The Haunting of Spook House

by George Ivanoff

  About the Book

  You’ve heard spooky stories about the old house on the hill in your street. It’s been said that a man was found mummified inside the house long ago. Your friends dare you to go inside and investigate. Do you really believe that it’s haunted? There’s only one way to find out …

  This could be your chance to be a hero. Do you change the course of history, or do you meet a ghostly fate?

  You choose …

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  You Choose 4: The Haunting of Spook House

  About the Author

  Books in the You Choose Series

  You Choose

  Copyright Notice

  Loved the book?

  For my mum and dad. Thanks for everything. – G.I.

  Ominous clouds loom above the creepy old two-storey house at the top of the hill. The boards are grey, the paint peeling and curling. Weeds grow in the gutters. The picket fence is falling apart. The gate leading to the overgrown garden has broken off its hinges.

  You wonder if you should go in.

  Your mind runs through what you know about this sad, ancient house …

  No one has lived in it for years. Past residents have met with tragedy, misfortune – even death. You’ve done the research.

  You know that in the 1800s, an archaeologist owned the house – until one day his wife came home to find him mummified.

  You know that in the early 1900s, a middle-aged man blew himself up in the backyard.

  You know that in the 1960s, an eight-year-old boy was murdered by his insane nanny.

  There was also something about a soldier mauled to death by dogs.

  And your friends are pretty sure that the house is haunted – they even call it Spook House.

  You, on the other hand, are not so sure it’s haunted … and that’s what has got you into this mess. You told your friends, Anna and Josh, that you didn’t believe the ghost stories and so they dared you to go into the house.

  So here you are, standing outside, wondering if you should go in. Anna and Josh haven’t shown up to meet you like they said they would. Do you go in anyway?

  If you decide to be bold and enter through the front door, go here.

  If you think it might be better to cautiously slip around the back, go here.

  Since your friends haven’t bothered to show up, maybe you should just head home instead? Go here.

  You decide there’s no point entering the house if Anna and Josh aren’t here. After all, it was their idea.

  You take a last look up at the house and begin to wander off.

  As you glance about at the neighbouring houses, you see a man with binoculars. He’s hiding in the frontyard of the house next door to Spook House, watching it from the shrubbery.

  You wonder what he’s up to.

  Is your curiosity strong enough for you to stick around and investigate? If so, go here.

  If you’d rather go home and get an ice-cream, go here.

  You wander home and get yourself some ice-cream.

  The next morning, there’s a picture of Spook House on the front page of the newspaper. And there’s also a photo of your friends, Anna and Josh. It appears that they alerted the police to a gang of criminals that was using the building as a hideout.

  Police also arrested a man claiming to be a ghost hunter – but after jumping through a window, he disappeared into thin air.

  It seems like you missed out on quite an adventure! If only you hadn’t gone home for ice-cream, you too might have got your photo in the newspaper.

  You decide to enter, to prove to yourself that there are no ghosts. But you don’t like the idea of going through the front door. It seems too exposed.

  So you walk around to the right side of the house. Cracked paving stones form a metre-wide path along the fence.

  You take five paces down the path and stop at the first window. It’s opened just a crack. You glance through the window to see some furniture covered in old sheets. It looks like the lounge room.

  You think about going through the window.

  But then a huge hairy spider scuttles across the wall and comes to rest on the sill, as if to guard it against entry.

  If you’d like to avoid the spider and continue to the back of the house, go here.

  If you think climbing through the window might be more exciting, go here.

  You decide that the direct approach is the best, and march up to the entrance.

  It’s an oversized door, taller and wider than what you would find in an average house, and it looms in front of you. It has an odd, old-fashioned doorbell – the sort that you pull on rather than press. It’s covered in spider webs.

  You study it closely and wonder if there’s a spider hiding in the dark crevice around the knob.

  If you want to pull on the doorbell and risk a spider scuttling out over your hand, go here.

  Otherwise you can just try opening the door – after all, the house is abandoned. Go here.

  You casually pass by the shrubbery where the man with the binoculars is hidden. Then you lean up against a lamp post and spy on him.

  He never once looks back in your direction. He is way too focused on watching Spook House.

  You keep an eye on him for what seems like ages, but he does nothing other than stare through the binoculars. You start to get bored and are about to move off, when he rises up out of the bushes. Eyes still glued to the binoculars, he slowly walks sideways up to the front of his house and edges in through the door.

  You observe the house for a little while longer. Just as you’re about the leave, he emerges.

  He’s carrying some sort of electronic device – a bit like a cross between a mobile phone and sci-fi movie prop. And he’s wearing high-tech goggles. Now you really are intrigued.

