Mr. Lambini's Haunted House

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"Dare you."

"I'll go if you go."

"You're scared."

"No I'm not."

"Are, too."

And so, daring each other and teasing each other, Cindy and her friend Beth walked up path that led to Mr. Lambini's house. All evening, they'd met kids who'd been there. Everyone was talking about how great and scary it was. Cindy looked at the piece of wood leaning against the willow tree in Mr. Lambini's front yard. A big sign, painted in blood red letters on a black background, proclaimed, "HAUNTED HOUSE."

"I'm not scared of anything," Cindy said. And she wasn't. She'd yet to meet something she couldn't handle. Movies, books, even creepy rides -- none of it bothered Cindy.

She led the way to Mr. Lambini's porch. Not bad, she thought as she studied the scarecrow in the front yard. It looked like it was rigged to move. Sure enough, as she walked past, the arm swung out and a tape-recorded voice went, "Boooo hhhooooohhoooohoooo!"

Cindy wasn't scared. But Beth jumped half a mile, nearly leaving her shoes behind. "Scared?" Cindy asked Beth when she came back down.

"Nah," Beth said, with just the faintest tremble in her voice. "Just startled."

Cindy smiled. The scarecrow was a good sign. They never put the scariest stuff by the entrance. They always saved the good stuff for inside. So, if the entrance was this scary, the rest of the haunted house should be great.

They walked up to the porch. Three other kids were standing there, as if trying to build up the courage to ring the bell. A small cowboy and two hockey players. Cindy recognized them easily enough despite their costumes. It was Dwayne, Wally, and Wally's little brother Ted. She smiled and walked past them. "What were you waiting for?" she asked as she rang the bell.

The door swung open. "Enter," a deep, booming voice said. Cindy paused, bracing herself for anything that might jump at her. Nothing popped us, so she stepped inside. The walls were draped with sheets, leaving a corridor for them to walk through. Opposite where she stood, a sign said, "ENTRANCE." Below the word, there was an arrow pointing to the right.