You Didn’t Believe Me
Written by: TigeroftheValley

It was late October and Addie was kicking a pebble around the driveway of her new house, it was tall, and narrow. The wood warped after years of standing, facing the elements.

She hadn’t yet seen the inside, her parents were still trying to force the old rusty key into the lock. Their blue minivan looked out of place compared to the ancient house and overgrown garden. The fence had white paint that peeled away in big frail pieces and several wood planks had fallen down. The front yard had tall grass and bushes that looked sad and twisted.

Her parents were so excited for this house, it was on a street with two other houses, one owned by an old couple and the other a family with a young daughter.

When they told her about the move, they talked about painting the house blue,  cleaning the windows, and trimming the garden.

But now that Addie saw it in person, she doubted it was possible, it seemed impossible that the house had ever looked nice.

“Aha!” Her mom shouted in triumph, they must have gotten the door open.

“Addie, honey come over here! It’s time to see your new bedroom!” Her mom called her over.

Addie stubbornly went over to the decaying front porch, the steps looked like the definition of dangerous, but her parents nudged her forward.

“Come on honey, you can do the honors!” Her dad pointed to the unlocked door, gesturing her to push down the door handle.

She hesitantly walked up the precarious steps and rested her hand on the door handle, it was cold as ice but then it began to heat up, it burned against the flesh of her hand. Addie quickly threw the door open. A loud creeeeak sound came from the unwilling hinges.

The house was dark and dusty, Addie coughed at the dead air emitting from the abandoned house. It smelled like something vile.

Her parents rushed ahead, happy and excited. “Come along Addie!” They chorused together.

Addie reluctantly set her worn out converse clad feet on the carpet, a film of dust flying in the air from this movement.

After a tiring tour of the house, they finally got to the room that would be Addie’s.

Her mom flung the door to her room open, Addie got the first look inside.

It was grotesque. The walls painted a light pink which had faded and turned into a brownish white. A wire frame bed left behind to rust, floor boards that looked like it would fall apart at the lightest touch. A window covered with layers of grime after years of unuse. Junk was piled all over the room. Addie felt her spine tingle at the pure sight.

“Sweetie, don’t be upset, it’s a fixer upper!” Her mom rubbed circles on her back.

“Addie, don’t worry, we’ll get to work cleaning straight away!” Her dad rested his hand on her shoulder.

Later in the evening, most of the junk had been cleared out and they had set a mattress on the bedframe.

Her mom came to tuck her in. “You see baby, it will get better, this house just needs love. Your dad wanted me to tell you he loves you, he cannot come in right now but don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. I love you baby.” She smoothed down Addie’s hair and kissed her on the cheek.

“Love you too.” Addie said softly. Her mom smiled and closed the door behind her.

Addie fell into a fitful dream that turned into a nightmare. Black water dripped dripped dripped from the ceiling , and eyes from the darkness stared, until the deformed hands of children loomed out of the shadows.

When she woke up her room was pitch dark, Addie wanted to cry. But she was scared, what if the shadow children were there. She stayed in her bed until dawn.

As soon as the sun rose, Addie bolted out of her bed. She ran to the room her parents were in and woke them up.

“Mommy, I think this house is bad! I had a nightmare and … shadow children.” She mumbled and cried into her moms pillow.

“What sweetie? Sorry I didn’t catch that.” Her mom sat up groggily.

“I had a nightmare, and there were kids but it was all wrong!” Addie forced the words out of her mouth, she hadn’t acted this way since she was eight, but something about this made her want to run and cry for her mother.

“Honey, don’t be silly, nightmares happen to everyone, the house isn’t bad.”

And so this went on, every night her nightmares were worse, and every morning her parents didn’t believe her.

One night after she was tucked in, Addie couldn’t fall asleep, she felt the need to get up and walk around, which had never happened before. Addie slid her feet in a pair of fuzzy slippers and padded outside of her room, she wasn’t sure why, but she wanted to go down, all the way down, not to the kitchen, but to the cellar. But how would she, it was blocked.

