Oct. Blog Hop – Henry Moves House

Storytime Blog Hop – October

Henry Moves House  by Nic Steven

Henry had liked lively places when he was alive, and he had not changed after death. He loved it when the kids came to his house. Okay he did scare them away. He was dead after all and there wasn’t much fun to be had for a ghost haunting an ordinary Victorian row house in an empty street. And the kids were laughing as well as screaming when they ran away. He loved to watch them as they crept towards the house, giggling and daring each other to climb in. There were fewer kids lately though, as people moved out of the crumbling houses around the district. He wished he could find somewhere livelier to haunt.

He was a daytime ghost; couldn’t understand the ghosts who haunted at night. There were not enough people around. He woke from his version of sleep one morning already bemoaning the fact that his house was far too quiet. He decided to go out into the district and have a little fun out there. That was odd. There was absolutely no one around. He looked in some of the houses. They were empty of everything, possessions, furniture, absolutely everything; just like his own haunt, though in better repair.

He returned home to think about this. As he faded through the wall of his house, he heard a loud crashing noise. He hurried back outside. A huge wrecking ball was swinging at the end house in the row. He moved closer to investigate. A man with a clipboard appeared to be supervising things. Henry poured enough will into himself to materialise and speak to the man.

Knocking this house down he asked.

The man turned and sniggered at Henry’s Victorian attire. Not just this house mate, the whole street. In fact, the whole estate has got to go. You’ll have to find somewhere else for your Victorian re-enactments.

Henry moved out of sight before fading into invisibility. Where could he go? The rest of the town was mostly modern, and a Victorian ghost just would not be believed. He wandered disconsolately. As evening fell, he found himself on what appeared to be a construction site. He could not make out what was happening in the twilight, but he did see one building that was complete. It was not suitable for him as it was a small castle, a folly, but it would do to rest for the night. Inside it was pitch dark and he passed lots of cobwebs as he searched for a place to rest.

In the morning he was woken by children screaming and laughing. All around him were strange figures dropping and popping up on mechanisms. The children were riding a small train. On the front he could just make out the words Barland’s  Ghostly Express. He laughed with joy and materialised near the front of the train. To his delight, the children laughed and screamed, pointing at him. He was home.

All the stories

The story above, along with many other wonderful stories was broadcast on a podcast on 29th October. Link below.

AST: General Link: Alone In A Room With Invisible People

1. Family Time by Bonnie Burns
2. The Exception by Vanessa Wells
3. Number 99 by Juneta Key
4. Edda’s Second Chance by Katharina Gerlach
5. Very Thin Line by Rebecca Anne Dillon
6. Henry Moves House by Nic Steven
7. For The Ghost The Bell Tolls by James Husum
8. Never Alone by Melanie Drake
9. The Neighbor by Meghan Collins
10. Storytime Blog Hop by Raven O’Fiernan
11. Loney Lucy by Bill Bush
12. The Traveler by Barbara Lund
13. Evening by Karen Lynn
14. Man Of Your Dreams by Gina Fabio
15. The Undertaker’s Daughter by J. Q. Rose
16. The Road by Elizabeth McCleary