Categories > Original > Fantasy > The Legion of Light Story One: The House on Butler
October 31, 1974
0 reviewsOne day you're a normal teenager moving to a new town and your biggest worry is wither or not your twin brother's delinquent behavior will make you an outcast in your new home. The next you discove...
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October 31, 1974
In the small town of Beaufort on the North Carolina coast a soft breeze was blowing. A gentle mist of salt water was washing over those who ventured too close to the beach. The sun was slowly setting and children were starting to walk the streets in their Halloween best. Laughter and choruses of “trick or treat” could be heard all over town as well as the exasperated sighs of parents who were trying to keep up with over excited children. And in a small two-story cottage on a street that overlooked the Atlantic, a group of teenagers sat in a cozy living room.
“I’m telling you, that place is haunted.” A boy of sixteen said. He was very boyish looking with strawberry blonde hair and light green eyes. He was sitting with a friend on the floor, which was littered with at least half a dozen comic books.
“Daniel, you’re out of your mind” Laughed his friend, a slightly chubby black boy of the same age.
“Listen to me Charlie. I heard Mr. Benson talking the other day. He told Mrs. Perry from down the road that dozens of people have gone missing after moving into that house.” The boy known as Daniel explained as he threw a Superman comic book to the side.
Two girls who were sitting on the sofa looked at each other over the tops of their magazines and tolled their eyes. As the doorbell rang signaling the arrival of a new group of trick or treaters, the girl with long, wavy strawberry blonde hair and the same light green eyes as Daniel got up and grabbed the candy bowl off of the side table by the front door.
“Daniel Destler, you’ve been eavesdropping on the neighbors again!” The girl scolded as she opened the front door and gave each littler mystical creature on the front porch a handful of candy.
“Shut up Rebecca. It’s not like you’ve never done it.” Daniel smirked in a way that said very well that she had.
“I have not!” Rebecca said indignantly as she closed the door and put the candy bowl back on the side table.
“So that wasn’t you hiding behind mom’s rose bushes last week watching Justin Miller chase his dog?” Daniel’s smirk grew wider as his sister’s face turned five different shades of red.
“I wasn’t hiding behind anything! That’s where I was sitting when he came up the road. And I wasn’t watching him, he has a cute dog.” Rebecca defended herself.
The other three friends burst into laughter at her asinine explanation.
The other girl who sported jet-black hair and expressive silver-brown eyes said; “Becca, do you really think we’re that gullible? You’ve been in love with Justin ever since he pushed you into that tide pool when we were eight.”
Rebecca glared at her friend, “Brenda, I swear if you don’t shut up I’m going to knock you into the new millennium.”
Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes Brenda replied, “Okay, okay I’m sorry. Now what house were you
two idiots talking about?”
Daniel and Charlie sat back upright from their positions on the floor where they had been rolling around laughing.
“The old house on Butler’s Ledge.” Daniel explained. “You know the old colonial with the metal door that has that creepy coat of arms on it.”
“You think that house is haunted?” Rebecca asked with a look on her face that clearly said that she did not believe him.
“How do you explain what Mr. Benson said?” Daniel challenged as the doorbell sounded again.
“And how do you explain why that house is always empty?” Charlie added.
Rebecca and Brenda both rolled their eyes as Rebecca handed out the last of the candy in the bowl and shut off the porch light.
“Mr. Benson spends every summer in New Mexico looking for UFO’s, so forgive me if I don’t think he’s the most reliable person to trust on matters of the paranormal.” Brenda said sarcastically.
“And as for that house,” Rebecca said leaning against the front door. “The reason its empty is probably because it’s a colonial mansion. That can’t be a cheap house to rent or buy.”
“I’ve been to that house.” Brenda said thoughtfully.
“You have?” Daniel gasped.
“Yeah, last year.” Brenda replied.” Remember I took photography as an elective?”
Daniel and Charlie looked at each other clueless as to when Brenda had ever taken a photography class but just nodded for her to continue.
