Walking Contradictions

"Where is this place?" Brad asked as the Camry crossed the peek of the bridge, which stretched on for forever over what looked like the ocean.

"Edenton." Thomas said, changing lanes to pass a slow truck in front of them. "Ok you gotta tell me which turn it is when we get off of this bridge."

"It's the first exit." Anna read from the backseat. Tre stuck his head out of the open window and quickly pulled it back in before sneezing. "I don't think he likes the salt air."

"It's not salty. We're an hour from the coast." Thomas sighed, changing lanes again and taking the Queen Street exit. "Alright, it's gonna be on the left about two miles down. 1010."

"What's a Lion's Club?" Brad asked as they passed a sign for The Edenton Lion's Club Meeting Hall.

"It's like the Shriners, but without Fez hats. Dad it's right here."

"God damn!" Brad gasped as they turned into a gravel driveway beside a large two story house. "How the fuck are we affor- oh right. The dirty money."

The house had two parts: the main section, which was two floors, and a guest wing which consisted of a kitchen, living room, large bedroom and tiny bathroom. The main front door opened to a foyer that was flanked by a den to the left, a small half bath, kitchen, and laundry room in the back, and a living room and dining room to the left. The upstairs consisted of a master bedroom with privet bathroom, two smaller bedrooms, a main bathroom, a spare room, and an office room.

"I got dibs on the guest house." Brad said after he and his sister had explored their new home. Tre was content lying on the living room floor on his back with all paws up in the air.

"Nope," Thomas said, "that's an extra heating bill so it's for guests only. And those fuckers are gonna freeze to death."

"Back bedroom is mine." Anna grinned. "Have fun listening to traffic all night."

"As long as I don't have to wake up with you in the same room, I will." Brad quipped back. "So how are we gonna furnish this place? This place alone was, what, couple hundred grand? There can't be much money left."

"That, my dear son, is where you're wrong. I didn't buy this place, I rented it."

There was a sudden silence that flooded the room as the siblings shared a look. They looked at their father, then slowly back at each other, as if they were mirroring each other.

"Have you lost your mind?" Brad finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Something's wrong with this place." Anna said nervously, leaning back and looking down the narrow hallway that connected the kitchen to the front room, as if expecting to see an ax murderer charging at her.

Thomas sighed and folded his arms. "There's nothing wrong with the house. It just has a history."

"Oh god it's a murder house!" Anna wailed.

"No it's not," Thomas groaned. "The last three people who lived here passed away in the house and so no one wants to move here. That's why."

"Oh god there's a poltergeist!" Anna wailed again. "We're fucked! It's gonna kill us and then we'll be dead too and stuck here!"

"How did they die?" Brad asked.

"It doesn't matter how! What matters is that they're dead!"

"Anna baby, please, shut the fuck up." Thomas rolled his eyes and pulled his daughter under his arm and held her there. "Old age. They passed in their sleep."

"Is this place haunted?" Brad asked.

"Not to my knowledge." Thomas replied.

Since there was no furniture in the house yet, and Anna was now terrified that the house could be haunted, the trio slept in the den.

"See this place isn't so bad." Thomas smiled happily, adjusting the comforter he had unpacked. "No gun shots, no drugs, no violence at all."

"Just a bunch of old people." Brad commented, fixing his pillow and yawning.

"Who die in their homes and then haunt the families that move in after." Anna twitched.

"Quit it," Thomas sighed, looking at his daughter, "there are no ghosts here."

"They always go for the skeptics first."

"I think sitting in the car messed up her blood flow," Brad mumbled, rolling over and trying to get comfortable.

"Look, there are no ghosts," Thomas began, "and in the morning, I'm taking some of my comics and seeing what I can do to get some money going. And you guys are gonna work for rich people."

"Doing what?"

"I don't know. Figure something out. We need money."

The father and son duo slept soundly throughout the night while Anna tossed and turned. She kept seeing shadows moving in the doorways of the large rooms. Figures danced on the screened in back porch, tapping on the window for her to come out and join them. "Go away, you're not real," She whispered to herself.

When her father awoke at the crack of dawn, she was quick to latch onto him, shaking in fear. "I don't like it here."

"Why?" Thomas grumbled, rubbing his eyes before putting his arms around his shaking daughter.

"There's something here," Anna whimpered, pulling herself as close to her father's warmth as she could.

"Baby, there's nothing here." He stroked her hair softly and let out a sigh. "You're alright, I gotcha."