Woman Buys Old House for Suspiciously Low Price Then Notices Neighbors Fearing Her — Story of the Day

Keisha still couldn’t believe her good luck. The sight of her new home—a beautiful, albeit slightly worn, Victorian house—filled her with pride. The intricate gingerbread trim, the wraparound porch, and the steep gables gave the house a charming, old-world elegance. It needed some work, sure, but it was sturdy and had so much potential. Most importantly, it was all hers.

As she turned to check on the movers, Keisha noticed her new neighbors watching her over the low hedge that bordered the property. A young couple stood there, their expressions hard to read.

“Good morning!” Keisha called out, waving cheerfully. She was eager to make friends in this new town, hoping for a fresh start. But her hopes were dashed as the couple quickly turned, climbed into their car, and sped away without so much as a backward glance.

Keisha frowned. “Well, that’s not a great start.”

Throughout the day, as she and her two children, Carter and Ava, settled into the house, Keisha couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. Every time they ventured into town, she noticed people staring. Their glances weren’t just curious; they were almost… fearful. When they entered the local coffee shop, conversations hushed, and every eye turned to them.

Keisha tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the cozy, historical atmosphere of the shop. The walls were adorned with old photographs of local landmarks. When she glanced over at the table where Carter and Ava were waiting, her kids pulled funny faces, trying to lighten the mood. It made her smile, but the unease lingered.

“Hi there!” The barista’s warm greeting broke the tension. He was a young man with a friendly smile. “You must be the new folks in town. I’m Sam. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Sam,” Keisha replied, relieved to finally encounter some friendliness. “I was beginning to think this town wasn’t very welcoming to newcomers.”

Sam’s smile faltered, and he glanced around the shop before leaning closer to Keisha. “It’s not that, really. But… you live in that old, blue Victorian house on Park, right?”

Keisha nodded. “Yes, why?”

Sam hesitated, then lowered his voice to a whisper. “That house… it’s haunted.”

Keisha almost laughed. “Haunted? You’re kidding, right?”

Sam shook his head, his expression dead serious. “I wish I was. The house used to belong to old man Jefferson. He was a psychic medium and held seances there for years. People say he opened some kind of spiritual nexus in that house. Nobody’s been able to stay there since he died.”

Keisha blinked, unsure if he was serious or just trying to scare her. “Come on, that’s just an old ghost story. You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Before Sam could respond, an elderly woman with a jagged scar on her chin approached. “It’s no story, girl,” she said, her voice sharp. “That house is cursed. You brought that evil into our town, and you need to get out before it spreads.”

Keisha was taken aback by the woman’s harsh words. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe in curses or ghosts.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “You will. Mark my words.”

Keisha left the coffee shop, trying to shake off the eerie feeling that the encounter had left her with. She didn’t believe in ghosts, but the woman’s words kept replaying in her mind.

That night, Keisha was jolted awake by the sound of heavy footsteps echoing through the hallway. Her heart pounded as she reached for the baseball bat she kept by her bed. When she opened her bedroom door, she saw the hallway lights flickering, casting strange, distorted shadows on the walls.

“Who’s there?” she called out, her voice trembling. No answer, just the continued sound of footsteps and… whispers.

She spun around, but the hallway was empty. The whispers seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Fear gripped her as she rushed to check on Carter and Ava, who shared a room on the first floor.

“Mom, did you hear those sounds too?” Carter asked, his voice quivering.

“I told you, Carter, it’s just because the house is old. Right, Mom?” Ava added, trying to be brave, but Keisha could see the fear in her daughter’s eyes.

Suddenly, the bedroom door slammed shut with a force that rattled the walls. All three of them jumped, and Keisha’s resolve to brush off the ghost stories began to crumble.

Smoke started to billow up through the floorboards, curling around Keisha’s feet like cold tendrils. A low, rhythmic chant filled the air, and the temperature in the room plummeted. Keisha’s instincts screamed at her to get her kids out of the house. She grabbed them and bolted for the front door, not stopping until they were huddled together on the porch.

When the police arrived, they found no signs of a break-in, and their skepticism was palpable. “We’re aware of this house’s reputation, ma’am,” one of the officers said, barely masking his irritation. “But the police can’t keep responding to false alarms. You could be fined or even arrested for wasting our time.”

