Falling Down House

Entering the old abandoned house was both scary and exhilarating. Why we did it, I’m not sure. Because we could, I suppose. Walking up to the structure, it was difficult to even see it, with the sticker bushes, vines, and trees nearly covering the exterior. Most of the paint had worn off many years ago, leaving behind just the bare wood siding. The dilapidated house hadn’t been occupied for a long time. Many of the windows were missing or broken, except for the ones in the attic that we could see were still intact, and could imagine some ghostly person or aberration up there – looking down at us.

The front door was ajar with its rusted hinges keeping it from opening any wider. We squeezed through and stepped onto the decaying floor. The interior smelled musty, and cobwebs hung everywhere. A few broken wooden chairs were scattered and overturned. Old wallpaper hung partly in shreds, some having fallen onto the floor. The bedrooms were nearly empty, except for a crooked chest, all mildewy with the drawers open and askew. There was a metal frame for a bed, but no mattress. The closets contained only a newspaper from 1945 that was lying on the floor and had turned a yellow hue with age. We thought that the date of the paper was perhaps when the home saw its last occupant.

Trespassing didn’t apply to us exploring the old abandoned structure, we thought. We entered by way of our curious natures, or from imagining that a spirit seeking human company had brought us to this place. It was strange being there, like intruding on someone’s past, an uninvited visitor. Might we be discovered at any moment by a ghoul or other evil presence? The only life that seemed to have a legitimate claim to the home were the encroaching vines, and the bees that had easily found their way in and were busy buzzing around their nest. Small animals too might be there, seeking shelter.

Best we leave now – we thought to ourselves. This experience may already turn into nightmares. Let the house be alone with itself, and stay rooted in the past where it was home to someone so long ago.

Casey Wilds