Farewell Summer ~ Ray Bradbury - Marimarister

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
The house stood on the edge of the ravine.
It looked haunted, just like everyone said it was.
Tom and Charlie and Bo followed Doug up the side of the ravine and stood in front of the
strange house at nine o‘clock at night. In the distance, the courthouse clock bonged off the hour.
―There it is,‖ said Doug. He turned his head right and left, as if he was looking for
something.
―What are we gonna do?‖ asked Tom.
―Well,‖ said Bo, ―is it haunted, like they said?‖
―From what I‘ve heard, at eight o‘clock, no,‖ said Doug. ―And not at nine. But starting
around ten, strange sounds start to come from the house. I think we should hang around and find
out. Besides, Lisa-bell said that she and her friends were going to be here. Let‘s wait and see.‖
They stood by some bushes by the front porch steps and they waited and at last the moon
came up.
There was a sound of footsteps along the path somewhere and from inside the house, the
sounds of someone going up some stairs.
Doug stood alert, craned his neck, but he couldn‘t quite see what was going on.
―Heck,‖ said Charlie at last. ―What are we doing here? I‘m gosh-awful bored. I got
homework. I think I better head home.‖
―Hold on,‖ said Doug. ―Let‘s wait just a few more minutes.‖
They waited as the moon got higher. And then, a little after ten, as the last peals of the
courthouse clock faded away on the night air, they heard the noises. From inside the house, faint
at first, almost imperceptible, there came a sound of rustling and scraping, as if someone was
shifting trunks from one room to another.
A few minutes later, they heard a sharp cry, and then another cry, and then a sort of
whispering and rustling and, finally, a dull thump.
“Those,” said Doug, ―were definitely ghost sounds. Like someone getting killed and the
bodies being dragged around the rooms. Doesn‘t it sound like that?‖