《Hazel Haunted House Adventure》


 Stave One : A New Day

    Hazel Gregory is a sixteen-year-old boy who was going on about his school day. His friends call him Haze. It was as an ordinary day as any other; it was passing time between mods 11-12 and 13-14. He walked down the hallway. His classmate Miranda, came up from his right and greeted him. ¡°Haze,¡± she said. Haze looked down to his right and smiled. Her arms were crossed. Her eyes looked intent on studying him. ¡°Hi, Miranda, " he said. ¡°Hazel,¡± another voice said. Hazel turned his head. ¡°I see that your walking with your girlfriend,¡± Haze just smiled at Damien¡¯s teasing. ¡°Hi, Damien.¡± that is the only response he could come up with. Damien is the only one of Haze¡¯s friends to call him Hazel. Both Damien and Miranda were walking on either side of Hazel. He enjoyed their company. Hell, he enjoyed it immensely. / oh god, what do I talk about now? Should I joke about the weather? He waited until he got to the end of the hallway and said, ¡° I have algebra, I¡¯ll see you guys later.¡± Miranda and Damien said goodbye to Haze. As he went left, they went right. ¡° Sup bud, a warm voice said. Hazel looked up to see a tall boy leaning against the lockers with phone in hand. It was Chris from wrestling. Hi Chris, ¡° Haze said. ¡°How''s your day going? Asked Chris. ¡°It¡¯s going well, about to have math .¡±


    Hazel felt comfortable in Chris'' presence; it was as if there was no pressure to talk about anything. They could just be. ¡°Alrighty good luck, I¡¯ll see you later bud, love you.¡± ¡°Bye,¡± Haze said. Hazel noticed that Chris was the only one outside of his family that said I love you. He didn¡¯t know how to feel about it, though he didn¡¯t see anything wrong with it either. He wondered what would happen if he said it back. He only knew he was loved. Eventually, he went to his weekly counseling appointment, during his lunch period. Hazel told his counselor about how he and his friend, Jay found a house in the woods


    Jay lived in a raised ranch house across the street.


    Hazel couldn¡¯t get the image of the rundown house out of his mind. He was reminded of the conversation he had had with Jay. The house was in a forest in a clearing. behind Jay¡¯s house. The second floor looked over Jay and Haze¡¯s neighborhood. Jay had tan skin and light brown eyes. From Haze''s Perspective, he looked like a lab retriever. He had moved to Hazel¡¯s neighborhood a year earlier. He and Hazel had a supportive relationship and liked to goof around. One time in their criminal justice class, they were put into a group together at a desk. Jay switched his laptop for Hazel¡¯s to see if he would notice. Hazel talked to Jay about the house, and Jay said that it was run down and haunted by two witches. The house was an old Victorian home with high ceilings, pillars, and shutters with leaves stuck in them. ¡°The dust from the house is a result of the witches¡¯ brooms getting wind burnt from the witches riding on them, " Jay said. Hazel started playing with the grass. Jay also liked to invite Hazel to go on adventures. For instance, he nudged Hazel towards visiting the haunted house. Hazel wasn''t ready yet so he gave a swift arm to Jay¡¯s chest. Jay teased him about it and assured him that he enjoyed Hazel¡¯s company. Hazel heard his name being called.


    ¡°Hazel, I promise that if you complete this session, you don¡¯t have to talk about feeling overwhelmed for the rest of the day,¡± Mrs. Williamson said. ( Hazel was sent to the counselor''s office for bouts of overthinking,¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Hazel resumed telling his counselor a similar story.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you had fun,'''' the counselor said.


    After that, Hazel ended his day at school. Hazel thought about his day and began thinking about Damien and Miranda. He pondered how to catch Miranda off guard the next time he saw her. He also came up with topics to consider should he pull someone aside.


    Eventually, it was bedtime for Hazel. He lay down on his bed with his gaze resting towards the ceiling. He felt he should text Damien but didn¡¯t know what to ask.He busted out his cell phone.


