“Enter at your own risk!” read the sign on the old Mouldering Manor. No one took it seriously, until one night, when a grown-up dare had Kirk, our fearless town joker, entering the house on Halloween night.
Kirk announced his adventure on social media, promising a live stream. That night, everyone huddled around their screens, popcorn in hand, ready for a laugh. Entering the mansion, his bravado echoed around the lifeless walls, the laughter and jesting providing a much needed comic relief to this haunting setting.
Around the hour, Kirk teased a shadowy figure in a long forgotten mirror. Informing us it was absolutely, 100% a ghost, he leaped into exaggerated screams, sending us all into peals of laughter.
But then… his screams became strangled – less like a joke, more like fear. The video feed stuttered, then cut out. An eerie silence filled the chat room. The laughter subsided. Hours turned into days, then weeks, and Kirk was never found.
The haunted house stands there still, even more feared and unapproachable. But every Halloween, if you put your ear to the screens of your devices, you can hear the faintest echo of a joke and a laugh. Kirk made sure he lived up to his promise of giving us a Halloween laugh – every single year.