“Well, I had an assignment to ‘capture the beauty of the old south’. I figured I would get a picture of the house. I mean it’s really old; it was built before the Revolutionary War and it’s so beautiful, in a creepy sinister sort of way. So my mom drove me over there and I took a few pictures.” Brenda explained.
“Can we see the pictures? Do you still have them?” Charlie asked excitedly. “I read this book about ghosts and it said that sometimes you can capture ghosts in pictures.”
Rebecca pushed herself away from the front door and mumbled under her breath. “Sure, that book you’ve read but if I quote Hamlet you stare at me blankly.” As she walked away to put the candy bowl in the kitchen.
“I have the pictures in a box in my closet and trust me there are no pictures of ghosts. In fact there are no pictures of the house. My film was bad. All I managed to get photos of is a bunch of colors blurred together. I should have just fingered painted the house.”
Daniel’s eyes got comically wide. He looked very much like a cartoon character. “Maybe there’s an ancient spell on the house that keeps it from appearing on film.” He said, jumping up and down like he had just discovered electricity.
“There is a picture of the house hanging at Morgan’s Seaside Museum, so obviously it shows up in photos. My film was just bad.” Brenda said, flopping to lie down on the sofa.
At that moment Rebecca came walking back into the living room dangling a set of car keys. She smirked and said, “How about Brenda and I take you two up to Butler’s Ledge and prove to you that the house isn’t haunted?”
“And just how are you going to do that?” Daniel asked skeptically.
With her head hanging over the edge of the sofa Brenda eyed Rebecca warily. “Yeah, how are we going to do that?”
“By going inside of course.” Rebecca’s smirk grew wider as she walked out the front door. Brenda and Charlie went reluctantly with her but Daniel held back.
“Becca, mom and dad told us we had to stay home tonight! Remember Principal Crawford saw us egg his house?” When no response came from his sister he slowly made his way outside after his sister and friends.
Thirty minutes later found the four friends sitting in Rebecca’s Thunderbird, parked outside a large three story manor. The house looked out of place. A creepy blot on the picture perfect ocean view. It sat by itself on a rocky ledge overlooking the ocean. The design was highly unusual to say the least. The pure white structure boasted large, black marble columns and a front door that looked like it was made completely out of silver. The door had a strange coat of arms engraved on it depicting a serpent strangling an angel atop two crossed swords.
“If you for one second think that I am going into that house, you must be out of your mind.” Said a suddenly very pale Brenda.
“I thought you didn’t believe that the house was haunted?” Rebecca raised an eyebrow as she pulled her car keys from the ignition.
Brenda shook her head. “I don’t, but I’m not stupid enough to test fate.”
“Fine” Rebecca huffed, stepping out of the car and stomping up to the front door. She took a second and examined the coats of arms. The eyes of the engraved snake looked as if they were glowing. It seemed slightly ominous to Rebecca but she shook it off as nerves. Her heart beating fast within her chest, she took a deep breath and turned the antique door handle. The door creaked open to reveal eighteenth century décor covered in a fine sheet of dust. With only a moment of hesitation she stepped inside, nearly tripping over an odd sphere shaped doorstep. She left the door open as she made her way further into the house.
Back inside the car, the other friends were amazed.
“I can’t believe she did it!” Charlie whispered in awe. “Your sister is a lot braver than I am man.” He looked at Daniel from his place in the backseat.
Brenda had a frown on her face. “Do the eyes of the snake look like they are glowing to you?” She asked, not taking her eyes away from the front door.
“It's probably just the moonlight reflecting off of the door.” Daniel responded in a voice that sounded slightly unsure. Like he was trying to make himself believe his own words.
Just as the words left Daniel’s mouth, the door of the manor slammed shut.
“It was probably just the wind.” Brenda reasoned but her voice shook and her eyes kept darting around on the lookout for danger.
