CHAPTER 1
All was still as two strangers pulled into a town call Dunes, Michigan. It was two in the morning and no one in sight. The strangers were happy that they were not seen. They came to Dunes for a purpose and since it was in the wee hours of Friday, they had eight days to make plans to do the unthinkable. They drove around the town and started to mark each place with an x on the Plat that they had on the town. It told them where certain people lived and what to do on Halloween Night to the places mark with and x.
Then they drove some more until they came upon a street called Willows Drive. They turned right on the drive and drove a mile to the house that they just bought. It was the Willows' Mansion and on what they heard, it became the Kalaski Mansion. They put the car in the garage and shut the garage door and looked at the place. It was brick red and had a Victorian feel to it. The guys bought the house from a Mrs. Kalaski who was living at the Dunes Living Assistance Home. The guys were tired and were glad that Mrs. Kalaski kept her word on keeping the furniture in the house. So they went up this grand staircase to the bedrooms that they picked out and with clothes on, they fell asleep.
The morning came and it was another beautiful fall day, in Dunes Michigan. The trees were lush with their beautiful fall leaves and the squirrels were gathering nuts for the upcoming winter. The town was getting excited that soon they will have their Fall Festival and those caramel apples were to die for. It was those apples that made the festival and only two women in town knew the Willows family secret and promised Mrs. Willows that her secret was safe with them. Today the weather is not so cold or not so hot; it was perfect for the season.
Dunes have a population of six hundred and eight people and every year this town took pride in decorating for their Halloween Festival where their front lawns were decorated with symbols of Halloween. The town's people where giddy that this was going to be the best festival ever. As they prepared for the festival, not one townspeople knew that; on that night of that festival, their town would change forever. All because of the two men, who came to Dunes to settle a grudge that was growing with anger with passing day? Greg, Barney, Gary, and Jimmy were the best of friends since the age of two. Greg had them over for the weekend so that they can take their scooters and have some fun. Mrs. Snow told the boys to be careful and follow the rules that the scooter field had posted. These four boys were Greg age 18, 5 ft 8 and 175 pounds with blue eyes and blond hair and is the captain of the football team and volunteered at the Dunes Living Assistance Home. Jimmy age 17 is 5 ft 7 and weighs in at 155 pounds has brown hair and eyes and is the editor for the Dunes School Newspaper called the Dunes Wolverines and wants to be a pastor. Gary is age 18 and stood at 5 foot 6and weighed in at 200 pounds and is the captain of the wrestling team, and Barney age 17, stood at 5 feet 7 had brown eyes with sandy brown hair and volunteered for the homeless shelter. All four boys were seniors at the Dunes High School and been friends since the age of two.
Greg who lived on the other side of town lived next door to a living assistant home and across the Kalaski's Mansion. Whenever a holiday came, the people of Dunes could always count on Greg to decorate the home for the elderly who loves holidays as the next person, a week before Halloween on that Saturday morning, the weather was just perfect outside. After Greg ate his breakfast he gets clean up and dressed opened the front door of his house and then walks outside to a picture perfect weather outside. Greg liked to be outdoors and he loved the fall weather. Most of all he loved to help people to decorate their homes for he had a dream to become an architect and decorator for homes. Smelling the nice beautiful fall weather he knew that today was going to be a good day. He loved seeing the leaves changing their colors on the trees and seeing people having their Halloween decorations outside their homes. As he approached the Dunes Living Assistance Home, there Greg saw the elderly people waiting for him to help put decorations on their home. Greg smiled and waved as he looked both ways to cross the street and noticed two guys shaking hands to a realtor who just bought the Kalaski Mansion. Perplex on what he saw stunned him. For usually the town knew who was coming into Dunes to live and would give them a welcoming party. Not this time. So we went on his merry way to Dunes Assistant Living Assistance Home where the people gave him a thunderous clap for he was always nice to them and like to help them out.
Greg and the elderly people worked hard in decorating their home for Halloween. The women who lived here were great bakers. For the festival they will make Halloween cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies anything that would associate with Halloween. However, they were known for their caramel apples. As Greg was putting a big black spider on top of the chimney he noticed the two men and asked Hal who was one of the janitors if he knew anything about the two who bought the Kalaski Mansion. Hal said to Greg that he was not aware of someone buying the mansion. Greg thought that was odd. Hal mentioned them buying the mansion. Greg never asked that question, he just wanted to know about those two men. Then Greg and Hall put up a big black spider that was hugging the home's chimney and went down the ladder to put more decorations up.
