The Haunted House

A Gothic mansion, all bay windows and crooked spires, painted black with a frieze of white skeletons round the walls. A creaking wooden staircase led up to the landing by the door. A sign out front read "DARE YOU ENTER?"

"Of course we dare," boasted Bonnie, and strode boldly towards the stairs, but Susie grabbed her arm. A chill of foreboding swept over her. She'd noticed something strange. Half a dozen boys were hanging out by the landing, apparently doing nothing at all.

She recognised two or three of them from the football team at school, one from the chess club, a couple more who she thought might work for the carnival, just from the way they were dressed. They were eating candy floss, and looking innocent. But they kept sneaking glances at her, then at the landing. There was something about it she didn't like.

"Come on, slowpoke! What's keeping you!"

"Just a sec, Bonnie. I think we'd better..."

"Look who it is. The two lovely ladies." Susie turned, and came face to face with Anne-Marie, backed up by her posse of cheerleaders. Still in their uniforms, fresh from after-school practice. She groaned. What were the chances? Anne-Marie could be a terror, and Susie didn't want to get her face rubbed in the mud today. "We were just leaving," she said hastily.

"Oh, yeah? Where were you going?"

Inspiration struck. "Into the House of Horrors," said Susie, though in the back of mind she wondered if she'd regret it later. "We thought we'd get there before you did."

"That's what you thought," scoffed Anne. "Stay out of my way tonight, freaks." She shoved Susie aside, and made for the staircase. She climbed the steps, stood on the wooden landing in front of the door, a raised platform in full view of the avenue where the boys sat. She studied the doorbell for a moment, then rang it.

Instantly a powerful gust of wind blew from below the platform, lifting Anne's cheerleader skirt and giving the boys a clear view of her pert, athletic bottom, clad in brief lace-trimmed pink panties. She squawked and clutched her skirt, but not before a cheer had gone up. Hastily she smoothed her skirt down, and darted forward into the House as the door ponderously creaked open.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," said Susie, severely, looking around at the young men. She didn't see any shame at all. She glanced at Bonnie, planning to suggest they ought to find a less naughty attraction, but the tomboy was already headed up the stairs. Her own skirt carefully held down, of course.