It was towards the end of October when the days get colder, the nights get longer, and Halloween is just around the corner. Jay and his good friend Scott were out riding on Jay’s stingray bicycle, gallivanting with socks full of chalk, feeling the excitement of the season. Jay was 12 and Scott had just turned 13. It was dark on a Friday night when Jay and Scott decided to drop the bike off at Jay’s house and continue gallivanting by cutting through some of the local neighborhood backyards. With only the moon and streetlights to light their way, they hopped over fences and quietly picked fruit from the trees of various neighbors.

“Let’s sneak into the yard of that abandoned house around the corner,” said Scott.

The two boys crossed the street by Jay’s house, walked down the block, turned the corner, snuck up the driveway of the house next to the abandoned house, and hopped over a low white wooden crossbeam fence like you might see on a farm. Jumping into the abandoned yard, with high weeds and overgrown hedges, they moved closer to look into the back windows of the empty house. Everything was quiet and still. Only the shadows from the front side street lights made anything visible.

“This is exciting and a bit scary,” said Jay.

“Let’s not stay long,” said Scott. “We’ll just take a quick peek in the windows.”

They cautiously walked through the tall grass and weeds to one of two side-by-side glass and wooden frame windows. The house had been vacant for several years and at one point there was a fire.

“Can you see anything?” asked Jay.

“Not really. There’s a little light coming through from the front window,” said Scott in anticipation of seeing any identifiable things in the room. “I think this is the kitchen. There’s the stove and look! the doors have been removed from the fridge.”

Just then, a set of car headlights shined into the front window revealing burnt walls and piles of chard debris scattered across the floor.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Jay.

The two boys turned and quickly headed for the fence. As they turned, a thud and moan came from somewhere within the house.

“Did you hear that?” said Jay wondering.
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“Yes, I did!” said Scott with concern.

Now on the other side of the fence, Jay and Scott ran back down the driveway, crossed the street, and headed back to Jay’s house. By this time it was almost 9 o’clock.

“That’s enough for me tonight. I’m gonna go home,” said Scott with a sigh of relief.

“See you tomorrow,” said Jay as Scott walked away up the block.

Jay picked up his bike and rolled it into the backyard. He opened one of the two seller doors and carried his bike down the concrete stairs. He pushed opened the French-style wooden and glass pain door that  separated the seller stairs from the basement. The basement was completely dark. Jay placed the bike in the space between the seller wall and the oil furnace. He turned around, walked back up the seller stairs, closed the cellar door and went around the house to the front door. While walking down the long dirt driveway, Jay thought about how spooky it was being in that yard with the thud and moan heard as they were leaving.

Jay stepped up to the front door and found it to be locked. He knocked on the door. Waiting just a moment, the inside bolt was turned and hank opened the door.

“Hi Jay, mom and Doris went out to meet Joe at the bowling alley. They’ll be back soon. I’ve been having a little problem with some of the lights,” said Hank with a neutral expression. “Come on in. Maybe you can help me out.”

Walking into the front porch, it seemed to Jay that all the lights in the house on the bottom floor were on. Hank led Jay through the living room into the kitchen, heading to the back porch entryway. As they got closer to the back of the house, the outside entryway porch light suddenly went out. “See what I mean,” said Hank. He went over to the light switch and toggle the switch up and down. The light did not turn on. “That’s really strange,” said Hank.

Then Hank turned around, heading for the dining room and Jay followed. Walking through the doorway that separated the kitchen from the dining room, Jay heard a knock on the front door.

“Who could that be at this hour,” said Hank suspiciously.
 
Hank and Jay walked through the living room and entered the porch. Hank open the front door, looked out, and no one was there.
 
“This is getting a little scary,” thought Jay. Just then the kitchen light went out.
 
“Oh no,” said Jay.

“Let me go down into the basement and check the fuses,” said Hank without concern.

“I don’t want to be left alone,” said Jay with a nervous laugh.

“Don’t worry, stay here, I’ll be just a moment,” said Hank.

Hank entered the passageway into the darkened kitchen and opened the door that led down into the cellar where the fuse box was mounted. As Hank disappeared down the cellar stairs, Jay heard a rattling of the backdoor and a turning of the knob as if someone was trying to get in.

“Hank, there’s someone trying to get into the back door,” said Jay sounding alarmed.

Hank did not respond.
 
Suddenly, the cellar door opened, and Hank appeared.

“You heard somebody at the back door?” asked Hank.

Just then, the outside back door entryway light turned on. Hank and Jay cautiously rushed over to the entryway as the kitchen was still totally dark. Hank looked out the back door window.
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“There’s no one there,” said Hank mysteriously.

At this point, the kitchen light came on, but the dining room and all the living room lights went out. Only the front porch room light was lit, casting light shadows through the two windows that separated the porch from the living room. Jay was panicking.

“What’s going on?” said Jay now really frightened.

“Let me go around and check all the windows and doors,” said Hank reassuringly.
 
“Stand here by the upstairs banister. There’s plenty of light coming from the kitchen and porch.”

Hank walked into the kitchen and went back towards the entryway door.

“Do you see anything?” said Jay raising his voice in fear. Hank did not respond.

“Hank, is everything alright? Can you answer me?” Jay pleaded.

Out of nowhere, just where Jay was standing, heavy pounding came from the living room floor. Jay screamed.
 
“Hank, I’m calling the police,” said Jay running over to the dining room where the telephone cabinet sat in the corner and where the telephone books were stored. Jay picked up the telephone receiver and dialed zero for the operator. Hank quickly entered the dining room and rushed over to Jay grabbing the phone out of his hands and hanging it up.
 
“There’s no need for the police,” Hank yelled.
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Opening the front door and walking through the porch laughing, came Hank’s friend, Butch.

“There’s no need for the police,” Hank reiterated.
 
“All of this was just a joke. It was an experiment. Nothing’s wrong with the lights and no one is outside. Butch has been making all the noises, fooling around with the doors, and turning on and off the lights. This was all just a gag,” said Hank desperately apologizing for the prank knowing he would be in big trouble if Jay had called the cops.

“You really had me going there,” said Jay in great relief.
 
Epilogue – The experiment in terror prank was never performed again, but the term, experiment in terror, was subtly whispered by Hank anytime Hank and Jay were going to be left alone in the house.