The House On Mendocino Street

Today, I’ll share a pic of the house I based the story on. A couple of years ago, I accidently had Amazon deliver my Kindle to the address. At the time it was boarded up and the yard was a horrible mess like the day I had my initial walk through. It looked haunted.

Last week, I drove by and snapped the pic below.

An investor must have bought it. At the time of my purchase, it was in foreclosure. The young couple I sold it to ended up going bankrupt and put the house in foreclosure not long after.

Was grandpa-ghost not happy with these two? ***shrugs*** Could be. From what a psychic told me, he loved being around me and my children. So its possible he didn’t care for the young couple like he didn’t care for the Bob character in my life at that time.

Anyway, creepy Bob will get his just deserts. I , as the writer will see to it … along with Ed.

If you wish to read the story, The House on Mendocino Street, go to the right of your computer screen and click on the icons, starting with, Writing Off the Cuff.

Before I go, I want to share one of my all time favorite creeps.

Don’t you just love Jack Nicholson?

Happy Halloween, all!

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

The House on Mendocino Street-11

Two more days before Halloween. Hope all is well with everyone. This is scene 11 to my ghost story. Its not edited but will be at a later date.

Hope you enjoy.

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

If you want to follow the sequence of the story, click on the links below:

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

PART SIX

PART SEVEN

PART EIGHT

PART NINE

PART TEN

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

Three weeks had passed, and Bob’s attitude toward Niki had worsened. It left Maddie no choice but to call out sick on a Wednesday morning. She needed to find a before-and-after-school program to care for her daughter.

Maddie slugged to the kitchen. She reached into a cupboard for her canister of Maxwell House. Something small and metal-like flew out when she pulled out the coffee can. The thing spun a around for a good thirty seconds before it collapsed on the floor.

She knelt beside it, gingerly scraping it from the floor. After, studied the strange female skeleton face clothed in long flowing robes. In one hand the depiction held a scythe and in the other a globe. Weird.

Maddie held it up and squinted. Tiny letters bordered the bottom half of the coin: Santa Muerte.

Niki screamed form her bedroom, jolting Maddie to attention.

The mom stuffed the coin in her robe pocket and ran to her six-year-old’s room.

There, Niki stood frozen in front of her bedroom window, staring out of it. Her little body shuddered while curtains billowed out and around her.

Maddie grabbed her daughter’s shoulders. “What’s the matter?”

“The bad man wanted in my room.”

“You mean Ed.”

Slowly, Niki turned to face her mom. “Ed’s not the bad man. It’s the bald Spanish one.”

Maddie reached toward the open window. Her hand slipped away from the metal frame but not without taking something small and cold into her hand. A coin. She flipped it up. Another Santa Muerte coin.

 

© Shelly Arkon 2013

The House on Mendocino Street-10

 

Hey, everyone! Here’s scene 10.

If you just popped in and are interested in following the story sequence, click on the links below. PLEASE NOTE: This has not been edited.

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

PART SIX

PART SEVEN

PART EIGHT

PART NINE

 

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

When Bob arrived home, it was a half past nine. So much for being right back from getting a quick coffee from Seven-Eleven. Heat filtered from the top of Maddie’s head all the way down to her toes.

“Hey, Darlin'.” Bob swaggered into the house clueless of his irresponsible behavior.

Maddie cocked her brow and crossed her arms. “It's been two hours since I got home." She began to pace the living room. “How dare you leave my daughter alone!” The words came out in a high-pitched tone.

Bob shook his head, and chuckled. “Well … nothing did happen … so what’s the problem?”

“There was some creep going through our mailbox when I got home today.” Maddie fought back tears.

“What do you want me to do about it?” Bob shrugged and gave her a smirk. His usual way of handling her concerns since they bought and moved into the house.

“I trust you to watch out for Niki when I'm not around. That's what you agreed to.”

“She's not my kid. Besides, her imaginary friend, Ed is around to watch her.”

