The Haunted Mansion
by
Scott Oliverson

Introduction: Bo, Luke, Daisy, Cooter, Roscoe, Cletus, Enos, Hogg and Jessie find themselves trapped inside an abandoned rundown mansion that's rumored to be haunted by the Ghost Host the origional owner of the manor house. Now trapped inside with no way out the Dukes attempt to find another way out of this living nightmare while being escorted on a guided tour by the Ghost Host through his home where 999 happy haunts reside. (Story is from the darkride attraction at Disney theme parks)

Our story begins one summer night in 2005 somewhere in the community town of Hazzard where located on the other side of Main Street there stands a delapitated rundown mansion where no one dares enter or walk past at night due to strange occurances taking place within its walls. The manor is surrounded on three sides by a tall stone wall and iron fence as trees bend and sway to and fro in the wind like native hula dancers of Hawaii while an unseen voice sets the stage for things to come.

"Have you ever seen a haunted house? You know the kind I mean. That old dark house that's usually at the end of a dimly lit street. The owners haven't been seen for years, no one really knows why. The windows are broken and boarded and the shutters hang loose on their hinges. The trees sway like native hula dancers, their branches brush against the sides of the weathering house, making strange noises in the night. There's a high vine covered fence and stone wall around the property. Is it there to keep somebody out or is it there to keep something inside? It's a house that people avoid walking past at night...strange sounds come from within the walls and it's said that errie lights have been seen both in the attic windows and in the cemetary to the side of the house, our story revolves around this mysterious mansion."

"Nights not long ago, the Duke boys Bo & Luke, Daisy their cousin, Cooter the mechanic, Sheriff Roscoe Coltrain, Deputies Cletus & Enos, J.D. Hogg the buinessman, and uncle Jesse were walking home from a movie. The night was cool as lightning broke through the sky. The wind began to blow as the lightning flashed while thunder boomed across the heavens to change this pleasant evening into a night to be remembered. The lightning flashed again to illuminate the front of the old mansion, then it began to rain. Bo, Luke, Cooter, Daisy, Jesse, Hogg, Roscoe, Cletus and Enos ran toward the old house, through the old iron gate and onto the porch for protection. Protection? If only they had known..."

"Oh great, just what we need" complains Luke as the rain started falling in torrents like a gray wall of solid water cascading down. "We'll never get home on time" Daisy said to her uncle who tried to console her. "Relax, Daisy. I'm sure we'll get home before it gets too late" Jesse said and Daisy appeared to calm down, somewhat. "Yeah, right" muttered Hogg, checking his pocketwatch to confirm the time, "It's not quite midnight yet" he said to himself. "This old porch isn't going to keep us dry longer" Bo said, glancing up towards the arched roof over their heads where raindrops were coming down between the warped-waterstained boards. "Ooh, you got a point there, Bo" Roscoe agreed, also looking up. He clutched his sheriff's hat tighter over his head for protection. Just then Bo started pulling and tugging on the doorknobs as though trying to force the door open. This brought shocked looks from the others. "Hey, what are you doing" asked Cletus, "Are you supposed to do that, open a door to a house that's not yours?" "Yeah, trying to get front door open, no one lives here. We can wait inside till the storm's over" said Bo.

"What?!!" gasped Hogg in startled reaction to this comment. "Are you out of your mind? Haven't you heard the stories about this mansion being haunted!" he said. "Haunted? J.D. are you trying to scare my nephew with nonsense ghost stories" Jesse snapped back, to which Hogg retorted in kind, "No, I'm not! Besides, my sister Lulu told me stories about this mansion being haunted since no one has dared set foot inside due to strange happenings every night" the businessman said. "Hah, haunted houses and supernatural stuff don't scare me" Jesse laughed as though J.D. were trying to frighten him on purpose. "Ha-ha, that's what you think" Hogg remarked. Cletus & Enos looked at each other nervously then up at the house looming above the deputies. "I got a bad feeling about this" Enos said, "Me too, partner" agreed Cletus. "Not me, I'm not going inside that house, I'd rather stay out here and get wet" Daisy nervously spoke up since she too was uneasy about going inside a house that was haunted. "Count me in too, Daisy" Cooter agreed with her.