  The man is no longer trying to conceal himself. He’s standing out in the middle of his frontyard, staring at Spook House and occasionally looking down at the device in his hand.

  Suddenly he ducks down. Anna and Josh come out of the house.

  What were they doing in there?

  Do you want to meet up with your friends and ask them what they’ve been up to? Go here.

  If you’d rather stick around and find out what this weird guy’s been doing, go here.

  You throw yourself back out onto the paving stones. The window slams down with a loud bang. Another big hairy spider scuttles across the ground in front of your face.

  You scramble to your feet and run down the passage, through the frontyard and out onto the street. You run all the way home and never go near that house again.

  Your friends tease you about it for years to come, calling you …

  The Chicken of Spook House!

  You go along the path.

  The backyard is large and overgrown with weeds. Ignoring it, you head straight for the door. It’s unlocked. You open it and enter.

  It’s a kitchen – dusty and grimy. You walk through the inside door, into a hallway. There are closed doors on the left of the hall. You continue until you reach the front entranceway, where a large staircase leads up to the second storey. A little stone gargoyle sits on the end of the bannister.

  The house is gloomy and spooky. Your footsteps echo around you as you walk.

  Now that you’re in here, you really should explore.

  If you would like to go upstairs, go here.

  If you’d like to try the nearest hallway door, go here.

  You push the door open. It creaks loudly, the sound echoing through the house.

  Your footsteps reverberate on the dusty floorboards as you step into
the once grand entrance. A massive staircase dominates the area, spiralling up to the second floor. A little stone gargoyle sits on the end of the bannister. To the right is a hallway with closed doors, leading to a kitchen through which you glimpse the back door.

  To the left, tucked away in the dark corner under the stairs, is a small doorway. You almost missed seeing it entirely. You wonder if it leads to the basement.

  But which direction should you go?

  If you’d like to explore upstairs, go here.

  If you’d like to check if the small door leads to the basement, go here.

  Or you can try one of the doors down the hallway – perhaps the second one. Go here.

  You pull on the doorbell … except that it’s not a bell. It sounds like a foghorn. And it’s LOUD!

  No one answers. Not that you really expected anyone. After all, the house is abandoned.

  So you push the door open. It creaks loudly, the sound echoing through the house.

  Your footsteps reverberate on the dusty floorboards as you step into the once grand entrance. A massive staircase dominates the area, spiralling up to the second floor. A little stone gargoyle sits on the end of the bannister.

  Tucked away in a dark corner under the stairs is a small doorway. The door swings open and a short stocky man marches out. He wears overalls and heavy workboots, and is sporting a shaved head and a scraggly beard. He looks rather angry.

  ‘You’re trespassing on private property,’ he barks.

  You take a step backwards.

  ‘Hold it right there,’ he bellows, striding towards you.

  Do you hold it right there? Go here.

  Or do you run? Go here.

  You want to keep watching this strange man with his goggles and device. But if your friends see you, they’ll want your attention.

  You dash into the man’s frontyard and duck down behind a bush until your friends have walked off. Once they’ve gone, you decide to approach the man.

  You come up behind him and say hello.

  He jumps, drops his device, gives a squeaky scream and spins around. His eyes are magnified by the goggles, making him look a bit frog-like.

  You ask him why he’s watching the house.

  ‘Ghosts!’ he whispers, glancing from right to left, as if expecting someone to be listening in.

  You stare at him.

  ‘I am Josiah Samuel, ghost hunter,’ he announces, puffing out his chest and standing taller – which isn’t all that tall. ‘I am renting this abode so I can be closer to that.’ He points to Spook House.

  You give him a sceptical look.

  ‘You don’t believe me.’ He slumps sadly. ‘That’s fine. I realise that my appearance probably doesn’t match most people’s expectations of a ghost hunter.’ He lifts up his goggles, straightens up again and stares at you with determination in his eyes. ‘But let me assure you that I do hunt ghosts. And woe betide those that cross my path.’

  Josiah crouches down to pick up his device. ‘Now, I think it’s time for me to start hunting. Excuse me while I prepare myself.’ He scurries away into his house. Moments later he reappears. Josiah has now got a box strapped to his back. It looks a bit like a vacuum cleaner. It has a plastic hose attached to it, with the other end hanging from a hook on his belt.

  ‘My containment unit,’ says Josiah, patting the box. ‘For trapping ghosts.’ He lowers his goggles over his eyes. ‘Once more, unto the breach!’ Then he turns to you. ‘Want to come?’

  If you’d like to join this odd ghost hunter, go here.

  But maybe he’s crazy? Perhaps it’s safer to catch up with your friends instead? Go here.

  You slip off your shoe and slam the heel down on the spider.

  Squish!

