Margarita's of Concord
“I don’t like the look of this place,” the red haired boy muttered.
“Relax, Abe. This’ll be tons of fun!” That was Paige. Paige and Abe were best friends, and both in the fourth grade. They were having a sleepover, and Paige had convinced Abe to sneak out with her. Now here they were at one o'clock in the morning, staring at the closed doors of Margarita's. “It’s locked,” Paige said, after trying to open the doors. “Good,” Abe muttered. “Can we just go home now?” The children suddenly jumped back in surprise. The door had unlocked itself! Paige smiled, and opened the door. “Ladies first,”she teased, holding the door for Abe. He glared at her, and she snickered in response. They walked into the eerily silent building. Paige went in behind him, slamming the door just to scare him. Abe let out a yelp of surprise and turned around. She was giving him a smug smirk. He frowned, suddenly getting a burst of confidence. He started running deeper into the restaurant, leaving Paige behind. “Hey!! No fair!” she whined, running after him. But he was too fast, and she lost him. It was cold. It was quiet. Most people would love to sleep under their warm blankets in this sort of environment, but for a nine year old, it was terrifying. “Abe?” she called out, looking around. She shivered at the cold feeling of the building. She heard footsteps on the floor above and started to yell his name. She made a run for the stairs. By time she was upstairs, there was no sign of him. But the footsteps still made their noises. She was confused. If nobody was here except her, why did she hear footsteps? “Paige,” an eerie voice whispered, scaring her so bad she jumped up into the air. She made a run for it, bolting down the stairs. She ran into the kitchen, which was nearby, and tried to lock the door. It wouldn’t budge. She started looking for a place to hide. Eventually, she hid in a cabinet near the sink. She was shivering and on the edge of tears. This “game” wasn’t fun anymore. She couldn’t find Abe, and she was hiding in a dirty old pantry. “Long ago…” She froze. The voice had followed her. She was dead and she knew it. “This used to be a jailhouse. I was an inmate here, since I had hurt somebody. I didn’t mind the service, since it wasn’t all that bad. I am a huge optimist. Then they rushed us out. All except for me. I died there. It wasn’t a fun experience. But I’ve learned to accept it. The exit is downstairs to the left. Abe is waiting for you.” Then there was silence. Paige carefully got out of the cabinet. There was no one around. She ran downstairs and to the left. There was the door. Relief washed over her, and she burst through the entrance, engulfing Abe in a hug. Maybe ghosts weren’t so bad after all. |