Page 35 of Serenity Falls

‘Are there many ghost houses?’ she asks.

‘A few. There’s one on your road.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. The house opposite yours.’

‘Home and Spry?’

Ellis nods. ‘That’s been empty a few years now.’

Sadie frowns. But what about the face at the window? ‘You know who lived there?’

Ellis pulls a face. ‘This mean old bitch. Everyone hated her.’

‘What happened? Did she die?’

Ellis frowns. ‘Nah, I don’t think so. My friend Dax might know – he knows almost as much about Serenity as my dad.’

Sadie considers. ‘Could you show me the other ghost houses?’

Ellis gives her an odd look. ‘Why? I mean, they’re just empty houses and they look just like all the other houses. Well, except Harold’s cabin—’ She breaks off. ‘Which I’m not supposed to tell you about.’

Sadie smiles. ‘And now I’m interested.’

‘Seriously, my dad will be pissed if he finds out and he’s paying me twenty bucks to give you the guided tour. I don’t want to lose it.’

‘So, you’re not doing this out of the goodness of your heart?’

‘What do you think?’

Sadie thinks she likes Ellis better now she knows she’s only in it for the money.

‘I won’t tell if you don’t.’

Ellis sighs but gives in too easily. She wants to tell her, Sadie thinks.

‘Okay. There’s supposed to be this creepy cabin deep in the woods. It’s kind of a town legend. Apparently, Harold Winsom had it built so he could hide away there. He’d take a boat into town early in the morning and after dark when no one would see him. Then Harold Winsom died and the cabin in the woods was deserted and just left to rot.’

‘The Conservators didn’t conserve it?’

‘I guess not. Anyway, it’s supposed to be haunted and all that shit. Kids dare each other to go visit it.’

‘You ever gone?’

‘Nope.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I’m not an idiot. It’s made up. It doesn’t exist. Even if it did, the woods are big, and there’s like, lethal areas of wetland and swamp. There are a couple of rivers that run in and out of the lake. If you don’t pick the right route, you’ll end up grounded or stuck in the marshes. Years back, some kid got into trouble trying to reach the cabin and got attacked by a gator.’

‘Shit.’

‘Yeah. He survived. But he was all mangled up, limbs bitten off.’

‘Really?’

Ellis raises an eyebrow. ‘That’s what people say. Anyway.’ She holds an arm out. ‘We’re here. First stop on the doom tour. Serenity Falls Chapel and Cemetery.’