Addie stood in front of the cellar door, until something in her snapped, she sprinted back to her room and hid under the covers. But her dreams were still plagued with children, black eyed and pale chanting for her to come and play.

She stopped telling her parents, what was the use, they never believed her. But every night she felt the urge to go into the cellar, and every night she darted back to her room.

A few nights before Halloween, after standing in front of the cellar door, she began to hear footsteps, like small children were running. It happened all around her. Then the shadows appeared; they were chanting, but she couldn’t quite make it out. Then a deep scratching sound came from the cellar door. But Addie felt planted to the ground, she shut her eyes tight, and hoped that it would be all right.

When she woke up, it was late morning and October
30th, the day before Halloween. She couldn’t remember if the events of last night were real or just a dream. If they were real, how did she get back?

Addie decided she couldn’t stay in the house any longer. She decided to introduce herself to the neighbors, maybe they knew something about the house.

She knocked on the family’s door, but aside from a quick glance from one of them at the window she was left there.

Then she hesitantly knocked on the door of the couple, the old lady opened up.

“Hello darling, you want to come in and have tea?”

Once she was settled in, the old lady whose name was Alice, poured some tea and chatted with her.

“You are our new neighbor, aren’t you dearie. Addie?” Alice smiled.

“Um, yeah, I’m Addie.” She said softly, and took a sip of tea.

“It’s very nice to meet you.” Alice dropped two sugar cubes in her tea cup.

“Alice, could you tell me something about my house?” Addie asked.

Alice coughed on her tea. “Your house. You don’t want to know that.”

“Please, I need to know the truth, I live there.” She pleaded.

“I guess dearie.” She cleared her throat. “Your house used to be a school, but it burned down, with the majority of the kids trapped in the cellar because the mistress was punishing them.” Alice sighed, “then a family moved in, the little boy. Georgie, bless his soul, he often complained of nightmares and weird occurrences, but his parents didn’t believe him. He died under strange circumstances soon after.” Alice sighed again. “I shouldn’t have told you that dearie, but it felt so good to get that off my chest. See, Georgie and I were best friends, and one day he told me what was happening in his house, and the ghost children, but I brushed it off, the next day, he died.”

Alice got up, and came back a second later. She held out a black and white photo of a young girl and boy. “That was Georgie and I. Believe it our not but I used to have long black hair, similar to yours. I would put it up in pigtails and he would always tug on them.” Alice smiled somberly.

“I’ve done it again, said way to much. It’ll be a wonder if you manage to sleep tonight darling.” Alice shooed Addie out of her house. “Go on, play in the sunlight, and dearie, please visit again, I like the company.”

Addie walked back to her house and layed down in the grass. She soon fell asleep. Then she woke up, she was sitting on a couple of nailed together wooden planks, her legs swinging in sync with another child’s legs.

“Hi, you changed your hair, I liked it better before.” Said a small voice next to her.

She looked and recognized the boy in the picture, except he wasn’t in black and white, he had blonde hair and green eyes.

“What are you talking about?” She said softly.

“Your hair, it’s different.” He insisted.

“No it isn’t!” Addie said.

“Alice, your hair, it’s not in pigtails! Don’t you remember, or did you just forget after I died.” The boys tone turned angry.

“I’m not Alice!” She shrieked in pain as he pulled at her hair.

“Alice, you remember me, don’t you? I told you what was happening, and you laughed. It was your fault I died!” The little boy glared straight at her, his green eyes now black as coal. “If you come to the cellar tonight and play with me, I promise you can forget all about your best friend Georgie, and my other friends and I will stop bothering you.” He tugged harder.

“Alright! Alright! I’ll come, I’ll play!” She shouted in pain.
He let go of her hair.

“Much better Alice, but make sure to wear pigtails.”