  Spider guts splatter the front of your shirt.

  You put your shoe back on and pull up on the window. It’s old and stiff. You tug on it and, with a hair-raising screech of protest, the window finally opens.

  You peer in. It seems as if no one’s been inside the house for years. There’s dust and cobwebs everywhere. Sheets are draped over all the furniture.

  You hoist one leg up and over the sill. Then you hear a strange wheezing sound that makes you think of a gigantic monster’s intake of breath.

  The window slams right on top of you. Pain shoots through your skull and your vision blurs.

  You push the window up with one hand, but it feels as if it’s resisting, like it’s trying to bite down on you. You can’t hold it open much longer.

  You only have a couple of seconds to make your decision – in or out?

  If all this is enough to scare you away, go here.

  But if your curiosity is stronger than your fear and you want to climb in, go here.

  Or perhaps you should climb out and try going through the back of the house? Go here.

  You approach the steps. Did that gargoyle just blink? You shake your head and slowly climb the staircase, the old wooden boards creaking beneath your feet.

  You are halfway up when you hear movement from above. Footsteps?

  You pause and listen. Everything is quiet again. You take a deep breath and continue.

  You reach the second floor. There are three doors, all closed.

  You move towards the first one. You reach out for the doorknob, but just before you touch it, a moaning sound comes from within.

  You snatch your hand back and listen.

  ‘Get out!’ says the voice.

  You take a sudden step backwards and trip over your own feet.

  ‘Get out!’ it repeats. ‘Get out of the house. Run! Run away!’ And then it laughs.

  Your first impulse is to do as it says – to run away.

  But what would your friends say if they found out that you had fled. After all, you don’t really believe in ghosts – do you?

  If you want to overcome your fear and open the door, go here.

  If you think it will be safer to leave, go here.

  Carefully, you prise out the brick and peer in.

  To your surprise, you see a pair of glowing eyes gazing back at you.

  Go here.

  You know you’re in the wrong … entering a house that you have no permission to enter.

  You try to explain that you thought the house was abandoned, but the guy cuts you off.

  ‘Don’t care,’ he snarls. ‘You shouldn’t be here.’ He balls his right hand into a fist and slams it into the palm of his left. ‘If you know what’s good for you, you’ll turn around and walk out of here. You’ll leave and never come back. You got that?’

  ‘What’s going on?’ a voice calls from the staircase.

  The man turns and shouts up the stairs. ‘Oi! Get down here now.’

  Your eyes widen as Anna and Josh emerge from the stairs.

  ‘This is private property and you lot are trespassing.’ He slams his fist into his palm again, wincing slightly but trying to hide it.

  ‘We’re sorry,’ says Josh. ‘We thought this place was empty.’

  ‘Yes,’ adds Anna. ‘We just came in here to play a joke on our friend.’ She points at you.

  You ask them what they’re talking about.

  ‘You were so sure this place wasn’t haunted,’ says Anna. ‘We were going to try to change your mind.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Josh grins. ‘I was gonna jump out at you, wearing a sheet and mask.’ He turns around. ‘I left the costume upstairs. I’ll go and get it.’

  A heavy hand comes down on his shoulder and spins him around.

  ‘The only place you’re going is out,’ says the angry man. ‘Right now!’

  ‘But …’ begins Josh.

  The man shoves him towards the door. ‘No buts! OUT!’

  The three of you stagger outside.

  ‘Stay the hell away!’ bellows the man, before slamming the door.

  And so your Spook House adventure ends before it can truly begin.

  You approach the door beneath the stairs and open it.

  You see
that it leads to a set of brick steps. Cautiously, you begin the descent.

  There is a rectangle of light in front of you. And a sound – a soft, wheezing, snuffling sound. Some sort of animal, perhaps?

  Slowly you go down, step by step, brick walls to either side of you.

  You reach the bottom and peer through the doorway. The basement is stacked full of boxes. At the far end of the room is a trestle table covered in … dolls? Yes, that’s what it looks like. Dolls!

  In the centre of the space is a man in a chair, fast asleep. You realise that his snores are the source of the strange noise.

  The man is wearing overalls and heavy workboots. He is short and stocky, with a shaved head and a scraggly beard. He looks rather frightening. Who is he? What’s he doing here?

  You thought the house was empty. Now that you know it isn’t, perhaps you should leave? Go here.

  But if your curiosity about the dolls and boxes gets the better of you, quietly sneak in for a closer look. Go here.

  You open the door down the hallway, and enter.

  It’s a small room – a cross between a library and a study. There’s an old-fashioned writing desk up against one wall and a pair of antique swords hanging above it. Dusty, overflowing bookshelves line the walls. In the centre of the room is a tall glass display-cabinet.