A Lesson In Fear by Melissa Willingham (most inspirational books of all time .TXT) 📕

Bruno stood outside the old Southern plantation manor with his four friends. They all stared at the dingy columns and sagging verandah. Once an elegant mansion, the effects of decay were beginning to lay claim to the foundation.

“Come on, Bruno. We challenge you to spend just one hour in there. If you can handle that, we’ll give you a one-hundred dollar bill,” Scott told him, flashing the prize money.

“Yeah,” Betty chimed in. “Think you’re man enough to handle such a dare or are you too scared?”

“I ain’t scared of nothin’,” Bruno bragged. “I got in an alley fight with five chumps and nailed ‘em all with a TKO.”

Tyler stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well then, tough guy, show us whatcha got.”

Renee laughed at the others. “I think this big man on campus is a pussycat in disguise. He likes to act all macho, but he’s an insecure bully.”

Bruno stuck out his chest proudly. “Hey, you take that back before I bend you over my knee and spank you.”

“Oooh,” Betty cooed mockingly. “It sounds like he means business.”                           

Renee rolled her eyes in irritation. “Please, he frightened me worse than that when he hid behind a tree and jumped out at me the other day.”

“I was just having fun,” Bruno argued.

“At Renee’s expense and it wasn’t fun for her,” Tyler scolded.

“Come to think of it, this guy has pulled similar jokes on all of us,” Scott recalled. “Each time he got a big laugh out of it and we nearly went into cardiac arrest.”

Bruno burst into a fit of chuckles. “I pulled some fast ones on you guys, didn’t I?”

The others merely glared at him in disgust. Scott waved the money in the air and said, “Okay, what’s it gonna be?”

Bruno shook his head. “I ain’t goin’ in there.”

Scott’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, are you too big of a coward? Do you believe those rumors about the five women who were murdered in the basement and now haunt this place? If not, then prove to us how brave you are.”

Bruno shrugged and retorted, “Fine, I’ll go do it and be back in an hour. I’ll show you all!”

***

He trudged up to the creaky gate and let himself in. Then he stomped up the weathered steps onto the front porch. With a twist, he turned the doorknob, stepping inside the foyer of the foreboding estate.

Glancing around, all he could see was the dim moonlight shining through thick curtains. The interior welcomed him with dust and cobwebs. Dirty sheets were draped upon the furniture looking very much like specters suspended in mid-air.

Bruno made his way towards the main staircase. The hallway behind it emitted a faint glow, so he headed in that direction. He figured he’d find the kitchen and rest there, while he waited for an hour to pass.

As he neared the dining area, he thought he heard a woman’s laughter. He followed the sound, venturing to a half-open door at the back. He pushed it open and descended rickety steps leading down into the basement.

Just as he reached the last step, the door slammed shut behind him. Again, he heard a female giggling. He ran back to try the knob, but he couldn’t get out. Soon, he decided to look for another means of escape.

All of a sudden, five white apparitions appeared, surrounding him. He stumbled in his haste to get away, crashing into the wall. He shrieked as the shapes advanced.

The ghostly women were dressed in flowing white gowns spattered with blood. They all chanted simultaneously.

“You are our murderer and you will pay for what you did with your life.”

Bruno shook with fear and screamed, “I didn’t kill anyone. Stay away from me! Somebody help!”

At that moment, the basement door opened and Bruno’s friends clambered down the steps. Scott held a flashlight to illuminate the darkness.

“Man, it’s all a joke. We wanted to pay you back for scaring us,” he explained. “These girls are models we hired to frighten you.”

Bruno stared at them with saucer-like eyes; his mouth gaping. “Point well made. I’ll never misbehave again. Now, get me out of here,” he pleaded.

***

As they led him out of the house, along with the models, five ivory specters materialized.

“They put on quite a show,” one of them said in amusement. “Imagine if we’d appeared to them ourselves.”

“They may have all had heart attacks. Just like our killer did when he returned to the scene of his crimes and we ambushed him,” another agreed.

Over in the corner, a grumpy male voice quipped, “Don’t rub it in.”

The female ghosts all laughed together hysterically at his comment.

***

Text: Melissa Monroe
Publication Date: 01-17-2013

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