© Shelly Arkon 2013

The House on Mendocino Street-9

Hey, everyone:

I know I’m posting late again. Had to drag myself to work again this morning. Whatever virus is going around, I’ve got it.

Anyway, not too many days left before Halloween. I’m wandering if I’ll have a solid end to this story by then.

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

PLEASE NOTE: This has not been edited.

If you want to follow the story, click on the links below:

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

PART SIX

PART SEVEN

PART EIGHT

 

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

Maddie forgot about the mail thief and ran up the walkway to the house. Her daughter being left alone concerned her more.

“Niki,” Maddie said, unlocking and opening up the door. Tears filled her eyes as thoughts of the mail thief doing obscene things besides stealing her mail.

Niki lifted her wide eyes.  “Why are you crying?”

“Are you okay?” Maddie dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her daughter, squeezing her close.  “Where is Mr. Bob?” She sniffled.

“He said he was going to 7-eleven for a coffee. Why are you crying, Mommy?”

Maddie pulled away from her daughter and held her by the shoulders at an arm's length. “How long has he been gone? I don't know what his problem is. She swiped at her tears. I just bought coffee.

“He told me to wait here.  Ed's been watching me. It’s okay.”

“Did he touch you?” Maddie would hunt down that letter thief and kill him herself if she had to.

“He gave me a hug when he found out Mr. Bob left me alone.”

Maddie gasped, and then stood, flipping open her phone. She needed to call the police department. That pedophile would pay for touching her daughter. So would Bob for leaving her little girl to fend for herself.

“But mostly we played tea party.” Niki glanced up at her mom. “And Sylvia likes him, too.”

“Is Ed the man that was out at the mailbox?”

“No. I don’t know who that was. But he scared me.”

© Shelly Arkon 2013

The House on Mendocino Street-8

I’m posting late today. Woke up feeling yucky this morning and had to get my sick self to work. Took a nap when I got home. After, I got up, made dinner, ate, and cleaned up. So I’m feeling okay to write something this evening.

Four more days until Halloween.

PLEASE NOTE: This hasn’t been edited.

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

You can follow the sequence  of the story below:

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

PART SIX

PART SEVEN

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

Maddie turned her van right, rounding the corner to Mendocino Street. A strange, bald man was going through her mailbox, pulling out her mail. Bob’s truck was gone.

She floored the gas pedal and raced toward her driveway, barely missing the guy.

The mail thief jumped out of the way, hands flailing in the air, mail flying everywhere. It most definitely wasn’t the mailman. Nor did he fit Niki’s description of an older man with bushy eyebrows.

Maddie shoved her stick shift into park, swung open the van door, and jumped out. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She dashed toward him, pulling out her cell phone. Her fingers fumbled out nine-one-one.

The man stepped back, tripping over his own feet, falling backwards. He rolled over onto all fours and got to his feet.

“Mommy!” Niki yelled from the large open living room window.

Maddie shot her eyes toward the window where her daughter stood alone.

The mail thief took this as his cue to run.

Maddie didn’t care and slapped her cell phone shut. Bob had left her daughter by herself. What was he thinking?

 

© Shelly Arkon 2013

The House on Mendocino Street-6

Hello again, everyone! Six more days until Halloween. I’m wondering if I’ll have some kind of ending to this story. I’m doing my best to keep it at or under 300 words. I know everyone has other blogs to visit and writing of their own to do.

PLEASE NOTE: This has not been edited.

Below is where you can follow the sequence of this story:

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

Thanks for visiting.

Hugs and chocolate, all,

Shelly

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

Bob and the realtor had returned.

“Like I said, no one’s out there.” Bob’s voice boomed through the furnitureless house.

Maddie about jumped out of her skin hearing it and snapped her head around to find him standing a few feet away. The realtor wasn’t that far behind him. “Oh.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Bob’s mouth twitched and the vein in his neck throbbed. They were two warning signs that he was about ready to blow his top.

Niki clung to her mother tightly. She buried her face as deep as she could into where her mom’s tshirt and jeans met.