When the two were down putting the decorations up on the house for the Halloween Festival, Greg was treated with a caramel apple as a thank-you for putting up the decor. Greg thanked the ladies and Hal and the others who helped him put the spooky artifacts that represented The Day of the Dead. As Greg said goodbye, he crossed the street and noticed one of the guys was staring at him and it gave Greg the shivers as though he saw a ghost. In his mind he knew it just his imagination because the last decoration he put up was a scary ghost.
Greg went to the mailbox to see if the mail arrived and looked at the two men who were pointing toward the attic. He thought it was odd that there was no furniture truck parked in front of the house. He watched them for awhile trying to be not being noticed. The more Greg watched the men the more he wonder when they moved in and why the Welcome Committee was not there to greet them. Greg watched the men as they walked around the red brick two story house and watched as they walked into the cemetery which was behind the Kalaski Mansion. While Greg was staring he noticed that both men turned around and looked at Greg. Greg ran into his home as fast as his feet would go. Once inside, Greg panted and knew something was not right about the new neighbors. He figured he would talk to his dad tonight about them to see if his father knew that the Kalaski Mansion was sold. Greg walked up the stairs to his bedroom that had a window facing the mansion. He knew that he would have to talk to his friends for an invite, and try to figure out why the mystery of those two men who just bought the Kalaski Mansion.
Greg lay on his bed and wanted to know why he felt so odd about those two who lived across the street from him. Thinking to himself, he tried to figure out why there was no furniture truck and no one came over to see and welcome them to Dunes. But for Greg, he was always told from his dad to mind your own business and never involved yourself with other people that you don't know. Greg looked at the time and noticed that his dad was about to come home. So when Greg got out of his bed and walks towards his bedroom door when he heard the front door opening up.
Greg knew it was his dad who just came home from work and went down the stairs to meet him. "Hi dad," greeted Greg. "Hi yourself, replied his dad. Greg's dad wanted to know how the decorating went over at the Dunes Living Assistance Home and Greg said it went great. He told his father about the layout with Hal helping him put up the spider on the chimney and saved the caramel apple so the two can snack on it tonight while watching a football game. Mr. Snow told his son that he better get upstairs and take a shower and if Greg would heat up the dinner that his mom made for them. Greg told his dad not a problem and began to go in the kitchen to see what today's supper would be. He took out a container and inside was homemade macaroni and cheese with the instructions taped on the lid on how to preheat it and to accompany the meal, to get the pears that were canned down from the basement and look in the breadbox for the crusty rolls. Greg then began to prepare dinner and was so glad that his father married a good cook.
Mr. Snow came downstairs and smelled the aroma of dinner that Greg was heating. Good thing mom had everything organized or we would starve," joked his dad. His son laughed and the two went on to set the table and brought the food in to eat. As they sat down and prayers were said, Greg then spoke to his dad. "Dad, do you know anything about the Kalaski Mansion being sold?" Mr. Snow was grabbing a roll and told his son that he was not aware of the old place being sold. "Me either, until I went over to the home to put up the decorations. When I crossed the street, I looked and saw two men shaking hands to a realtor then when I asked Hal, I thought it was weird that even he didn't know that the mansion was sold." "I just found it to be strange that there was no moving van or the Dunes Welcoming Committee to come over to greet them. Don't you think that's odd," he asked? Then Greg's dad said "Greg don't get yourself worked up about something you don't know. Saturday is not over as of yet and I'm sure that the Welcoming Committee will come." "I think your all nerved up from putting up scary decoration's and imagine that you thought there was something odd about our neighbors. Maybe they came during the night with the moving van and we weren't aware of it." Then Greg's dad changed the subject and asked Greg if he any thoughts about decorating their home? "I have some thoughts and still laying out the groundwork. I say by Monday, they will be put up." "Well whatever it is, I'm sure it's going to be good," said dad. "Well dad, today is Saturday and it's your time to do the dishes," said Greg. "Then later; while we are watching the game, the caramel apple will be our dessert. "When is mom coming home," he asked? "If everything goes well, I think she will be home on Monday. It's just sad that your aunt Margie had complication when she gave birth to the twins." "Can hardly wait to see Orin and Owen," said Greg. I'm going upstairs to work on some homework and be downstairs to watch the game."
