream. The crowd jumped. It was a gruesome looking witch, who would be nicknamed Amethyst the Howler. The Harrolds stepped inside, Ashely gripping tightly to her husband’s red polo. The inside of Thimbault’s mansion was breath taking. The large foyer was gently connected to the second floor by two large stairwells, which other couples were climbing, holding onto each other for dear life. A sign in the foyer flickered with each strobe light flash. It read, “Choose a path, left or right, either room will take you to the next floor.”

Remembering that they had seen Amethyst peering out the window of the right side, they decided to go left. As they approached, the door automatically opened, screeching slightly. Steven was still smiling, finding Ashley’s fears more amusing than the possible hauntings within the left room. There was a loud bang and flash of light which caused Ashley to scream and squeeze Steven tighter. The room was filled with old furniture and cobwebs, and the objects appeared to be original.

“Holy Jeeez--” Steven whelped, grabbing his heart, as a mangy mummy appeared in one of the chairs. Tuten, the pharaoh, stood and began to approach them, scarabs climbing in and out of his limbs. Heavily breathing, the Harrolds ran out of the room and slammed the door behind them.

“Okay,” Steven admitted, trying to catch his breath, “They got me on that one.”

They crept through the next door, trying not to get noticed when the skeleton man’s dark voice boomed loudly above them, “Having fun yet?”

Ashely screamed so loud that she felt a slight tickle of pee escape her body. “I think I just peed a little,” she whispered to Steven, who was trying really hard not to laugh.

They finally reached the stairs, as Amethyst flew above them, around the massive foyer. “Only three more to go,” she cackled, referring to the amount of floors left.

“My bladder will never make it through this,” Ashley whispered.

Steven couldn’t hold in his laughter and spit slightly in an attempt to contain himself. On the second floor they were sure they were going to die. Amethyst kept appearing in front of them, zooming through walls, and rising from the floor. Her scream was so piercing that the Harrolds had to plug their ears. They entered into the last room on the second floor. The skeleton man was standing in the corner.

“So you’ve made it passed the second floor. Do you need a change of underwear yet?” Ashley blushed. “I’ve been watching you, and I don’t think you’re scared enough, Steven.” Steven gulped, unsure how the hologram knew his name. “Floor’s three and four will be programmed especially for you. I’ve scanned your mind and discovered exactly what makes you cringed,” the man faded away, his evil laugh echoing down the hall.

Steven became very nervous. The stairwell to the third floor was extra creaky and didn’t provide any sense of comfort for Steven’s impending doom. The third floor was very dark, and Steven already knew he was in trouble. Darkness was one of Steven’s greatest fears. “Can’t see, can you Steven?” groaned a voice in the darkness.

“Go away,” Steven screamed, gripping tighter to Ashley than she had ever gripped him.

The dark figure was tapping on a hard surface. It started to run toward them, dragging its rough nails across the surface, generating an awful screech.

Steven felt like he was about to lose it. He fell to the floor plugging his ears. Ashely began to panic as the creature came into the moonlight. It was Dracon, a six-foot tall vampire. Ashely didn’t know what to do. Dracon’s pale face highlighting the blood dripping from his sharp, pointed teeth appeared in the moonlit room. Ashely grabbed her husband’s shirt and began pulling him out of the room. Dracon zoomed closer then vanished, leaving a trail of purple smoke behind him.

“Run!” Ashely screamed, as her and her now sobbing husband went into the next room. “Are you okay?”

“Am I dead?” Steven wiped the tears from his eyes, gaining control of himself again. “I don’t know what came over me.” Ashely laughed a little, imagining a hug wet spot on the front of Steven’s khaki pants.”

“At least I didn’t pee myself,” he nudged, giving Ashely a smirk of enjoyment.

“Oh, shut it Steven, or I’ll tell the guys at the station that you cried like a girl.”

“Yeah,” he paused, realizing he’d been caught. “Please don’t tell them that. If they found out their best detective was afraid of a little haunted house, I’d never hear the end of it.”