Maddie pressed her hand against the back of her daughter’s head, bracing them for one of his verbal explosions. He had jammed fisted hands to his hips, and his face had reddened.

“We’ll discuss this later.” Bob’s hands dropped at his sides. “We need to finish the walk through.” He glanced up at the ceiling. The black mist had moved.

Maddie blinked her eyes twice and it was gone.

The real estate agent rubbed his hands together like a fly. “You’re going to love the rest of the house.” He moved around Bob and headed toward a hallway to the right of the living room. “The bedrooms are very spacious.”

Bob sauntered over to Maddie and took her arm. “You almost look as if you’ve seen a ghost,” he whispered sarcastically to her, slipping his arm through hers. “ Do you think you can keep all imaginary friends at bay until we’re through.”. His blue-green, marble-like eyes glared down at Niki.

The little girl shuddered, letting go of her mom. She walked ahead of them following the realtor. Maddie and Bob went right behind her.

Everyone stopped at the first bathroom to the right of the hall. The faucet dripped and dripped.

“That’s strange,” the realtor said. “To my knowledge the water hasn’t been turned on.” He reached for the knob and turned it clockwise. The water continued dripping. He then tried turning it counterclockwise. Nothing but tiny drops plopped against the porcelain.

Bob walked toward the tub and turned the knobs. Nothing happened.. “That’s strange.”

© Shelly Arkon 2013

The House on Mendocino Street-Post 3

Hey, everyone! This is the third scene of the story that I’m posting as I write. I’m doing my best to keep it at or under 300 words. It’s based on a true story. Mine. The names of people have been changed to protect the innocent. Also, this has not been edited so it’s not going to be perfect. I plan on expanding and polishing this later on for publication.

If you want to follow the sequence of this story click below:

PART ONE

PART TWO

Have a chocolate-filled day while I’m at work loppity-lopping today.

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

Finally, Bob and the realtor pulled into the drive next to Maddie’s mini van. They both came in the real estate agent’s Mercedes. That meant Bob’s pick-up probably broke down again.

Both men nodded a ‘hello’ to Maddie and got out of the car. They walked in front of the mini van.

Bob stopped and gazed through Maddie’s windshield, gesturing for her to hurry. The realtor rounded the north corner of the house toward the front door.

God, there he goes again acting like a traffic cop. Annoying as hell. Maddie got out of her mini van. “I’m coming.”

Bob shoved his hands into his blue jean pockets, looking around her. “Where’s the midget?” A smirk popped on his face.

“In the backyard.”

“Doing what?’

“Exploring.” Maddie waltzed passed him. She stuck her nose in the air. “Remember when you were six?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t aloud to explore.” Bob came up behind her quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Exactly.” That’s your problem, Maddie thought, as she allowed him to nuzzle her neck. “How do you expect a child to grow up normal?”

“Are you saying I’m not normal?”

“We’ll discuss this later. I’m sure the realtor would like to get the show on the road.” Maddie peeled his hands from her waist and walked toward the open front door to the house.

The real estate angent stood in the middle of the large empty living room, peering out the wide front window.

As soon as Maddie’s shoes hit the threshold, a tingling sensation rushed through her, keeping her from going further in. A dark shadow washed over the yellowing walls. The realtor didn’t seem to notice.

Bob caught up to her, pressed his index finger into her back, and pushed her forward. “What are you doing?” His voice sounded agitated.

“Nothing.” Maddie moved into the house to get his finger off her back. She hated his tendency to prod her along in the public eye. It was degrading.

“What do you all think?” The realtor asked.

Bob clapped his hands and then rubbed them together. “Looks---“

What sounded like a back door slapping a wall came from the back of the house.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Niki yelled. She skipped into the living room. “The man in the back yard says I can call him Grandpa Ed.”

