The Barnabas family

The day was Halloween, the children were preparing for the long midnight tour of the houses, ready to collect all kinds of treats. We are at Laila Kenneroad’s house, where her little sister was dressing in Princess Aurora’s clothes. She, on the other hand, didn’t like Halloween. It seemed pointless and silly for her to dress like a superhero, a princess, or a villain, and to go from house to house saying “Treat or mischief?” Laila was getting ready for a movie night she would spend in her warm, soft bed. But it didn’t happen that way. Her phone rang and a picture of her best friend, Ben Boseley, appeared on the screen.

“Good evening, Maleficent.” - He said in a heavy, deep voice.

“What’s up, Ben?”

“I’m almost in front of your house, come down and open the door for me.”

“I’m not going out today.”

“Oh, come on. Today is Halloween, Laila, let’s laugh at children’s nonsense. Every year you sit at home and watch random scary movies, but you don’t go out. What’s the point?“

And so Ben managed to force her to at least open the door for him and invite him to her home. Then the two of them sat on the sofa in the living room and began to unpack some candies prepared to be given to the children.

“Tell me at least one thing I’ve missed on Halloween for so many years.” - Laila said, swallowing the candy.

“Last year, for example, we went to the abandoned school in the neighboring village. Legend has it that it was inhabited by ghosts and I can guarantee that it was quite scary. Two years ago, we were in the canals of New York and discovered a secret quarrel of sectarians who challenged Satan before our eyes. Believe me, I would pee in my pants. Should I continue?“

“Why didn’t you ever tell me these stories?” - She asked. It was interesting to her and she was obviously intrigued.

“Because the gang’s motto is: “Whatever happened on Halloween stays there.” So, are you coming?“

They left her house and got into Ben’s car, and he drove to Boston Cafe, where their gang’s gathering would be. These included Sianna, their mutual best friend, Gregor, her boyfriend, and Eliot, the boy Laila was in love with. They all drank hot chocolate with a scary cookie in addition. Laila and Ben entered the cafe and sat down with the others at the end booth.

“Where are we going this year?” - Ben asked.

“Laila, how did you decide to come?” - Everyone spoke in one voice.

“Well, I’ll give Halloween a chance.” - She replied, and everyone was happy.

They decided to visit the abandoned mansion of Mrs. and Mr. Barnabas. It is said that their spirits have inhabited the house for sixty years. The two were killed in it by a hitman, who two years later was found buried in the backyard of the mansion. Since then, no one has dared to enter the home. And he who came in did not go out.

The problem with this mansion was not only the grim history, but also the road to it. They had to go in front of the city center, all the way to the southern highway, from where there is a fork to the Midnight neighborhood. In this neighborhood, a little to the west, there was a gravel path that was about two kilometers long. At the end of it, the path narrowed, and that was where they got out of the car and left it. They continued on foot, with a long, narrow pond on their left, in which frogs jumped and croaked. It was nothing compared to the thick fog that followed them a hundred paces away. Almost nothing could be seen, they stumbled, collided, and barely reached the gates of the mansion. There the fog cleared, and in front of them rose a tall building, with peeling walls and dark reflections.

“I think we should go home.” - Sianna said, her eyes wide, fear and horror in them.

“We can’t give up, this is going to be the most brutal thing we’ve ever done!” - Ben scolded.

“How do we get in? The gates look locked, judging by the twelve padlocks.” - Laila muttered and walked over to them.

A moment later, the gates began to open slowly, accompanied by an ominous creak.

“This is too much already.” - Sianna hugged Gregor and hid her eyes.

After much thought and reflection, they entered through the gate and continued on to the front door.

Ben grabbed the handle and pushed it down, and the door opened, leaving only darkness in front of them. He and the others turned on their flashlights, then stepped forward, illuminating everything possible. Laila was walking in the back, with Eliot.

“Are you scared?” - He asked quietly.

“Are you kidding? I’m dying of fear. Why did I even agree to go out.“

“We have been doing it every year since we were eight years old. And you missed ten consecutive years. It’s eleven years today, you finally agree with us tonight, and we decided it was going to be spectacular. That’s why we chose this mansion. Come on, come upstairs with me!” - He held out his hand, and she grabbed it.

They climbed the stairs to the top and found themselves in front of a long dark corridor with two doors on either side.

Eliot opened one and went inside while Laila waited in the hallway. He rummaged through every possible cupboard, which seemed silly to her, because these were the personal belongings of the previous owners. It was not moral and respectful to them. She continued down the hall alone and opened a room at random, and when she entered it the door closed and the lights came on.

She was frightened, but did not shout. She looked around, she was alone. The room was relatively small, with a bedroom and a desk next to it. She approached and saw that there was a sheet of paper at least a hundred years old and an ink pen on the desk.

As Laila sat down in the chair, her hand reached for the pen and grabbed it. It was as if someone was controlling her body. Her hand moved to the sheet and began to write:

My name is Beatrice Barnabas, my husband and I live in this house. We lived rather. Something cruel was done to us, something that wiped us out of the world of the living. Your soul is pure and your conscience is good. We will not hurt you and your friends, take a look at our home. Go down to the basement and look around for a white, dusty cupboard. Open it and you will find the truth. Help us!

Then Laila stopped writing and the door to the room opened. She got out and walked down the stairs, looking for an entrance to the basement. During this time she saw that the lamps were lit everywhere.

“Laila, where have you been? We were looking for you everywhere! Somehow the lights came on. Don’t you think it’s scary!” - Sianna said and hugged her.

“Help me find the basement, I think there’s something important.” - She replied, and everyone followed her, looking for a door leading down.

“I think I found the door!” - Gregor shouted, and the gang rushed at him.

After they went down to the basement, she looked for a white cupboard and soon found it. It was cluttered with books, boxes, and trash. When she opened it, she found a notebook with the cover of “Beatrice Barnabas’s Diary.” Everyone gathered around Laila and began to read.

They spent several hours reading and reflecting on the diary. It wrote about the murder itself, who the alleged perpetrators were, how it was planned, and because she was afraid she would be killed next. The last writings were written the minutes before they were killed. Newspapers related to their murder were then found in the boxes. They wrote all sorts of things in them, but in the end they realized that this family had not harmed anyone. As they toured the house, they had found medals for New York’s best citizens.

And so this night became the most interesting, not scary night for all of them. Especially for Laila. A few days later, she and her friends went back to the mansion, bought rags, detergents, and paint to clean and repaint the house. One day, Laila saw Mrs. Barnabas at the end of the corridor. She smiled at her and then wrote thank you on a new piece of paper.

It is unknown why all the citizens intended that this family was evil and that the house was sinister. Eventually, everyone realized that the killer’s body had not been buried in the yard, nor that anyone had disappeared after entering. They are just trying to rest their souls. From that moment on, Laila never missed a Halloween to go out with her friends. The following year they visited the Park of the Forgotten Cemetery, then the Satanic House, and were always left with some lessons from their experiences.