The smart house computer must have registered that it had done a good job in scaring the bejesus out of Steven because the fourth floor wasn’t nearly as terrifying. There was blood and bodies all over the floor and occasionally a zombie chased them down the hall, throwing holographic limbs at them. The character was Arthur, named and designed after the appearance of Dr. Arthur Thimbault. The zombie was gaining on them when they reached the elevator, narrowly escaping his grasp.

The Harrrolds stood hyperventilating as the elevator crawled back to the first floor.

“Congratulations Steven,” The skeleton man began, an evil lure in his voice. “For a second there I didn’t think you’d make it out.”

Steven turned around and jumped, grabbing his heart again. The skeleton man had appeared in the glass mirror of the elevator.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed scaring you both this evening and hope to see you again soon. Next time, I will know exactly how to grab at your heart-strings. I have stored your fears in my hard drive and will patiently be awaiting your return,” he smirked. “Thank you for participating in the D.A.T.A. program. Please drive safely, so that I can haunt you again someday.”

The elevator doors opened and the Harrolds ran as fast as they could to their car. They sat silently the rest of the way home, not sure what they could say to lighten the mood.

“Ashely,” Steven nudged his wife, who had fallen asleep, “We’re home now.”

They relieved the babysitter and checked on Timothy, who was put down to sleep a few minutes before they arrived.

“What a night,” Steven suggested as they got to bed.

“Yeah, I never want to do that again. The whole idea that the computer can remember us and keep a record of our darkest fears is just too creepy for me.”

“Crazy what technology can do nowadays. Why can’t we think of anything like that?”

Ashely didn’t respond, she was already fast asleep. Steven sat up most of the night, slightly terrified and excited about the new attraction.

Chapter 2 

October 31, 2004: The Last Data  

“Hello?” Steven said, picking up his new cordless home phone.

“Harrold? It’s Chief Salenzie. We need you at the office right now.”

“But sir, it’s seven-thirty at night. What’s going on?”

“We’ve got a case that we need you to look at right now.”

“All right, give me fifteen minutes.”

“You’ve got ten.”

Steven hung up the phone and walked up the stairs to let Ashely know. She was in Timothy’s room getting him ready for bed.

“Knock, knock,” Steven said as he walked into the room.

“Oh, look who it is Timmy; it’s Dad!” Little Timothy’s face always lit-up when he saw his dad.

Steven squeezed his little boy’s cheeks and kissed his wife of the forehead. “I’ve been called in to look at a case. Salenzie wants me there now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’ll be waiting for you.”

“It might be an all-nighter, so don’t stay up for too long. Love you.”

“Love you too, be safe,” Ashely gave him a longing expression. Steve had only been called in to work a few times this late at night, and it was never for a good reason.

Steven walked quickly down the stairs and outside to his undercover Crown Vic. He pulled the car out of the driveway and zipped down the street. There were ghosts and princesses wandering the streets carrying pillowcases full of candy they had been collecting all night. When Steven finally got to the station, all the lights were on, which for a normal night would have been odd but tonight was Halloween. Calls of kids throwing eggs at houses and other misdemeanors would flood the station tonight.

“Hey, Scott, you get called in too?” Steven joked to the first officer he saw.

“Yeah, it’s Halloween, and you won’t believe what has happened tonight.”

Steven made his way down to Salenzie’s office to hear the news.

“You’re late,” Salenzie began.

“Yeah, it’s late,” Steven pointed out, trying to get a grin out of his boss.

“Detective, we’ve just got word that there has been a killing up at Thimbault’s estate.”

“Thimbault’s estate? But isn’t that…”

“Yes, where the haunted smart house is. I’ve sent some officer’s ahead of you to do some crowd control but I need your detective skills to figure out what’s happened.”

“I’ll go right away, sir.”

“Don’t hit anybody on your way. The last thing I need to get is a phone call proclaiming that one my officers hit a scarecrow-child.”

“I’ll keep my eyes out.”

Even with his sirens on it still took Steven twenty minutes to get to the scene of the crime. There were children screaming and running up and down the streets. He even saw some with baskets of eggs, like it was Easter but he didn’t have time to intercept them. At the scene, the officers had removed most of the crowds. However, the channel 4 news was there now.