As Greg was working on his history paper, he took a break and saw that his dad was raking up the leaves and was ready to put them in the mulch machine. Greg went out of his room and down the stairs he went to be outside before his father destroyed the leaves. "Dad, wait!" Don't mulch the leaves. I need them for my graveyard scene." "Son, the front yard had leaves all over the place and I want to keep up with the leaves so I don't have to rake after winter." "Dad, after Halloween, I will help you with the raking. I need these leaves to make what I have to be realistic." Then the guys saw one of the new neighbors walking out the door and taking a few steps to look at the steeple where the attic was at. "I guess we better be neighborly and go over and introduce ourselves," said Greg's dad. "Okay, but where's the Welcoming Committee," questioned Greg. The two crossed the street where the new neighbor was looking up to the attic window. Not to startle him, Greg, purposely walked over some crunchy leaves. This is when the neighbor looked back and saw Greg and his dad. "Hi neighbor said Mr. Snow. "My name is Walter Snow and I live across the street from you as he pointed to the two story bi-level home sitting across Kalaski home and this is my son Greg. "Hi," said the neighbor "It's nice to meet you Greg and Walter," said he. "It will be nice to see people living in this Mansion. It's been a long time since this place was occupied," said Greg's dad. "That's what I heard," said the neighbor. He told Walter and Greg that it was nice to meet them and that they would talk soon, because he and his friend just moved in and were still unpacking. Walter understood about the moving in and as a neighbor wanted to welcome them into their new neighborhood. The man thanked them for the introductions and then walked back into the house. Greg thought that was strange for they were being neighborly and the man was rude toward the end. Greg's dad just shrugged his shoulders and told his son that their neighbor had a lot going on. He then told his son lets go home for he knows that Greg has homework to do. As they headed home, Greg l had this sick feeling that something wasn't right about this whole situation of these two men who just moved into the Kalaski Mansion. He felt that something was going on for what did they have to unpack when no moving truck was in the driveway. As the two crossed the street to go back home, Greg told his dad that he never mentioned his name. "Forget it, Greg." We will learn of his name soon enough. Let's get inside and watch the game and have that delicious apple that we saved for our favorite pastime occasion." Father and son walked into their home to watch the game and to share the apple, yet Greg had this eerie feeling that something was not right about those men who moved across the street.
He decided to let it go for now, for there's nothing then watching a game with dad and eating the best caramel apple in the world. His dad turned the game on and surprise Greg with the cut up apple and made nachos and cheese with a Coke. Three hours later, their team Tators won and Greg told his dad that he would put away the dishes and do a little bit more writing on his government paper which was due in three weeks. His father told him that would be alright and just to make sure to work on it for an hour then go to bed. As Greg headed for his bedroom his dad told him to text his mom to say hi and that he will see him in the morning for breakfast. After Greg text his mom, he decided to call his friend Mike to see how things are in Portman. Mike and his brothers moved there when their mom was asked to be President of a Corporation called Tipple Inc., where they made decorated frozen ice cubes. Greg noticed it was 11 o'clock at night and Mike was probably sleeping.
Greg worked on his paper for an hour and then called it a night for it was a y and wonders why there was no moving van or worse, the Welcoming Committee from Dunes never came over. Then he became more restless wondering why the neighbor didn't tell them his name. Greg got out of bed and walked to his bedroom and looked outside to see if could see the stars. The sky was pretty hazy so there would be no stars out tonight. Just as he was going to go back to bed he notices a reddish glow coming from the attic of the Kalaski Mansion and wondered what it was. He did remember seeing the neighbor looking at the attic when they came over and thought it was odd that there was this reddish glow. Greg figured that maybe they were turning on lights the lights and the curtains on the attic window were red. As he looked out the window his eyes drifted to the cemetery and there he saw a ghostly couple walking up and down the fence where they saw him and motioned him to come over. Greg thought his mind was playing tricks on him and just went to bed.
