"Shucks Bill, the old Braum house ain't scary, I been in there many times."

"But Jim, they say it is haunted, and my grandma said that haints really go after young kids trying to be so durn smart."

As they walked the last half mile down the lonely and dusty road their only light was two kerosene lanterns. Jim had a flashlight, but he didn't know if the batteries were good or not."

As they approached teh old house they heard an owl hoot and a coyote on the ridge over next to the Bakers let out a lonesome howl. Theree was a slight breeze blowing and when they got to the front gate or the old Braum place they could hear that old shutter a squeaking in the breeze.

"Ready Jim?"

"Yeah Bill, piece of cake."

As they opened the gate, a six foot iron squeaking gate, it went skreeeeeeeeeeeeeesh. The boys pushed hard to get it open. They they slowly walked up the thirteen steps which lead to the front entrance of the old house.

The fourth and seventh steps squeaked and felt as if they were going to give way, but both boys just shifted to the outside of the steps where they should be stronger.

As they got to the front porch, two rabbits scurried across in front of them, then around the side of the house. Two hearts were doing ninety leben miles a minute, but neither boy would admit it. Nor did they admit they wanted to go back home.

They reached the front door and tried to open it, but it would not budge. Both boys set their lanterns down and put their shoulders to the old door and still it would not budge.

"Well Jim, I guess we had better go around to the side door, Petey said it was unlocked. That it would open easily."

"But Bill, you said you had been here many times, don't you know, or is it you haven't been inside the house?"

"Yeah Jim, I been here a lot, playing around outside, but I ain't never been inside."

"The side door which led from the old carriage house into the pantry and entry way opened real easy."

Both boys hesitated, wanting the other to go first. And since Bill was older, older by a month, he went in.

As soon as they stepped in the house they heard the owl hoot again, and both lifted their lanterns up high, as if they could see better with them up in the air.

After they had gone maybe twenty feet, they saw the entrance to the basement steps, and a large rat went scurrying down the hall.

Although they were shaking in their boots, the boys managed a nervous chuckle. They made their way into the pantry then the kitchen, where they spied a rusty old meat cleaver stuck in the middle of the kitchn table.

About that time there was a skkkkkkkkerrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeech and both boys jumped. They lifted their lanterns and slowly turned to see what had made the noise.

"Must be the wind moving the shutters. Huh, do you think that is it?"

They moved closer together and headed for the front foyer, for this was an old antebellum home with three stories. You walk in and there in the middle of the house is a large room, with the drawing room and sitting rooms to the side. Then above the bedrooms are off the large central room, and there is an opening from the ground floor to the skylight in the roof, up over the third floor.

Jim tripped over a rock on the floor and hollared, dag nab it, and as he did there was some noise up high and things started to fall, both boys ran back into the entry hall. Then they laughed for they must have scared a bird or rat for it was bird doo that fell.

"Ready Jim?"

"Yeah, I am ready Bill,but lets walk close together up the stairs OK?"

As they stepped on the first step of the giant staircase, the step went squeakkkkkkkkkkkkk. Both boys jumped back, looked at each other, and grinned. They stepped on the second step.

Slowly they worked their way up to the first landing. When they got there they stopped and looked back down the steps, and both shivered, for about that time something white ran across the foot of the steps.

Jim laughed. "Hee hee, it was only a skunk."

Bill tried to laugh but his teeth were chattering too hard to make a sound. He said, "Shuuuuuuuucks, Jiiiiiiiim, weeeeee all we neeeeeeeed is to get sprayed by a skunk."

They eventually turned and took the right hand steps on up to the second floor.

"They said the third door, right, third door", and the boys crept along past the first door which was ajar. They crept past the second one which was closed, and finally they stood in front of the third door, the room whre they were supposed to spend their time.

Jim reached for the door-knob, then hesitated. So Bill reached for the door knob and tried to turn the handle. It didn't move.

So Jim put his hand on Bill's, and together they turned the knob.

Slowly the knob turned but as they pushed a wind gust made the whole house sort of moan and groan, and that shutter banged twice.

The door started to move, finally, and as it did, it went sqqueeeeeeeeeeevcvvvvvccccccccccch creak.

As the door slowly squeaked its way open the boys sort of shuffled their way into the room. Both raised their lantern and turned. The room had a lot of furniture and it was covered with sheets.

Jim looked at the floor.

"What you looking for down there for, Jim?" Bill asked.

"Oh looking to see if any human ghosts have disturbed the dust."

They looked but did not see even a mouse track, so they walked in and slowly walked around the room, kicking and prodding each sheet, hoping, oh really hoping, they did not get a response.

They came to this gigantic old chifferobe, which must have been seven feet high, with had two large doors.

Bill reached for the left door. "Now Jim you get the right one," he said, "And we will open on three, OK?"

"Yyyyyyyyeeeaaaaaaaaaahhh, ur Bill."

"onnnne-----a----t t t t t t t tt wwwooo ooo----and---a -------thhhhhhhhhhhh-----rrreeee!"

They yanked the doors open and there was a resounding scream.

The boys had pulled so hard they fell on the floor, knocking over their lanterns. And in the dark they heard this scream and then the chifferobe shook. The thing just trembled, and the doors automatically closed. They closed all by themselves.

Jim was into his pocket getting a match and finally he got his lantern lit. Then Bill got his lantern lit.

Both boys looked down to where they had fallen and there were little puddles on the floor.

Neither boy said anything but just stood up, and both grabbed the knobs again. They didn't wait to count but yanked the doors open and stuck their lanterns inside.

They just stood in amazement at what they saw, for there in the bottom of the chifferobe was Petey Smith, a laughing and a smiling.

"Ha ha ha, scared you, yes I did," Petey was laughing real hard. "Scared the pee water right out of you didn't I?"

Bill looked at Jim and Jim looked at Bill, and they slammed the doors and leaned against them. Jim reached in his pocket and brought out a piece of binder twine, which he immediately wrapped around both knobs so the door could not open.

Petey banged on the door. "Let me out, you two! Let me out!"

The boys just smiled and crossed over to what looked like a big old davenport, where they flopped down, and all the while, Petey was a hollaring and a screaming wanting out.

Jim reached into his overall jacket pocket and pulled out two apples, and while he and Jim sat and ate their apples, they laughed.

After awhile, the boys decided to look around in the rest of the house. So they went back to the second room and went inside. It looked like a library, but just as they walked in they heard a loud bang and the whole third floor sort of shook.

They turned and went out and advanced to the staircase, and just as they were about to descend, they saw something white, and with a long tail, floating down the steps.

But the boys felt brave now so they laughed and hollered boo....that is until the apparition cme down the steps, flowed over them, and disappeared around the corner.

Bill and Jim took off running and didn't stop till they were a quarter mile down the road.

Petey's dad found him the next afternoon in the chifferobe, with the doors standing open and him still shaking.