“In only the first month of the first year of its operation, Dr. Thimbault’s Haunted House has been faced with a traumatic event. We have received knowledge that a young man has been murdered here tonight,” Steven heard the reporter announcing to the camera.

“Bloody rats,” Steven whispered, having gained a great annoyance to news related folks. He snuck passed the reported unnoticed and made his way to the house.

“Detective Harrold, it’s good to see you,” said Jessica, a young officer.

“Always a pleasure Jessica,” Steven had learned that small, short sentences were best around Jessica. Anything else would give her the wrong idea. “Where’s the body?”

“Upstairs on the third floor.”

Not the third floor, Steven thought. It hadn’t even been a month since he was scared to tears on that very floor.

“Is the attraction shut down?”

“Yes, don’t worry, nothing will be there to scare you now.”

Steven glared at her, wondering if she somehow found out about his little meltdown on the first night. He cleared his throat. “Good to know.”

Steven relived the horrifying rooms of the house on each floor, working his way toward the top. The house actually looked really nice when there weren’t monsters jumping out at you at every corner. When he reached the last room of the second floor he heard, “Welcome back Steven.”

“What!?” he jumped. Shaking, he looked around with his flashlight. “It was nothing Steven,” he told himself, “nothing.”

The third floor was much brighter this time around and he was certain that he hadn’t heard anything now. A few other officers were looking around the house for any signs of a suspect.

“Evening, Steven,” said Officer Jordan.

“Evening, Jordan. Find anything worth mentioning yet?”

“Nope, but you can go look at the body over there.”

She gestured toward the place where the body lay. It was the same place that Steven was tortured by the nail grinding sound Dracon had made. The boy on the floor was gruesomely beat up. Bruises appeared on his arms and face. There was blood all over the floor and the boy’s neck had a large, open wound. There was no major evidence of a weapon. Suddenly, there was a sound movement in the next room. Jordan and Steven jumped, pulling their guns out.

“Let’s go,” Steven whispered.

They hurried into the next room, hoping to find the killer.

“Freeze!” They yelled simultaneously as they banged the door down.

There, on top of the large wardrobe was a great horned owl that looked guiltily toward a lamp it seemed to have knocked over.

“Darn bird,” Officer Jordan proclaimed angrily.

“Detective!!” a voice yelled from the other room.

Steven rushed back to where the body was to see Jessica with a look a sheer shock in her hazel eyes. The body was gone.

“It was there just a second ago, I swear!” she said in a panic. “I’m getting out of this house.”

Steven stared at the puddle of blood, reflecting a look of confusion on his face. What is going on here? He thought.

“Jordan, did we get an ID on that body?”

“No sir, we couldn’t find anything.”

“The boy should’ve had a wrist band with his ticket number on it. Did we get that before the body disappeared?” he demanded hastily.

“I don’t know, I’ll go check with forensics.”

Steven pulled out his Razor cellphone and dialed the Chief.

“Whatcha got for my Harrold?” said the Chief

“Nothing sir. That’s why I’m calling. The body has vanished.”

“What?! How did you lose the body!?”

“Sir, Officer Jessica was in the room when it disappeared. She didn’t see anything and doesn’t know what happened. I’m waiting to hear back from forensics to see if they picked up any ID.”

“Well, keep me posted Harrold. I don’t want the news to find out we lost the body.”

Steven hurried down the stairs to check and see if Jordan had found anything.

“Forensics says that the boy didn’t have a wristband. He must’ve snuck in.” said Jordan.

“Dang it! We really could’ve used that. The Chief will be pissed. Can we access the security tapes yet?”

“There aren’t any tapes,” Jordan said, irritated.

“What do you mean there aren't any tapes?” Harrold asked.

“Well, the security system had been shut down this evening, it’s like the house was malfunctioning.”

“Great. The chief isn’t going to want to hear that either.”

“So what now Detective?”

“We’ll have to put it in our John Doe’s until we gather more information. Until then, this attraction is going to have to be shut down for good.”

The police cars silently left the premises and Dr. Thimbault’s Haunted House came to a close. For the next few years, the truth about what happened that dark Halloween night became urban legend. No one dared go near the old mansion, and the case of the disappearing body was locked away in the unsolved files.