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"The Haunting of Blue House"

Last night, an evening hiker, setting out for a walk along State Road, heard an odd noise that seemed to come from the old dilapidated Victorian mansion (which everyone in town refers to as "The Blue House"). He looked back to see a wavering light in the tower window. He gazed, mouth agape, a shiver of apprehension fluttering in his chest, an icy sensation lifting the hairs on his neck. Then, accelerating his pace, he quickly returned home via a different route.

The Blue House, in its day, was just about the grandest mansion in town, with its high ceilings, dark oak-paneled chambers, and its commanding view of the valley. Built around 1897 by the local lumber baron, the house had been handed down and passed through several owners since then.

But Blue House has stood empty, as old timers frequently recall, since that October night in 1937, when someone broke in, apparently bent on robbery. Neighbors heard shots and screams. The police were summoned, but by the time they arrived, the house again stood silent: blood-spattered, ransacked, and empty! Its occupants -- an entire family of six -- had vanished as if into thin air. No trace of any of them was ever found.

Naturally, no one wanted to move into the place, so it stood empty for the longest time. Furniture was stolen, kids threw stones through windows, a mysterious fire destroyed the old barn out back, and time and weather continued to wear away at the once-grand mansion.

What people remember most clearly, however, was Halloween night, 1953, when a group of partying highschoolers dared that new kid to stay all night -- alone -- within the walls of Blue House. The poor kid didn't want to, but they persisted and he finally gave in. The following morning his tormentors looked on wide-eyed as he emerged unsteadily from the house. His hair had turned completely white and he stared out with strange, distant gaze! No one ever got him to speak a word of his experience, and the family soon moved out of state.

As far as I know, he was the last living person to venture past the gaping doorway to Blue House!

Since then, parents warn their children, "You be sure to stay clear of Blue House!" Or they might whisper, between bridge hands at the club or over drinks at the Inn, "I was driving down State Road last night and those sounds are coming again from Blue House." Or, "Did you hear what happened to so-and-so when she went up to Blue House?"

And today the hiker is telling everyone who will listen about that light!

The Haunting Of Blue House was created using my favorite Chinese painting technique, which you'll notice at play in many of my recent paintings. The way in which I selectively wrinkle the special watercolor paper I use, before the paint is applied, accounts for the impressionistic textures of foreground and distant forest.

The Haunting Of Blue House has been carefully scanned from my original watercolor painting, closely color matched to the original, and digitally printed with fade-resistant inks on specially treated heavyweight watercolor paper. I personally inspect your print, sign it, slip it into its protective clear plastic envelope, and include with it a page of helpful framing hints from The Haunted Studio.

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