Then she woke up with a start, her hair hurt and her face was wet with tears. Was it real, or not? She didn’t know, lines of reality and dream faded into one, she knew though, she had to go to the cellar tonight, or else…

Addie slipped out of bed as soon as her parents were asleep.

Her hair was fixed in pigtails, so high it burned her scalp.

She tiptoed down, and avoided all the stairs that creaked, until she stood in front of the cellar door.

Addie knocked slightly, the door flew open with a light thud, chilled air rushing into her face.

“Welcome!” A familiar face appeared, it was Georgie. “I love your hair!” He complimented her but there was something odd about his words.

A hand grabbed her wrist, it was had a distinct pallor and sheen of perspiration. “Come on! Don’t be a chicken!” It tugged at her. But she felt rooted. “Alice! Come on! We’re all waiting for you!”

Her legs moved on their own accord, pulling her forward.

“Much better Alice, I was scared you had became a fraidy cat while I was gone, although, I suppose I never left, you were the one who wasn’t here. Honestly Alice, it’s unfair, why did I have to live in this house, why didn’t you believe me, why am I the one who’s dead?” Georgie’s voice continued to get higher and angrier, but then it calmed. “But I suppose you here now, and maybe you won’t ever leave.”

Addie felt the dread seep deep into her bones, settling there. She walked down the stairs shivering, either from the cold or the fear. She wasn’t sure.

Classical music played, violin and piano competing over who would be louder, but why was it playing? As she neared the end of the stairway, it played louder and louder. At the last step she saw the scene before her.

Around ten children danced the waltz with each other, but there was something about it, whatever it was it seemed eerie.

Georgie smiled wide, “care to dance?” He asked her.

Addie just wanted this nightmare to end, so she nodded yes reluctantly.

They danced around an old gramophone and waltzed perfectly in beat, she hadn’t even known how to waltz before this but it just seemed so natural.

Then the music ended abruptly, as the grandfather clock struck 12, signaling that it was now tomorrow, Halloween. Everyone separated and turned to Addie, the gramophone laid broken on the floor.

“Who broke the gramophone, it was you who broke the gramophone.” They all sang in unison.

“No, I promise, I didn’t!” She said rapidly, her body wanted to run like the wind, back to her old house, where there was no ghost children, no one who thought she was the young version of next door neighbor, and where her parents believed her.

Then she sprinted, up the stairs and hopefully out of this house far, far away.

“Get her!” She heard the ghost’s chorus.

Did she still have time to run to her mom? Or at least her room? Maybe she could run outside, would they follow her there?

Addie decided running outside was the best option. She hurridly opened the bolt of the front door and ran out. But just as she was about to make it off the porch, two cold hands clamped down on her.

“You broke our gramophone!” They all screamed behind her.

She was turned around by two of the ghost children. “No, I swear I didn’t!” Addie pleaded.

“Oh, well in that case, you can stay with us!” Georgie walked out of the crowd and smiled. “Congratulations Alice! We weren’t going to let a liar join our ranks! So that’s why we had Mark over there break it for us!” He pointed to a young ghost boy who smiled and waved at her.

“No, he didn’t break it, I did! See I’m a liar too!” Addie felt the words pile out her mouth.

“Ha! You are just as funny as I remember Alice!” Georgie clapped.

“I’m not Alice! I’m Addie!” Addie was sick of being called Alice.

“Is that your nickname now? Ok, Alice is now Addie! Don’t worry, we will take care of you and all of us will believe you when you say something, unlike your parents.” Georgie grinned. “Come along Addie, it’s time to join us!”

He dived at her and she felt the boards of the porch break below her, then she fell.

Later she woke up, her parents around her. “Addie! You’re awake!”

She saw Georgie sitting across from them, on the other side of her bed.

“They can’t here me, choose your last words wisely.” He said softly. “I’m here to take you with me.”

Addie felt her head spin, as her heart beat slowly, until it stopped. She then heard the machine flatline.

“You didn’t believe me.” She gasped out.

After that, Addie was always believed.