It was a cool October night in Vermont with lit pumpkins and skeletons everywhere.  The sky was clear with a shiny full moon and billions of twinkling stars.  Crisp orange and yellow leaves rolled around on the street.

“Hurry up Sue!”    Mindy shouted. “We only have until 12:00!” My friend Mindy and I started down the street, watching the excited faces and huge bags of candy.

 “This is so boring!” she complained, “My feet kill.” We passed a couple more humongous houses when we approached a creepy house. The house had boarded-up windows, and chipped black paint as black as the sky. 

“Wow…” we both said amazed.  The house was pitch black, besides the eerie green glow in the top room. 

“Uh… okay, let’s leave…” I whispered in an unsteady voice.

“We were bored, right?” She replied, “Let’s go check out that cool green room.”

Mindy stomped onto the porch, with a look of fake excitement on her face. You could easily tell that she just wanted to seem brave, and that she was really terrified.  “You coming?” Mindy asked irritably.  I felt pressured.  If I didn’t go in, then Mindy would bug me for life, and if I went in, I’d be getting myself in a lot of trouble.

“Yeah, I am coming,” I replied, “but just for one minute.” Slowly, I walked to the porch. “When I want to leave, you have to let me, okay?”

“Duh!” she remarked, “now let’s go!!”  We walked shoulder to shoulder, with my palms sweating, and my heart was pounding so hard and so fast, that it felt like my heart would rip out of my chest.   The porch was crooked and not very safe looking.  It was held up by skinny wooden poles, and looked like it would fall any second.

 “There is the door!! LET’S GO IN!!” Mindy shouted.  The door was as black as the sky, and there was a rusty old doorknocker with the carving of a dragon on it.  The doorknob was also rusty, and had the same dragon shape.

“Wow, this guy sure loves dragons.”  I remarked, staring at them, with an unsteady feeling in my stomach.  “There are dragons on the knocker, the door knob-”

“And the door mat.” Mindy interrupted.  I looked down at the mat, and there was a dragon.  “You open the door,” Mindy snapped.

I looked at the door, why am I doing this? I thought. I held the doorknob.  Mom is going to kill me.  I turned the knob.  Why did I let her drag me into this?  I’m ready. I pushed the door open.  Inside the house was very creepy. There was dusty old furniture covered in plastic, and fat gray rats scurrying  in the living room.  In the dining room was an old diamond chandelier, and a table set with fragile china with rotten food, utensils, and half empty glasses. But what was very peculiar was that in every room was a painting of a dragon.

“Lets go in!” Mindy said, “This place is so cool!”

“I don’t know…” I stared at my watch. “It is 2 minutes until 12:00. We’d better head home to make it on time.”

“Just set your alarm.” Mindy replied.  “Let’s check it out before we have to leave.”  We stepped in, amazed at everything.  “Remember that glowing green room? You want to go see it? I think it is at the top.”  Oh, I was very irritated at Mindy.  She was making me do all these things that I didn’t want to do.  And that’s when it hit me.  I don’t have to do what she wants.  I have to do what I want.’  The thought of this put a smile on my face. I don’t have to put up with things I don’t want to put up with because of what she will think or do.  I’m going to have to tell her.  “BEEP, BEEP!” We both jumped. It was my new alarm/stopwatch clock   “It is 12:00.” I said with fear in my voice. DONG, DONG!!!!!  Hundreds of enormous grandfather clocks went off. Mindy and I squeezed together.  Strange creeks from footsteps on the floorboard seemed like they were coming towards them, and eerie shadows appeared on the wall.

“What’s going on?” Mindy said.

“Lets get out of here!” I screamed. I started to run, but she grabbed my shirt.

“It’s just the clocks!” Mindy said smartly.

 I knew she was going to hate me for this.  “Mindy, I have to tell you something.” DONG!!!! DONG!!!!! “ Everyday, I make decisions on what you like and what you think. You pressure me to do things I don’t want to do, and I am not going to take it anymore.”  I was out of breath from screaming, and I could feel my eyes about to bulge out of my head. I was very mad. “So please, if you want to stay in here, then fine.” I started towards the door when a sweaty hand touched my shoulder. I zipped around, to, in my relief, was Mindy.

“I am sorry.” She said with sympathy, “I just want to seem brave.  But what I really feel

 is I think we should-” Strange breathing behind us interrupted her. We turned around, and a scruffy old man was standing there.  “-GET OUT OF HERE!!!”  We screamed and ran out the door with our hearts pounding and our skin wet with sweat.  Once we got out and as far away from that house as we could, we gasped in relief and caught our breath.

“I’ll never make you do anything ever again.” Mindy promised.  Then we walked together, hand in hand.  The End. 

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