In the neighborhood where the houses were old and the nights crept in early, there was always talk about the strange things happening in the boy’s house. It wasn’t just any house, either; it was the one everyone avoided when it got dark, the one with creaky windows and shadows that stretched a little too far. The boy, always trying to stir up excitement, decided to use that reputation for something more thrilling.
“Actually, there is a ghost in my house,” he told the other children one afternoon. They were gathered around him in the park, eyes wide with curiosity. “Around 8pm, I hear a creaking sound coming from the back room on the second floor.”
That got their attention immediately. One of the girls leaned in, eyes wide. “Really?”
“I’m not kidding. I’m going to defeat that ghost tonight. Will you help me?”
The children exchanged nervous glances, but the promise of a ghost hunt was too tempting to pass up.
“Okay, meet me at my house tonight at 7pm. But it’s not free—you’ve got to bring some sweets.”
Excited murmurs followed as the group dispersed, each kid running off to raid their kitchens for treats. The boy hurried home, already planning his evening. He found his little sister in her room, playing quietly by herself.
“Hey, I need your help tonight,” he said, grinning mischievously. “Cover yourself with this black cloth and wait in the back room on the second floor. When I knock, come running out.”
His sister tilted her head. “Why?”
“Tonight, we’re having a scream tour here. You get to eat lots of sweets if you do it.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really? Okay, I’ll wait for your signal!”
At 7pm, four children arrived at his house, each holding a small stash of candy. They were short one person—a girl whose parent had warned her not to “play stupid games.”
The boy’s mother, who was working the late shift at a nearby restaurant, wasn’t due home until 9pm. In the kitchen, a pot of hot milk simmered on the stove, something she had prepared before leaving. The boy carefully poured the milk into cups and handed them to his guests.
As they drank, one of the boys spoke up. “I was thinking… maybe the ghost on the second floor is your dad? Maybe your mom killed him and stuffed him in that back room.”
The room went quiet. The boy frowned. “What? No way. I talked to my dad on Sunday.”
“Yeah? Maybe you talked to a ghost.”
The boy didn’t respond. He just stared into his cup, slightly annoyed. But soon enough, he shook it off and rallied the group. “Are you ready? It’s time.”
With the boy leading the way, they climbed the stairs to the second floor. The wooden steps creaked beneath their feet, each sound making the thrill of the adventure more real.
The boy approached the door of the back room and knocked, expecting his sister to jump out. But there was no sound, no movement. Slowly, he pushed the door open.
There she was, fast asleep on the floor, wrapped in the black cloth like a little ghost herself. He sighed, waking her up. “Come on, it’s time.”
Just as they were about to head back downstairs, a loud creak echoed from the back room again. The children froze.
“It’s the ghost,” one of the kids whispered.
“No, it’s not,” the boy said, though his voice wavered just a little.
Determined to prove there was nothing to fear, they went back up the stairs, this time with the boy at the end of the group, cautiously trailing behind.
One of the kids boldly opened the door to the back room. A dark shape leapt out of the shadows, landing right on top of one of the children.
“Whoa!” they all screamed.
The boy’s sister cried out, “Were you here?”
The shadowy figure wasn’t a ghost at all—it was the family’s cat, missing for weeks. It purred, delighted to be found, as it snuggled into the arms of one of the children.
Back downstairs, the tension broken, they all laughed as they sat around the table, eating sweets and sipping on hot milk. The boy’s sister poured some of the warm milk into a dish for the cat, who licked it up contentedly.
The “scream tour” hadn’t exactly gone as planned, but it turned into a story none of them would forget anytime soon.
‘Scream tourism’ trend has Halloween fans and travelers flocking to creepy spots all year round
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