The Warnings

The Warnings By Amanda Stogsdill

Briara waited impatiently in a very long line. Nearly Halloween, this new haunted house attraction was supposed to be the best around. "Are you scared?" Her Mom asked.

"Oh, Mom, I'll be fine. It's not that scary!" Briara gazed around, smirking. People were joking and laughing, dressed in costumes. No one was acting really frightened. Yet.

Just then, a black dog scampered by. "Hey, that dog cut in front of us." Briara cried.

"ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!" A voice boomed. Of course, everyone laughed, it was part of the show. Finally, it was Briara's turn. "Have fun!" Her Mom waved, "See you, maybe."

The girl hustled up the creaky steps into the house. The darkness was intense; Briara couldn't see a thing! The others were saying, "Don't push! I can't see. It's too narrow!" Everyone stood by the front door; uncertainly, they inched forward. A teenage girl and her boyfriend were behind Briara. "I don't like this!" The girl whined.

"Don't worry Sally, it hasn't started yet." Her boyfriend, Jack said lightly.

They'd reached the living room, dimly lit by a couple lamps on tables. A small vampire rose up out of her coffin. Looks like a couch to me, Briara smirked. The vampire had dark hair, with the usual pointy fangs. On one wall, a grinning, creepy, jack-o-lantern cackled and sang, "Here comes Halloween!"

"That's awesome." Jack laughed.

"What are those?" Sally pointed to some statues sitting in recliners. One was covered in blood, the other wore a Queen costume. "You will have two hours to complete your journey. If not, you'll be trapped here forever. You may go!" The Queen spoke clearly, waving her scepter at them.

"I'll bite you!" The vampire grinned, "You'll never escape." Her hand stretched toward a father and child. "Want some chocolate?"

The kid backed away. "I don't want to live here forever!" He whispered. Laughing, the group continued on.

In the kitchen, a pot bubbled. On the stove hung a sign which read LIFT IF YOU DARE! Sally cautiously lifted the lid to reveal something green and goopy. "Yuck!" She screamed, "A finger!"

"This is weird!" Jack said, "Where's the actors?" None appeared, but several kitchen knives hung down from the ceiling, sharp blades gleaming. Sally squealed again, gazing open-mouthed at the suspended blades. Still, nothing happened.

A witch suddenly appeared in front of Briara! With the pointed hat, black shoes, and orange and black nail polish, her costume looked believable. She even carried a black cat in her arms. "Lost?" She cackled, "Let me help."

"Aren't you supposed to be quiet?" Briara felt cheated, "I'll find my own way." She pushed past the witch.

"Beware Mr. Tee and the fog!" The witch warned. "Oh, apologize to Lisa, will you?" She added. Her cat also hissed. Then, she seemed to melt into the crowd, no one else had noticed her.

Briara caught up with the rest down a long hallway. A small closet burst open, and a female zombie lurched out. Sally screamed, the others laughed. Her makeup was scary, if zombie makeup was supposed to look that way.

"That witch was crazy," Briara scoffed, "There's nothing dangerous here!" As for apologizing to Lisa, why should I? She wasn't hurt, I simply spun her around very fast in her wheelchair! Just for laughs. And the week before, I knocked her bag off the back. Nothing too serious. She remembered.

"What's that?" A boy clutched his father's arm, wide-eyed. Shaking herself, Briara glanced around. A picture on the wall was glowing an eerie green, another black. Sally turned away, then back. Yes, there it was again. Briara was just as confused as everyone else.

Just then, the dog from earlier scurried in front of Briara. "Good evening!" Briara stared, gaping. Must be special effects, dogs can't speak!

"You should have listened to Wilhemina."

"Who?" She managed.

"My friend who warned you about Mr. Tee." The dog's tail swished back and forth as he spoke. His black fur-covered body looked very real. He was even walking on all fours.

"If you see Mr. Tee, tell him Duke sent you."

"Can't you move? I'm in a hurry, you know."

"Sure. Tell your Mom about the bracelet." He bared his teeth.

Like the witch, he just vanished. Briara moved on, wondering why no one else was noticing these strange creatures. And how do these creatures know about all my secrets? She'd given the bracelet to a friend for her birthday. When her Mom had questioned Briara, she'd claimed she didn't know where it had gone.

"Watch out!" Sally clutched Jack's arm. Orange fire sprang up in front of them. They walked towards it, but then it faded.

"That was cool." Jack exclaimed, "Can you smell that?" It actually smelled like something was burning. When Briara stepped out, she actually felt something like heat on her body.

Pausing by the bathroom, the dad and kid opened the door. "Dad, look." The boy entered, "Nothing here."

Everyone sighed with relief. Sally and a woman examined a mirror, tugging at it; it didn't give way. "I was expecting Bloody Mary." The woman whispered. Next, they opened a closet which contained nothing except sheets, towels, and bath toys! "Weird." The woman murmured.

The little boy and Jack were crouched by the toilet. The little boy raised the lid. "Hey," A squeaky voice hissed, "Want to swim down here?"

Jack saw the boy was terrified, so stopped himself from laughing. "It's just pretend!" Jack reassured him.

"Dad, where's the voice coming from?" The boy peered around. His Dad searched around the toilet's edge, lifting the lid again. "Hey," It rasped, "I'm everything you were ever afraid of." Even Jack was creeped out! "How is it doing that?" He wondered.

The boy was about to cry. "Stop scaring my son." His dad yelled, which made everyone smile. Yelling at a toilet can relax people in some cases, this was one of them.