“Be that as it may, I’m going to get Rebecca. She’s made her point.” Just as Daniel’s hand touched the door handle, a load piercing scream issued from within the house. The three friends scrambled to get out of the car but it was too late. Rebecca Destler was gone.
In the small town of Beaufort on the North Carolina coast a soft breeze was blowing. A gentle mist of salt water was washing over those who ventured too close to the beach. The sun was slowly setting and children were starting to walk the streets in their Halloween best. Laughter and choruses of “trick or treat” could be heard all over town as well as the exasperated sighs of parents who were trying to keep up with over excited children. And in a small two-story cottage on a street that overlooked the Atlantic, a group of teenagers sat in a cozy living room.
“I’m telling you, that place is haunted.” A boy of sixteen said. He was very boyish looking with strawberry blonde hair and light green eyes. He was sitting with a friend on the floor, which was littered with at least half a dozen comic books.
“Daniel, you’re out of your mind” Laughed his friend, a slightly chubby black boy of the same age.
“Listen to me Charlie. I heard Mr. Benson talking the other day. He told Mrs. Perry from down the road that dozens of people have gone missing after moving into that house.” The boy known as Daniel explained as he threw a Superman comic book to the side.
Two girls who were sitting on the sofa looked at each other over the tops of their magazines and tolled their eyes. As the doorbell rang signaling the arrival of a new group of trick or treaters, the girl with long, wavy strawberry blonde hair and the same light green eyes as Daniel got up and grabbed the candy bowl off of the side table by the front door.
“Daniel Destler, you’ve been eavesdropping on the neighbors again!” The girl scolded as she opened the front door and gave each littler mystical creature on the front porch a handful of candy.
“Shut up Rebecca. It’s not like you’ve never done it.” Daniel smirked in a way that said very well that she had.
“I have not!” Rebecca said indignantly as she closed the door and put the candy bowl back on the side table.
“So that wasn’t you hiding behind mom’s rose bushes last week watching Justin Miller chase his dog?” Daniel’s smirk grew wider as his sister’s face turned five different shades of red.
“I wasn’t hiding behind anything! That’s where I was sitting when he came up the road. And I wasn’t watching him, he has a cute dog.” Rebecca defended herself.
The other three friends burst into laughter at her asinine explanation.
The other girl who sported jet-black hair and expressive silver-brown eyes said; “Becca, do you really think we’re that gullible? You’ve been in love with Justin ever since he pushed you into that tide pool when we were eight.”
Rebecca glared at her friend, “Brenda, I swear if you don’t shut up I’m going to knock you into the new millennium.”
Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes Brenda replied, “Okay, okay I’m sorry. Now what house were you
two idiots talking about?”
Daniel and Charlie sat back upright from their positions on the floor where they had been rolling around laughing.
“The old house on Butler’s Ledge.” Daniel explained. “You know the old colonial with the metal door that has that creepy coat of arms on it.”
“You think that house is haunted?” Rebecca asked with a look on her face that clearly said that she did not believe him.
“How do you explain what Mr. Benson said?” Daniel challenged as the doorbell sounded again.
“And how do you explain why that house is always empty?” Charlie added.
Rebecca and Brenda both rolled their eyes as Rebecca handed out the last of the candy in the bowl and shut off the porch light.
“Mr. Benson spends every summer in New Mexico looking for UFO’s, so forgive me if I don’t think he’s the most reliable person to trust on matters of the paranormal.” Brenda said sarcastically.
“And as for that house,” Rebecca said leaning against the front door. “The reason its empty is probably because it’s a colonial mansion. That can’t be a cheap house to rent or buy.”
“I’ve been to that house.” Brenda said thoughtfully.
“You have?” Daniel gasped.
“Yeah, last year.” Brenda replied.” Remember I took photography as an elective?”
Daniel and Charlie looked at each other clueless as to when Brenda had ever taken a photography class but just nodded for her to continue.
