The Perfect Home

“Welcome, come in, come in!” Patrica beckoned the couple as she held open the door. They stepped into a house that was being repaired. The inside looked as if a storm had come in and gone out of the house.

“You must be Chloe,” Patricia reached out to shake her hand, “and you, sir, must be Dravin,” she reached out her hand again, but Dravin just stared at her blankly. Finally, Patrica dropped her arm back to her side.

“I am sorry about that, my husband is always all business.” Interjected Chloe.

“That's okay, that’s what I’m here for, so let’s get down to business, shall we? If you would follow me, I can show you the house.” She closed the door behind them, and the sound of something fell from upstairs. Patricia just smiled at them. The floor crunched loudly as they stepped out of the main entrance.

“So, let’s start upstairs in the master bedroom. This way.” She began to climb a flight of stairs. She stepped over a giant hole in the third step. “Please be careful when you go up,” she gestured toward the third step.

“Someone could get their foot stuck in that.” Dravin said, his voice echoing off the walls and giving off an eerie sound.

Patrica stopped and looked at him, “Yes, that's quite possible.” She smiled happily at him and then walked up the stairs. They followed her and both stepped over the hole.

“We have been looking for a house for a long time, since our last one was demolished by the city's demand. How do we know the same won’t happen to this one?” Asked Chloe as they entered the master bedroom.

Patricia turned back around and spoke. “I assure you that will not happen to this house. This house is an historical site, they are starting to rebuild the houses in this area and they want people to move in.”

Chloe nodded in agreement as Dravin began to walk around the room. He knocked on the walls in various places. Patrica looked at Chloe with a questioning face.

“My husband used to be a construction worker a long time ago. He knows the ins and outs of a building.” Said Chloe.

Patricia’s face brightened in understanding. “Great, so you know a good house when you see one!”

Dravin stopped in front of a wall, knocking on it. “The structure here isn’t very sturdy, cheap building materials. The ceiling in this room could fall on someone.”

They all looked up at the half-finished ceiling.

“That’s great news!” Patricia smiled. “Let’s go back downstairs so I can show you two the living space down there.” Patricia led them down the stairs, each skipping the hole in the third step.

“This is the living room. If you look to your right, the doorway there leads into the kitchen.” Patricia waved her hand around the room. “Please, look around, Dravin.”

Dravin had already moved away from the group. His head and arms half stuck in one of the torn walls, they could hear him fiddling with something.

“So you said this place is a historical site?” Chloe asked.

“Yes, it is! This was the first house built in this town. It’s been here for a long time.” Said Patricia.

Dravin's voice caught their attention. “The wiring installation here is poor. The lights will easily flicker and on a stormy night might even blow a fuse.”

“Could this place be any more perfect for the two of you?" Patricia’s smile became contagious, and Chloe joined her.

Dravin just grunted, “anything else?”

“Yes sir, one last place we should visit, let’s take a look at the basement shall we, this way please.” Patricia walked back into the main hall and then turned left, the couple right behind her.

“This house has a basement? I thought the houses here didn’t have basements because of the constant flood warnings.” Said Chloe.

“Since this house is a historic place, they try to change as little as possible. So the basement has stayed here all these years.” She reached out and opened a door through which steps led into darkness.

“It’s so dark.” Said Chloe.

“Yes, that’s because there are no windows, which means there's only one way in and out.” Patricia smiled broadly.

Dravin stepped forward and peered down, only being able to see the first few steps before the deep blackness. He knelt down, reached for the door and inspected it. He rattled the door handle; it was sturdy and new. The lock above it was also new, he checked the latch, it slid in and out easily. He moved the door back and forth, inspecting both sides several times as he slid the lock back and forth.

Dravin thought out loud, “so we have an unstable roof that could collapse, an unsafe staircase that would allow water to enter the basement, faulty wiring that would turn off the lights, and a basement with a lock on the outside that cannot be opened from the inside.” Dravin straightened up again and looked at Patricia with a slight grin on his face.

“Judging by the look on your face, I think we've found your next house!” Patricia looked at the couple.

The sound of soft chatter came from the front door and the three of them looked in that direction.

“Looks like perfect timing!” Patricia clapped her hands. “If you two would do the honours.”

Chloe and Dravin looked at each other and nodded. They joined hands and with their other free hand they reached up and touched a wall to the house.

The wall began to absorb them like water absorbs a sponge. Their bodies disappeared into the structure of the house.

Patricia waved at the wall and walked to the back door. “Happy haunting!” Patricia yelled, opening the back door.

On the opposite side of the house, the front door opened and a realtor came in with a couple. They all saw how the back door slowly closed by itself.

The real estate agent turned to the couple. “Don’t worry, folks, it’s just the wind. This kind of thing can happen when a house is under repair.”