Keisha’s anger flared. “False alarms? There’s something in that house! My children are terrified, and I’m telling you, it’s not just in our heads.”

The officer sighed, clearly unimpressed. “Ghosts aren’t real, ma’am. Maybe it’s time you considered moving out if you’re this scared.”

After the police left, Keisha’s determination solidified. She didn’t believe in ghosts, but something was very wrong in that house, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. The following day, she started packing, but a nagging thought kept her from leaving just yet. She had to do some investigating first.

Keisha went down to the basement to retrieve some clothes from the laundry. The air down there was heavy, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. As she was about to leave, something caught her eye—a black leather glove lying in the corner. It was too large for her or the kids, which meant someone else had been in the house.

Her heart pounded as she looked around, her phone’s flashlight sweeping across the floor. That’s when she noticed the dirt on the ground. It was disturbed in a strange pattern, leading to a section of the wall where the wood paneling looked slightly different from the rest.

Keisha’s breath caught in her throat as she approached the wall. She pressed on the paneling, and with some effort, it shifted, revealing a hidden door. She’d seen enough horror movies to know that this was no ghost—it was someone trying to scare her out of the house.

Deciding to do some more digging, Keisha headed to the local library. After a conversation with the librarian and hours of combing through old newspaper archives, she pieced together the story of her house. It had belonged to the Barlow family, and the last owner, Anna Barlow, had sold it after her father’s death. Mr. Barlow, the so-called psychic medium, had supposedly left his daughter a riddle that would lead to a hidden treasure. Anna had never found it, and the house had passed to various owners before Keisha.

“Guess she never found that treasure,” Keisha muttered as she read about Anna’s death and the subsequent rumors of a curse. One old article included a photo of Mr. Barlow with two young women. The librarian confirmed that one was Anna, but the other… Keisha stared at the picture. The other woman looked familiar.

Keisha’s mind raced. She had seen this woman before. The pieces started to fall into place. She returned to the house, more determined than ever. After some more searching, Keisha found more photos and documents hidden away in the attic. Among them was a letter from Anna to a cousin, lamenting the loss of the house and the treasure she could never find.

An idea formed in Keisha’s mind. The next day, she went back to the coffee shop, this time with a plan.

“You look like you’re in a good mood today,” Sam commented as he handed her a coffee.

Keisha leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “I’ve had an amazing day, actually. You won’t believe this, but I found the treasure in that old house.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow, that’s… incredible.”

Keisha nodded, a smile playing on her lips. “Yeah, it’s going to change our lives. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to all those ghost stories.”

That night, Keisha waited in the darkness of the basement. She knew that her words would reach the right ears and that the person trying to drive her out would make their move. Minutes ticked by, each one stretching longer than the last, until finally, she heard the soft thud of footsteps in the secret passage.

The door to the hidden room creaked open, and a flashlight beam swept the floor. Just as it was about to reveal her, Keisha whispered into her phone. “Now.”

Bright lights suddenly illuminated the basement as the police, who had been waiting for her signal, surged forward. The intruder froze, caught off guard. Keisha stepped out of the shadows, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and triumph.

“I knew it was you, Sam,” she said, her voice steady. “You’ve been searching for that treasure, haven’t you?”

Sam glared at her, but Keisha continued, holding up the photo she had taken at the library. “I recognized you from this. You’re related to Anna Barlow, aren’t you? You and your mother have been trying to scare everyone away from this house so you could search for the treasure in peace.”

Sam’s expression darkened. “You don’t understand. My mother was cheated out of her inheritance by Anna’s family. That treasure belongs to us!”

Keisha shook her head. “That doesn’t justify what you did. You terrorized me and my kids. But your game is over now.”

As the police took Sam away, Keisha showed them the traps, wires, and special effects that had been used to create the ‘hauntings’ in the house. It was all an elaborate setup, designed to make people believe the house was cursed so that Sam and his mother could search for the treasure undisturbed.

In the end, there was no treasure—just a house full of memories and secrets. But as Keisha stood in the now-quiet house, she felt a sense of satisfaction. She had faced her fears, protected her family, and uncovered the truth.

And as Halloween approached, Keisha couldn’t help but smile at the thought of hosting the best Halloween party the town had ever seen in her ‘haunted’ house.