© Shelly Arkon 2013

Another Entry: The House on Mendocino Street-Entry 2

 

For Halloween, I thought I ‘d write a short story based on a true story. Mine. Everyday, I will post as short an entry as possible. Hopefully, not over 300 words. Talk about discipline. NOTE: This is off the cuff so there will be mistakes. This is for fun. However, I will end up polishing it for publication eventually.

Hugs and chocolate to everyone,

Shelly

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

Niki made a straight dash toward an opening between a broken chain link fence. Moldy leaves covered the ground of the backyard. The pungent smell clung to the insides of her nostrils.

She stopped in the middle, lifting her head. A giant tree towered over the house. It canopied the entire back of it, including half the roof. A rope dangled from it, beckoning her to swing from it.

The hairs on the back of the little girls neck stood on end. A sudden chill rushed through her, and she shivered, looking around the musty smelling yard. She saw no one.

“Come on, Sylvia,” Niki said out loud to no one apparently there. Her mommy said Syivia was only imaginary, but she believed differently. Her friend went everywhere she did.

A gentle breeze whirled a few leaves up and around in the air. Niki didn’t give it a thought even though it had been a still, hot Florida summer.She reached for Sylivia’s small hand and tugged her toward the dangling rope. “I’ll swing you, if you swing me.”

Niki grabbed the rope, pulled herself up onto it, and wrapped her small legs around it. She dangled from it, waiting for her friend to push her. “I thought you were going to push me.”

The wind whipped up again all around her, but like the first time she gave it no thought. The temperature had dropped to an unusual chill.  It made the skin on her arms break out in goose pimples while she waited for her imaginary friend to push her. “Come on, Sylvia.”

A large but firm, gentle hand touched her back, giving her one big push. “Hello, tiny miss,” a soft-spoken man said. “Does your mommy know where you are?”

© 2013 Shelly Arkon

Writing Off the Cuff

Thought I’d write a short story off the cuff for Halloween, posting it as I go. So there will probably be mistakes.

The House on Mendocino Street is based on a true story. Mine. I once lived in a haunted house with my daughters. So I figured since this was Halloween month, I’d write a two or three or more part story.

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

The house didn’t look like much, an ugly grey Florida concrete home with a dirt yard to match. The only greenery was a pineapple palm growing close to the front door. The tree in the front yard drooped dead branches onto the roof. It was definitely not a candidate for anyone’s dream house.

Maddy couldn’t believe that she let her finance’ talk her into meeting a realtor to check out the dump. He had told her it was in foreclosure. By the looks of the house, she could understand why. It looks like a dump. But the house seemed to call to her. It had a familiar feeling about it even while she waited for her fiancé and realtor to arrive.

“Mommy,” Niki said from the backseat. “Are we going to live here?”

Drumming her fingers along the steering wheel of her mini van, Maddy shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t know. Maybe.”

“When will Mr. Bob be here?”

“Soon.”

“Can I go look in the backyard?”

Maddie found no problem with her daughter’s curiosity. Most six year olds were. “Sure. Just make sure you stay in it. Don’t go wandering around elsewhere.”

“Okay.”  Niki slid the the back passenger door open. “Mr. Bob won’t get mad at me, will he?”

“Don’t worry.” Maddie glanced over her shoulder and gave her daughter a small smile. She figured her finance’ needed to chill out when it came to her child. She hoped he would calm down about his parenting position after she married him. He took it too seriously. Too much on the strict side.

Niki hopped out of the van, ran to the front of it, stopped, turned, and waved at her mother.

Maddie waved back and watched her daughter skip around the corner on the south side of the house. After, she cast her gaze at her twenty dollar wristwatch she bought at Wal Mart a couple months ago.

Out of the corner of her eye a dark silhouette crossed in front of the garage door. She blinked her eyes twice thinking she had floaters crossing her vision for moment. Or am I seeing things. The shadow rounded the same corner her daughter did, but she dismissed it.

© Shelly Arkon 2013

Anyone else writing anything off the cuff for the world to see? I’ve been tinkering with the idea since I wrote an essay for another blog a while back. Anyone get story ideas from writing your blog?

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly