1 I don't get scared easily I love horror stories and scary places Even the tales about Madsen Mansion my grandma's mysterious old house didn't bother me I couldn't wait to stay for a whole weekend It was the only good thing about moving across the country But when Mom and I pulled up to the mansion on Friday night I got chills Now I understood where the nickname Madness Mansion came from The place gave me the creeps The sun was setting behind the house leaving the front in darkness and casting 1
an eerie orange glow over the grounds A low mist floated across the driveway Deep shadows stretched between the trees As the bare branches scraped together in the wind they seemed to come alive I shuddered and looked away just as a flurry of black wings swooped down over the rooftop Bats It was like a scene from a movie My heart pounded with excitement I'd never visited Madsen Mansion before Sure I'd seen Grandma Madsen lots of times when she'd visited us but this was the first time I'd ever been to the place where my mom grew up I wished it was a visit just for fun and not because I needed somewhere to stay while my mom set up our new place Our new place across the country from Dad away from our old life together our family split in two 2
The mansion looked as scary as I'd imagined It had a pointy tower on one side and lifelike statues of wolves along the roof Iron bars protected the large windows and the heavy double doors seemed like the gates to a castle There was no way someone could break into or out of those doors Mom said the house used to be a sunny yellow but now the paint was dirty and peeling If you googled haunted house this is what you'd see But it couldn't really be haunted could it Mom parked at the top of the circular driveway Here we are Sly Your home for the weekend What do you think honey She looked at me with a twinkle in her eye I shrugged I've seen scarier I said That was a fib 3