“Well, I had an assignment to ‘capture the beauty of the old south’. I figured I would get a picture of the house. I mean it’s really old; it was built before the Revolutionary War and it’s so beautiful, in a creepy sinister sort of way. So my mom drove me over there and I took a few pictures.” Brenda explained.
“Can we see the pictures? Do you still have them?” Charlie asked excitedly. “I read this book about ghosts and it said that sometimes you can capture ghosts in pictures.”
Rebecca pushed herself away from the front door and mumbled under her breath. “Sure, that book you’ve read but if I quote Hamlet you stare at me blankly.” As she walked away to put the candy bowl in the kitchen.
“I have the pictures in a box in my closet and trust me there are no pictures of ghosts. In fact there are no pictures of the house. My film was bad. All I managed to get photos of is a bunch of colors blurred together. I should have just fingered painted the house.”
Daniel’s eyes got comically wide. He looked very much like a cartoon character. “Maybe there’s an ancient spell on the house that keeps it from appearing on film.” He said, jumping up and down like he had just discovered electricity.
“There is a picture of the house hanging at Morgan’s Seaside Museum, so obviously it shows up in photos. My film was just bad.” Brenda said, flopping to lie down on the sofa.
At that moment Rebecca came walking back into the living room dangling a set of car keys. She smirked and said, “How about Brenda and I take you two up to Butler’s Ledge and prove to you that the house isn’t haunted?”
“And just how are you going to do that?” Daniel asked skeptically.
With her head hanging over the edge of the sofa Brenda eyed Rebecca warily. “Yeah, how are we going to do that?”
“By going inside of course.” Rebecca’s smirk grew wider as she walked out the front door. Brenda and Charlie went reluctantly with her but Daniel held back.
“Becca, mom and dad told us we had to stay home tonight! Remember Principal Crawford saw us egg his house?” When no response came from his sister he slowly made his way outside after his sister and friends.
Thirty minutes later found the four friends sitting in Rebecca’s Thunderbird, parked outside a large three story manor. The house looked out of place. A creepy blot on the picture perfect ocean view. It sat by itself on a rocky ledge overlooking the ocean. The design was highly unusual to say the least. The pure white structure boasted large, black marble columns and a front door that looked like it was made completely out of silver. The door had a strange coat of arms engraved on it depicting a serpent strangling an angel atop two crossed swords.
“If you for one second think that I am going into that house, you must be out of your mind.” Said a suddenly very pale Brenda.
“I thought you didn’t believe that the house was haunted?” Rebecca raised an eyebrow as she pulled her car keys from the ignition.
Brenda shook her head. “I don’t, but I’m not stupid enough to test fate.”
“Fine” Rebecca huffed, stepping out of the car and stomping up to the front door. She took a second and examined the coats of arms. The eyes of the engraved snake looked as if they were glowing. It seemed slightly ominous to Rebecca but she shook it off as nerves. Her heart beating fast within her chest, she took a deep breath and turned the antique door handle. The door creaked open to reveal eighteenth century décor covered in a fine sheet of dust. With only a moment of hesitation she stepped inside, nearly tripping over an odd sphere shaped doorstep. She left the door open as she made her way further into the house.
Back inside the car, the other friends were amazed.
“I can’t believe she did it!” Charlie whispered in awe. “Your sister is a lot braver than I am man.” He looked at Daniel from his place in the backseat.
Brenda had a frown on her face. “Do the eyes of the snake look like they are glowing to you?” She asked, not taking her eyes away from the front door.
“It's probably just the moonlight reflecting off of the door.” Daniel responded in a voice that sounded slightly unsure. Like he was trying to make himself believe his own words.
Just as the words left Daniel’s mouth, the door of the manor slammed shut.
“It was probably just the wind.” Brenda reasoned but her voice shook and her eyes kept darting around on the lookout for danger.
“Be that as it may, I’m going to get Rebecca. She’s made her point.” Just as Daniel’s hand touched the door handle, a load piercing scream issued from within the house. The three friends scrambled to get out of the car but it was too late. Rebecca Destler was gone.
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