Finally Bo got the stuck door open and peered into its gloomy interior before turning back to the others standing behind him. "Come on, no need to be afraid. I'll light a match" he said then started to reach into his pocket for a book of matches. "Hold on, there. Let me take the lead since I'm in charge here" Roscoe said, pushing ahead of Bo through the open door. "Suit yourself, sheriff" Bo shrugged and stepped aside, letting the lawman pass. "Enos, Cletus, take up rear guard" Roscoe called back to his brothers as both deputies agreed, falling into step behind Daisy, JD, Jesse, Cooter, Luke and Bo who reluctantly walked through the open door and into the mansion's interior. Once inside the friends found themselves inside a large front parlor about 10 feet tall with wood paneled walls, plaster relief ceiling and Victorian wallpaper on all sides. Roscoe lit a match from a book he carried with him and holding it high he looked about him in awe and wonder. A crystal chandelier hung overhead with flickering candles giving off illumination to penetrate the gloom within the chamber. Furniture pieces could be seen covered in sheets and layered in dust & spiderwebs. "Well, I'll be...this house is still full of furniture" Jesse said as he looked around, "It's as though someone still lived here long ago" "But who'd want to live in a house like this one? There's nothing but dust and spiderwebs everywhere" complained Cooter, wrinkling up his nose in disgust. "Ack, gross, gack!" Hogg remarked, making sick faces. "Sheriff, there's a candelabra, light some candles" Daisy pointed out to a candleholder atop a nearby table. "Okay, this match is about to flame out anyway" Roscoe said as he attached the flame to the candelabra and they flared into life.

Suddenly without warning a ghostly voice boomed forth, startling the Dukes and police. "Good evening..." it said. "Gaaaaaaah!" cried out J.D. in alarm, looking this way and that. "Who said that?" gasped Daisy in shock. "Oh, oh, oooooooh!" cried Roscoe in fear. "Who's there?" called out Luke but it was one of the deputies who spotted the source of the unseen voice. "I think it came from that marble statue" Cletus pointed out towards an imposing bust of a handsome gentleman but its features looked scowling-frowning as though glaring suspiciously at the mortals before it. "No way, a talking statue head" Bo sarcastically cracked. "Good grief" gasped Enos. "Guys, let's get out of here" Daisy shouted urgently to her brothers who both spun around and ran back towards the open front door but as they did so, the door began to swing shut by itself and before they could stop it, it closed! "What was that?!" cried J.D. "The door closed!" Luke cried as he and Bo tried to get it back open again but this time, unlike before the door would not budge. "I can't get it open!" Bo exclaimed in alarm. "Yegads, we're trapped in here" Jesse said in disbelief, "locked inside a haunted house with no escape" "Now what do we do, uncle?" asked Daisy in fear. "Now do you believe me, Jesse?" said Hogg. Jesse only glared back but it fear, not anger. Meanwhile the unseen voice continued talking although no one was present to be revealed as the speaker.

"When hinges creak in doorless chambers...and strange and frightening sounds echo through the walls...Whenever candlelights flicker, where the air is deathlessly still...that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight...Welcome foolish mortals to the haunted mansion...I am your host, your ghost host...Kindly step this way, there's no turning back now...you will not be harmed, but you will not be released until you take a tour of my home...We have so few visitors, live ones that is...hmhmmhmmmahahahahahaah...Our tour begins here in this ghostly gallery..." Just then a nearby door at the other end of the parlor swung open as if by unseen hands to reveal another room beyond. Bo, Daisy, Luke, Cooter, Jesse, J.D., Roscoe, Cletus and Enos too frightened to find another way out obeyed their host's voice and entered the candle-lit gallery.

TO BE CONTINUED...