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#FF — On the fence

msjadeli
PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

Trees surrounded the house like a cage.

Tangi asked the realtor, “Why has this house been on the market so long? The price is more than right.”

Inhaling visibly, the realtor answered, “Mechanically it’s sound, and there are no liens.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Once an offer is made, I’m able to disclose specifics,” was the response.

Tangi was on the fence. Something was amiss but the house was perfect.

Feeling confident she could handle whatever, she made the offer – and learned a family was impaled there.

The night she moved in, the fence began to bleed.

[101 words]

 

Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the fun-loving host of Friday Fictioneers.

Published by msjadeli

mother, gardener, retired government worker, observer, reader, learner, bicyclist, woman who runs with the wolves, lover of music!

73 thoughts on “#FF — On the fence”

  4. “Vlad, did you do the dishes?” “No.” “What have you been doing?” “Working on my hobbies.”

    Now, there’s a singular opportunity. Tangi now has the coolest haunted house in town. Tickets only $5. I wouldn’t want to live there though.

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  15. I love old houses, but they all do have their own idiosyncrasies, you know, plumbing that seems fine, but is dodgy when temperature is above 80 F, boards that creek only when a cat is in the room, fences that bleed, they all have something…

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  24. Every house has a history, if only it stayed buried and out of sight. Nice ghost story. there is a house No 13 on a street near me. It is unoccupied – so we think – and never been bought or sold it just sits there rotting away. Any offers?

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    1. I’m surprised your local jurisdiction doesn’t get after whomever’s name is on the deed. I hope No 13 is not too close to your place. There are dwellings best left unoccupied by humans. There used to an old sanitorium on the outskirts of town that later was turned into a psychiatric hospital. It sat empty for years. Groups of kids would go there and scare themselves. A friend of mine went in there, one not easily scared, and even he said the place held unwholesome spirits. They eventually tore the place down. Good riddance!

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  27. Reminds me of the 90s book & movie, The Virgin Suicides.
    I once bought a house knowing the previous owner had committed suicide in the garage (carbon monoxide). The strange part was, although I’d never met him, I wondered about it at least half the times I entered the garage. What haunted him?
    Intriguing story. Well done.

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    1. I think I saw that movie years ago; never read the book. You must have wanted to test your mettle to go forward with the purchase. Sounds like you passed 🙂 Thank you for reading and your comment, Bill.

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    1. Thanks for the link, Bjorn. That was a well-researched podcast and cool they had someone who was actually family in the court case. “Caveat emptor” is what it hinged on, and I love what the judge said about her trying to sell a house that was occupied. As they said at the end, whether it’s haunted or thought to be haunted by others makes a big difference in its salability. As they mentioned the house is currently for sale, I went out to zillow and guess what I found:
      https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1-Laveta-Pl-Nyack-NY-10960/32384985_zpid/?
      Beautiful home! You’ll notice nothing in the description mentions it is thought to be haunted!

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