    Damien¡¯s relationship with Hazel was both playful and supportive. During sophomore year, Damien liked to scare and play pranks on Hazel and joke around with him. Because of their shared interest in wrestling, Hazel wasn¡¯t afraid to poke and prod at him either. They would find yard games much more fun than small talk. Hazel hesitated to text Damien, even though in his belly he felt that he should text him.


    Hey Damien, what¡¯s up?


    A few minutes later, Damien texted back.


    Hi Hazel!


    Hazel felt excited but then froze. Paralyzed, Hazel scrambled to think of what to text back.


    He didn¡¯t know whether or not to tell him about the house in the woods, his day, psychology class, etc.


    ¡®[Hazel, are you overthinking things again?¡± Damien texted. You can tell me anything.


    Hazel felt conflicted. He wanted to tell Damien how he felt, but couldn¡¯t say it.


    I¡¯m trying my best to come up with something to text you back lol. Why do you text so fast?


    Of course, I can do anything fast, Jahhahh what did you want to talk about? Damien said.


    Hazel felt amused knowing he¡¯d made Damien laugh.


    Well, Hazel answered. I think there is a haunted house near the woods behind Jay¡¯s house.


    Lol, you¡¯re funny Hazel. Why? Were there two broomsticks that looked like they had wind


    burn?


    Hazel visualized a witch riding a broom in circles above the house. The image stuck in his head.


    OMG, you''re like the third person that¡¯s joked about that.


    I don¡¯t know. If you say the house is old, it must be haunted, with the straw of the brooms covered in black, texted Damien.


    Hazel felt like he was growing closer to Damien. He felt a heavenly feeling in his stomach.


    What did you have for dinner tonight,


    ¡°What? Are you getting scared and wishing I could hold your hand? Damien redirected jokingly.


    No, Hazel replied. That made me feel better though.


    Haha, glad I can help.


    How was your day? Hazel said.


    It was good, thanks for asking, Damien replied. It¡¯s always good to see you and Miranda. I had a ham sandwich with cottage cheese for lunch. I honestly can have that every day.


    Hazel scoffed and sent a laughing emoji.


    Hbu, Damien said.


    I had tortellini, Hazel said.


    Ooh, are you cooking? Damien said.


    Yes, I love Italian.


    Anything else we should talk about? Hazel said.


    No, not really, Damien said.


    Alright, goodnight, Hazel.


    Night, Damien. Hazel lay awake and tried to relax. He then drifted off eventually.


    Saturday morning Hazel was outside weeding the grass. He was picking onion weeds from the violet flowers in the grass. The town fair was later that day and was within walking distance of Hazel¡¯s house. I can¡¯t wait for the fair, he thought. Suddenly Hazel heard footsteps and felt cold, tender hands on his shoulders. As a wrestler, Hazel was used to his teammates surprising him every day. Eventually, he became used to it. Hazel liked to be surprised and poked at.


    ¡°Why hello, Jay,¡± he said, turning his head. He removed his gloves and greeted Jay with an affectionate handshake and hug.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going, Hazel?¡± Jay said.


    ¡°It¡¯s going," Hazel replied. ¡°What have you been up to?¡±


    ¡°Ya know¡­ Cleaning up my room.¡±


    ¡°Oh really,¡± Hazel said. ¡°Level with me, Jay. Did you


    clean your room? I would believe it if you put your clothes in the laundry basket.¡±


    Jay laughed. ¡°Yes, I did clean my room. The real question is, did YOU clean YOUR room?¡±


    ¡°Are you ready to hit the fair?¡± Hazel retorted.


    Jay gave Hazel a sharp look.


    ¡°Don''t avoid my question, Hazel. We both know you just put the clothes in the hamper. I do applaud you for using reverse psychology to fake me out. Now, are you ready to go down to the fair?¡±


    Hazel chuckled. ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Hazel removed his gardening gloves and grabbed his favorite hoodie from the entrance closet.


    Jay and Hazel started to walk down the driveway and then took a left. ¡°I¡¯m starting to hear noise,¡± Jay said. The noise came from the park behind the trees. The noise grew louder as they approached. The trees opened to reveal a baseball hoop with the park at the far end. Hazel took all of the environment in. He was excited.


    ¡°So what do you want to do first?¡± Jay said enthusiastically. ¡°Hey, Hazel, earth to Hazel.¡± Jay pulled on Hazel''s arm.


    I wonder if Miranda and Damien will be here. Hazel thought.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Hazel said.


    ¡°Have you had anything to eat in the last four hours?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have,¡± Jay laughed. ¡°But, Whatever. We should go on the Ferris wheel.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a ticket person,¡± Hazel said.


    Jay and Hazel found a ticket table with two ladies dressed in red and purple sweatshirts and jeans.


    Jay gave the ladies twenty dollars. In return, Jay received twenty tickets. The boys said goodbye to the ladies at the stand and ran to the Ferris wheel. Hazel giggled while jostling through the crowds.


    Grass and shrubs with a pavilion and a baseball field in the corner took shape. The boys got to the Ferris wheel and headed up the steep metal steps to climb on. The Ferris wheel was smaller than most and was covered in mostly pink, yellow, and blue intermittently flashing lights that made it seem very inviting. The metal parts fit snugly between the rider''s arms and legs. The Ferris wheel rose slowly. The view of the park from the top was beautiful. Hazel felt like he was watching an invisible grid. It was like something you would see in SimCity, except there were no roads. Hazel could see the food trucks side-by-side at the playground''s edge, and the basketball court next to it. There was a band in the center, while a beer vendor stood under the pavilion. Hazel looked over to a candy vendor who looked, from this height, like white and brown fluff wearing a witch''s hat. Wait, are those witches'' hats?


    ¡° Alright,¡± Jay said. We are going to shout ¡°Weeeee, in three, two¡­¡±


    The boys shouted, ¡°WEEEEEE!¡± The rest of the Ferris wheel giggled and followed suit.


    After the ride, the boys started to walk towards the food trucks. Soon, a wild monkey ran towards Hazel. It was Miranda carrying Damien on her back. Hazel did his best to stand his ground and let out a grin.


    ¡°Hi, Jay, Hi Hazel,¡±


    Miranda said as she let Damien down.


    ¡°Hazel, I see you brought your boyfriend,¡± Damien said. Hazel grinned.


    ¡°Damien, only you can tell a joke like that and it would land,¡± he retorted.


    Damien was a boy who had fair skin with black hair and brown eyes. He always seemed so calm and offbeat and Hazel wished he could be that calm. Miranda was a freckle-faced girl who had light brown hair and brown eyes. Her outspoken demeanor made her a dominant presence.


    ¡°Uggh,¡± Miranda said. My left leg is strangely sore.¡±


    Damien¡¯s calm brown eyes became wide with shock.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve told me that before you piggybacked me over here,¡± ¡°That helped the pain a little bit,¡± Miranda said. ¡°I carried you like a morgue slab.¡±


    ¡°Woah, whoah, since when were we getting dark,¡± Jay said. Hazel scoffed.


    ¡°Since I was alive,¡± Miranda replied nonchalantly. The group laughed.


    ¡°Do you want us to step on your feet?¡± Hazel said.


    ¡°I appreciate the thought. I don¡¯t think it will help,¡± Miranda replied. Damien interrupted her thought and stepped on her foot. Miranda shot a look at Damien.


    ¡°Hey, that only helps if I have been on my feet all day, which I have not,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Alright, I apologize,¡± Damien said. Damien put up his hands in defeat.


    ¡°I feel ya,¡± Hazel said. ¡°My left leg feels weirdly sore after doing yoga.¡±


    ¡°Should we step on Hazel¡¯s feet?¡± Damien said. ¡°He''s looking way too spacey over there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what,¡± Hazel replied. Damien threatened to step on Hazel¡¯s feet and then missed.


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding,¡± Damien said. ¡°I saw you guys on the Ferris wheel. Did you have fun?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jay said, ¡°it was fun. Hazel, however, kept thinking about that ruddy old house.¡± Hazel saw Jay smile playfully.


    ¡°First of all,¡± Miranda said. ¡°That statement was very old-fashioned. Second of all, what ruddy old house are you talking about?¡±


    Hazel described the abandoned house in the woods behind Jay¡¯s house. He said that the floor looked old and wooden. Broomsticks were peaking out and looking worn. He also said that when he looked at the house, he felt like it was watching him and wanted him to go inside like a Funhouse.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why you were being spacey?¡± Miranda said.


    Hazel watched Damien smile. It was as if Damien was brainstorming ideas just by looking at him.


    ¡°You know,¡± Damien said. ¡°I also hear Krampus is in there, as in, the alternate ego of Santa Claus, and a bunch of gnomes will be under his cloak.¡± Hazel felt a chill up his spine.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s stop, he''s getting


    scared,¡± Damien said.


    ¡°No... umm, I think that house belonged to a mystic or something. I¡¯m starting to feel a sugar craving. Do you guys want to go to the candy vendor?¡± said Jay. The group looked around at each other before answering.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Hazel felt a cold hand grab him.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to bring it in?¡± Damien said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Hazel said, looking puzzled.


    Hazel took Damien¡¯s hand with his right and hugged him with his left. Hazel let go of Damien¡¯s hand and completed the hug. Does he like hugs now? Hazel thought.


    ¡°Hazel,¡± Damien began.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You need to stop overthinking things.¡± The boys then let go. ¡°Why...¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Damien said. ¡°Don¡¯t ask why, and don¡¯t be worried that you texted me too late last night. I couldn''t sleep either. I had an essay for English. I stayed up finishing it. How¡¯d your appointment go yesterday?¡±


    ¡°It was very therapeutic. I''ll leave it at that,¡± said Hazel.


    ¡°That was an honest answer,¡± Damien said. ¡°Are you having fun?¡± Hazel smiled. ¡°No,¡± he said. Damien smiled.


    ¡°Now that is a lie.¡±


    Hazel looked straight ahead. Inside the candy booth stood a woman with white hair containing blonde streaks. She stood next to a boy around Hazel''s age with medium curly brown hair. The woman wore a straw sun hat. The boy wore a baseball cap. Hazel felt his heart rate increase. He felt disoriented and hid his fear with a warm smile.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Hazel said.


    ¡°Hello there,¡± the boy said. The boy was charming. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me. You''re a Reese¡¯s Pieces type of guy.¡±


    ¡°You are correct,¡± Hazel answered.


    The boy gave Hazel a Reese''s piece wrapped in foil. Hazel opened it immediately and took a bite.


    ¡°Hmm...


    Delicious,¡± Hazel said.


    ¡°Wait, woah, woah. Did we have to pay for that?¡± Damien asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± The older woman said. ¡°It¡¯s free to satisfy your sweet    tooth.¡± Damien breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Whew, okay,¡± Damien said.


    Hazel felt dizzy and fainted.


    Hazel woke up on an eerily familiar couch, sitting up, which to him seemed odd. Hazel looked out at his surroundings. It was a living room with a TV from the early 2000s. The TV screen was on. Static filled the screen. Its grainy noise filled the room. Hazel stretched out his arm and turned off the TV. He walked to a window in the kitchen. The kitchen looked like a farmhouse kitchen with tiled floors and old-fashioned faded blue wallpaper. Something that looked like it was straight out of the 1800s. From the window, he could see Jay¡¯s house from a distance. He then looked at the broomsticks with windburn. Wait, am I in the haunted house? He thought. Hazel heard footsteps approaching. He looked to his right to see the same boy who gave him a Reese¡¯s Piece walking into the room.


    ¡°Well, look who¡¯s awake,¡± He said. ¡°You gave everyone quite the scare. My name is Bodyguard, by the way. Bo for short. I¡¯m pretty sure your name is Hazel.¡± Hazel recognized the charisma in Bo¡¯s tone.


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°I overheard you talking to your friend at the carnival. You must be stiff.¡±


    Oh God, he¡¯s going to pull something out, Hazel thought. He looked at the laundry room door.


    Bo smiled. He raised his eyebrows as if he read Hazel like a book.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go through that door yet. You aren¡¯t ready. Come on, let''s do some stretches together.¡± he said.


    Bo rolled out a yoga mat and led Hazel through a few yoga poses to make him feel less stiff. These stretches included ¡°staff pose¡± and ¡°forward fold.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let''s end with stretching out our legs and continue to notice our breath.¡± Hazel felt better afterward.


    After the boys finished stretching, the elderly lady who worked with this boy at the candy booth entered the room.


    ¡°Well, look what the cat dragged in,¡± she said, holding a lit cigarette. Hazel was always told not to smoke, but he chose not to judge her. The woman smiled. There was a warmth to it.


    ¡°Hazel Bee Terrace, pleased to meet you,¡± The woman said.


    ¡°Likewise. I appreciate the hospitality. How did I get here?¡± said Hazel.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question, my child,¡± Bee replied.


    ¡°To make a long story short, I''m a registered nurse and assured your friends and your mother that I¡¯d do a quick checkup and assured them you will be perfectly fine. But there are more pressing issues.¡± ¡°Like what,¡± Hazel asked.


    ¡°My father gave this house to the previous owners to live in. The house used to be a Bed and Breakfast. Legend has it that a mystic psychiatrist, Ebenezer Oreme, built this house with his wife and kids to live in. He¡¯d had an encounter with the supernatural. When he¡¯d finished with his investigations of the house, he sold it to someone named Montgomery Ary. Ary then converted it into a Bed and Breakfast,¡± Bee said.


    ¡°This I¡¯d say is a big mystery. The size and the shapes of the rooms don¡¯t match up to a normal Inn, nor do the placement of the rooms,¡± Bo added.


    ¡°All I can tell you, is that the house appeared, because you seemed to be troubled, child,¡± Bee continued. ¡°Oreme returned to the house and died in mysterious circumstances, some say hysteria, others believe he just fell off the balcony from his bedroom. Either way, the door to the balcony from his bedroom was sealed. Oreme vowed to help others get to the other side and to improve their lives by helping them with their problems in a hands-on manner.


    Some of the residents have succeeded, whilst others have failed.¡­¡± Bee trailed off.


    ¡°What happened? Did they die?¡± asked Hazel.


    ¡°Oh, no. At least I don''t think so. Some went missing, others became erratic, and others led fulfilling lives. Then again, we all die. I presume that you would agree?¡±


    Hazel nodded.


    I forgot, Bee said. You are in the symboverse¡±


    Symboverse? Hazel said.


    Symboverse, bee continued


    Is this living room a reflection of my childhood? Hazel thought.


    ¡°Well, goodness. I think it¡¯s time you got some rest and started your exams. Bo, please take Hazel to the guest room.¡± Hazel thought of asking more questions but held off.


    Hazel stood up. Bo waited for Hazel to approach him. Hazel stumbled a little. Bo caught Hazel. He offered to let Hazel lean on him and walked him to his room. The guest room was a big bedroom with a queen-sized bed with a dark carved wooden headboard. The color palette again reflected the era of the 1950s and 60s. There was a painting of a cabin on the lake above the fireplace. Bo walked Hazel towards the bed and he sat down. He then gave a pat on Hazel''s back.


    ¡°As much as I would love to talk to you more, there is something more important... Rest.¡± Bo moved Hazel¡¯s legs up onto the bed, and his mother Bee walked into the room.


    ¡°Okay Hazel, I will give you something to calm your nerves. Are you okay with needles?¡± Hazel looked at the needle. It was similar to something you would see in the 1940s in a Black and White horror film.


    ¡°This will hurt just a bit,¡± Bee said. ¡°Grab Bo¡¯s hand and look at the painting above the fireplace.¡±


    Hazel felt his heart pumping. He followed Bee¡¯s instructions. Although he felt nervous, Hazel knew the pain would be over soon. There was something about the pointiness of the needle that would set most people off. Hazel did his best to keep still despite feeling nervous. Hazel felt the needle poke his neck. He felt calm and went to sleep.