The bed and breakfast was a worn Gothic revival quilted from the foundation to its rooftop in white paint chips. It seemed to hunch over amongst a clearing scattered with oaks that were adorned with drooping feathery moss hanging from their limbs. Set back beyond the carriage house which stood taller than the house itself with a fresher coat of paint was a nearly dilapidated abandoned barn, that most likely wasn’t even much to look at back in its hay day.
The temptation was too great, my curiosity was peaked and my muse invigorated; the wonder of what had been. The entire sleepy grounds of this Louisiana gem was stirring the still untainted romantic in this young teenage soul. I left behind a note for my younger brother Chase before trudging through the soggy grounds to explore this crumbling edifice up close.
As I approached I found my line of vision drawn like a magnet to the open loft, if there were ever doors to this upper portal, they were gone now. The cupola sunk snug into the A-frame of the roof, and the now fallen compass rose barely clung to its tip as the wind turned its circular flight into the whipping to and fro of a creaky pendulum. The actual barn doors were jammed off hinge and I wondered if this was caused by age or perhaps the winds and flood of a hurricane past? The large left door hung at a slant, creating just the perfect slit to slip into the cavernous interior. I was obviously not the first soul drawn in by mischievous curiosity.
My hand scraped the splintered wood as I attempted to crawl in unscathed. The building smelled musty of mildew with a ghostly reminiscence of manure. Only two steps in and I could hear the approaching foot steps from outside, undoubtedly Chase, always loyal to a fault. He was not one for chills, thrills, or adventure, instead he thrived on safe and predictable, only breaking his own codes in the name of his devotion to me. I crouched down behind a decaying half wall of what was once a horse stable and gave a maniacal grin that only grew greater with anticipation.
The light that escaped between the tight boards began to slowly fade as a cloud must of crawled its way in front of the sun, leaving the area nearly pitch black. I heard a few “ouches” and “ughs” as he crawled through the opening. I crouched deeper, preparing my pounce, listening intently to the rhythm of his breath as he seemed to step with care down the center, “Jess?” His voice was quiet, a hushed whisper, as if there was anyone else to hear.
I began to fly in the air as my body spun to face him, “boo!”
He jumped and fell backwards as my feet landed on what I expected to be solid dirt, but instead I heard a loud creaking as my feet seemed to land with a slight bounce, and then all went black as I suddenly dropped…
For More Abandoned Inspiration:
Inspired by These Two Prompts:
My Random Musings-Abandoned House
Livre It To Me- April Fools Gone Bad
Homeschool To UnSchool 