There is a deserted house on Cortex Street. There hasn't been anyone living there for over 100 years. Or so I thought. In front of the house, there is a broken sign that says Duncan House. So that's what some people call it. Other people just call it haunted.

People always said I was strange because of my love for the paranormal. Even my best friend said I was weird. “Jeremiah, you are so weird, sometimes I wonder why you're my best friend.” That one really hurt me. Ever since that comment, we were never that good of friends.

I've always been interested in unusual things. Halloween was by far my favorite holiday. Not because of the candy; I can't eat a lot because of my braces anyway. It's just that the concept of Halloween was always fascinating to me. How great to have a holiday when ghouls and ghosts are wandering about. How wonderful to try to scare little kids and play pranks on older ones. It's just an amazing holiday!

I thought this Halloween would be no different. If I only knew how wrong I would be, I would have stayed home that Halloween night. But I didn't stay home. Instead I went out trick-or-treating, along with my dog, Buddy. I didn't have any friends to go with, and I didn't want to go by myself. Now don't get me wrong, Buddy was no watchdog, but his mere presence made me feel better.

I went out trick-or-treating for about an hour, and I started to get bored. Every house was the same. They were all decorated with cheap plastic spiders and fake webs. I wasn't scared at all. “I'm getting too old for this,” I said to Buddy. What's the point of Halloween if you are not scared?

Unexpectedly, an idea came to me. What about the Duncan House on Cortez Street? I wasn't that far away from Cortez Street. I could probably walk there in 10 minutes. “Come on, Buddy, let's go.”

When we turned onto Cortez Street, Buddy gave a loud yelp. It sounded like he was crying. “What's your problem, Buddy?” I asked. “It's just Cortez Street. I walk you around here every day.” Buddy replied with a loud bark. “Oh, come on,” I said as I pulled him toward the house.

When we finally got to Duncan House, I stood outside to look at it a minute. It was a green house with a pink roof. “What a bad choice of colors,” I said to myself. There was a brown fence that I would have to hop over in front of the house. One of the windows on the house was broken, probably because of kids repeatedly throwing rocks at the window. Then I saw a black cat on a windowsill. “Now this house is scary,” I said.

I started to walk up to the fence when Buddy barked again. “Fine,” I told him, “You can stay out here.” I tied his leash to the fence. “Don't go anywhere Buddy, STAY!” Then I hopped the fence and started walking to the house. I knew it was deserted, so I just reached out for the doorknob. But before I touched it, the door creaked open on its own. “How weird,” I thought.

When I got inside the house, I started walking up the stairs to the second level. When I was just to put my foot down on the second floor, I heard a moaning sound. It sounded like a girl crying for help. “What was that?” Then I started to hear footsteps, like someone was walking up the stairs behind me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I was frozen in fear, but when I managed to turn around to look, nobody was there.

Abruptly, I heard Buddy yelping from outside. “What happening?” I thought. I ran as fast as I could outside to Buddy. “What's wrong Bud—“ I couldn't finish my sentence. I saw Buddy lying there with a big cut on his back. There was a puddle of blood by his side. Then I noticed a black figure that was standing a few feet away. But as soon as I looked at it, it disappeared.

We took Buddy to the veterinarian. The doctor put stitches in his back, and told me he'd be all right. For a little while, I was afraid I was going to lose my best friend. I was so happy when the doctor told me he'd be ok. I never was really interested in the paranormal after that event. In fact, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I never went trick-or-treating again, and I made up some excuse for Buddy's injury. The consequence of my curiosity was great. Everywhere I go, I have to look over my shoulder. Everything you do has a consequence, and Halloween is not that far away.