"Cool shower!" Briara pushed the curtain aside; a teenager lunged at her, wielding a sharp knife. Music blared from somewhere. Everyone scrambled out, adults laughing, kids crying.

They'd reached a staircase; everyone hesitated. Briara called out, "I'll go first." Pushing her way to the front, she began climbing up the creaking dark stairs. Everyone followed, holding on to the orange-and-black garland strung on the wall in place of a banister. The little boy's dad stepped on a mouse. It squeaked, but remained motionless.

A big room stood to their left. Opening the door, all that could be seen was a child's room, with toys scattered on the floor. Bunk beds stood against one wall, a television and Disney posters hung on another.

Suddenly, people screamed. What now? Briara thought, Why can't I just find the exit? A woman leapt out from the closet, clutching a chainsaw! How lame! Briara pretended to jump when the woman chased her, chainsaw buzzing, blades inches from her hair! "Those are supposed to be removed." She hollered.

"Spoilsport!" Jack replied, "They're just for show."

Back down the dark stairs they went, the darkness increasing; everyone sticking close to the wall. The hallway split into two paths. Briara took the right, everyone else went left. "I'll show them!" Briara muttered, "It's a straight path; the exit can't be far."

"You're going the wrong way," Sally called, "It's this way."

"Leave me alone. I'll find my own way."

"Suit yourself." A woman said. Soon, Briara was truly alone. As she walked, she thought, "Getting closer, I have to be."

Reaching a door, she opened it easily. She found herself on a deck with lawn furniture. Up ahead, she heard the others' screams. Down the steps she went, across the moonlit backyard. It's full tonight! She whispered.

Then, the fog rolled in, surrounding her. Briara could barely run through the tall grass.

A shape loomed in front of her. A giant dinosaur lifted her off the ground! "Help!" She cried.

"Keep still, and listen." The tyranosaurus whispered. Briara tried not to stare at its sharp, pointy teeth. "You've misbehaved since entering here. You've ignored the others, and you scoffed at my friends' warnings."

"You're just pretend," She whimpered, "Special effects. And, Duke sent me!”

"No, we certainly aren't!" Mr. Tee roared, "I'll give you one last chance to behave. Or as Her Majesty said, you'll be trapped."

With that, he set her down gently. Swaying, Briara caught her balance, still rather stunned by the past events.

Was that water? Yes, a round pool came into view, there seemed to be an inflatable shark bobbing innocently on the water, as if inviting swimmers to hop on. Approaching cautiously, Briara climbed the wobbly ladder. Perching on the top step, she gazed out at the still lawn. Dipping her hand into the clear water, she waited. The moon reappeared, glinting off the water, making the shark more visible. "What the?" Clasping a hand to her mouth, Briara nearly tumbled backwards, almost toppling into the water. Perched on the shark was a skeleton wearing an infant's swim clothes. Jumping the last step to the ground, she sped off, not glancing back.

She continued on to a shed; there were voices coming from inside. Entering, she saw furniture, carboard boxes, and other junk. A single bulb was the only light source. The place stank, Briara almost choked.

"Have you learned your lesson?" A girl's voice inquired, right behind her.

Blinking, Briara turned to see ... "Are you a unicorn?"

"Yes, that is what you humans call us! My name is Unnah! I'm young, like you."

"What do you want?" Briara still couldn't believe what she was seeing—the golden horn, and the silvery horse's body. She was eerily beautiful!

"You will leave here shortly. You must be kinder to your classmates more than you are now." Briara promised, going so far as to saying she'd invite other girls to her birthday party. Unnah vanished, as silently as she'd appeared. The girl wandered through the shed, encountering another skeleton, this one hanging on a wall. "It's that way." He pointed to a dark corner. Reaching it, she found a spider's web. Trying not to scoff, she thanked the skeleton. Approaching a wooden box, she lifted its lid. A mummy lay inside, wrapped in a tarp. Laughing, she kept searching for the exit.

At last! She sighed in relief, there it was! A pumpkin grinned on the black door. Green stuff oozed from its mouth! Still smiling, Briara opened the door, breatheing the cool, fresh night air. Rest of the group and Mom were waiting for her.

"Mom! I made it!" She cried, "It wasn't scary. It was actually fun." Everyone scattered to the parking lot, discussing the house.

"Did you see those skeletons?" The boy asked Briara, "Dad got scared."

"Yeah, I did. The one on the wall didn't scare me. What about that fog?" Everyone agreed that had been the best, Sally had lost her shoe trying to escape it.

"Well, how was it?" Mom asked, pulling out of the lot.

"Oh, you know. Typical house stuff. Zombies, mirrors, fire. Skeleton in the pool was the best." Glancing out her window, Briara glared. Running alongside their car was a dinosaur, unicorn, and a witch.

"What? No one's there." Mom remarked, following Briara's stare.

"Nothing." Fixing her eyes straight ahead, Briara changed the subject.

A month later was Briara's birthday. Only her best friends from class were invited; she had a great time opening presents. Mom saved the best present for last. "Well, come here."

Briara followed her mom to their yard. A black dog wagged its tail, and barked several times, as if happy to see her. She pretended to be surprised, anyway. "Thanks." "Can't you buy me another one, I hate his color!"

"I'll take him!" One girl offered. "He's cute." The dog barked once, then licked Briara's hand.

"No," Mom said, "He's staying here." She was slightly hurt, but decided not to say anything in front of the girls.

That night, in Briara's room, the dog lay on the rug by her bed. "Good evening." It said, "My name is Duke! You and I will have lots of fun, I think."

The End