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As I opened the door

As I opened the door to the creepy old haunted house on my street, I started to think that
maybe this was not such a good idea. I scolded myself for wanting to turn back, and hesitantly stepped
inside to explore. My brown hair and dark brown eyes made me practically camouflage in the wood-
paneled foyer, except for my old grey hooded sweatshirt and comfortable red sweat pants. I was
average height for eleven, but I was still going to have to look up to check for cobwebs. I had to clean my
glasses because so much dust had collected on them. My hair needed washed already because so much
dust has collected on it.
As I walked through the doorway to my right, I realized that this must be the formal fining room.
An old, Victorian style table with eight elegant chairs was obviously the focal point of the room, resting
on a beautiful green, gold, and red toned carpet. The hardwood flooring around it coordinated flawlessly
with the wainscoting, which came approximately a third of the way up the elegant gold-painted wall.
The vast picture window was framed by a custom cabinet with a buffet coming to just below the
windowsill.
My heart was pounding, and the room smelled dusty, musty, and faintly of roses. On the table
there was a large bouquet of red roses, and eight green, red, and gold place mats. Another red rose,
each in a slender vase, sat at each place. I decided to look through the cabinet by the window to see if
anyone actually lived here. If someone did, I hoped they were away.
Suddenly, I heard something behind me. GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE! I swiftly turned around, but
saw nothing. It was probably just my stomach, I thought to myself. I kept sorting, but with no findings.
Just then, I saw a shadow in the reflection of the glass bolt across the room. I jumped up and looked
around, but still, nothing seemed suspicious, so I kept sorting through the papers, but with my heart
pounding, I was ready to go for the door on a moment's notice. Without warning, I felt a paper towel, or
something like it, dragging on the back of my neck. I whipped my head around, and when I saw an
apparently not-so-dead mummy standing over me, I jumped back and gasped.
I almost started to run toward the door, but, unfortunately, the Mummy was blocking the way.
He must have been at least six feet tall, towering over me like I would have towered over an ant.
Wrapped in something that seemed like gauze, or maybe paper towels, I had no idea where he had
come from. When I had jumped back, barely two seconds ago, the glass doors of the cabinet had
shattered. CRASH! I heard as the glass fell on my legs. "OUCH!" I exclaimed.
The mummy made a noise that sounded kind of like he was trying to say, "Go away!" but I could
not tell because of the gauze that covered his entire being from head toe, with the exception of his
mysterious beady black eyes. These eyes glared down at me with such an intensity that I could not stop
myself from muttering, "Oops."
That was when I noticed what he had in his hand. It was a pure gold sword, with a blade as long
as my arm. He was obviously planning to decapitate me. My eyes opened widely, and it felt as if I had
completely lost control over my body. I saw a loose end of his gauze covering flapping at his side.
Without thinking my risky escape plan through, I grabbed the loose end and tugged with all of my might.
When the mummy started to spin, I knew that he would get dizzy and collapse, so I darted for the door.
BANG! The door slammed behind me, and I bolted down my street to get back home. "Phew!" I said as I
wiped the sweat off of my forehead.
I spread out on my sofa, winded from the running. As I lay there, I decided that later, I would tell
my family about my adventure. I felt very brave after defeating the mummy. I was dozing off from my
tiresome adventure, but my hope before I drifted off to sleep was that some day I would be able to tell
my children and grandchildren all about the perilous adventure that I had experienced that day.


















Face In The Window
They called her the face in the window. Practically everybody in the neighborhood knew her-the woman
who would sit in the upstairs window of her house, looking out into space, oblivious to the world. Some people said
she had gone crazy after her husband had left her, others said that she had lost a son or a daughter. The truth was,
nobody really knew for sure. She was just known as the Face Woman, because her expression was always blank,
like a mask.
Jim Heller knew that she had a different name, one that she no longer used, that had been lost to the world.
He was the one who brought her food, and took care of the rent. Part of the money came from her social security; he
assumed the rest came from an inheritance, or from an insurance policy she had stashed somewhere. She was always
dressed in the same simple clothing, although not always the same clothes, so he knew that she did not have to spend
all of her time in the wheelchair that she used to watch the world outside her window.
So, how are you today? Jim asked one Friday afternoon as he stopped by on another one of his monthly
rounds. Looking at the window, he added, The weathers nicer today, isnt it? Ill bet youre glad that storm is over
with. She did not answer as Jim gathered up the envelopes on her kitchen table. Her face was impassive as always,
although he thought he saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes. Well, Ill just take care of these, then. See you next
month, okay?
When he was gone, she continued to sit in her wheelchair, looking out her window at the houses beyond.
She knew there was a world out there that she was no longer a part of, a world of noise and people-people who
brought danger, and did bad things to each other. In her withdrawn silence, she wanted no part of that world for
years, and tried not to think about what had made her that way.
Long ago, when Jim Heller had been a little boy and she had been the same age then that he was now, she
had been different. The world had been different, too, and it had been part of the life she shared with her husband,
who had been her connection to it. It was when the bad thing happened to him that the connection had been severed.
I need to go out of town for a few days, he said on the last day they spent together. Its just a short
business trip. I should be back Sunday night. Another one? She sighed. I was hoping we could go out for dinner
this weekend. I know, but the company has been having some problems with one of their suppliers, and as usual I
have to go there and straighten things out. Im sure its no big deal-Ill be back in no time. Well-I guess Ill see
you when you get home, then.
Except that she never did The police brought her the news two days later. It did not sink in right away,
and when it did she thought at first that they must have made some sort of a mistake. He was on his way home, she
was sure of it. All she had to do was wait She kept up a facade for a while, of course. Just to keep up appearances,
for her family and friends. But the connection she had with their world was already gone. It was gone when they
took her to identify the body they found; when they told her about the young man with dead eyes whom theyd
arrested for his death.
And it was gone when she went to his funeral, and in the long, silent years that followed, as she watched
the cars and her neighbors outside change. Or, at least she thought it was. Then came one cool night when the moon
was full, and it was so light that she could see the narrow street in its entirety. She saw two figures that she knew did
not belong there following Jim Heller as he headed up the street. She was not sure why he was there-it was not his
normal visiting day, and at any rate he would not have come at this hour of the night. But he was there, and he
seemed to know the figures that were following him, because he turned to confront them. She could not hear what
they were saying, but the discussion seemed tense.
Then the tension mercifully faded as they walked away. Jim watched them go, and turned to leave.
Something stirred inside of her as she watched. At first she told herself that she would not get involved, that she was
not a part of that world anymore. Ignore them and forget, she told herself. Except that she could not, because she
saw the two figures again.
They were walking up the street, following where Jim had gone She had a cell phone, one that Jim had
given her in case of emergencies. She never used it, but she kept it on the kitchen table where she kept her mail. She
was out of practice; it took some effort for her to remember how to dial 9-1-1. But she did, and when the voice on
the other end answered, she knew what to say, and how to say it. It was her connection to the world, after all.

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