The House That Wept
The residence on Hollow Lane remained silent and desolate because years of destruction had taken their toll on its proud structure. During summer the house had put on a delightful shine but time and weather combined stripped all paint from its rotting wooden frame. The shutters swung disordered across the windows as the wind passed through creating a lament that seemed to come from the building itself. The stone chimney became covered with vines that tried to maintain the dilapidated building by penetrating its fracture lines. When the house used to exist laughter combined with love generated the atmosphere of warmth. Time transformed that structure into a sarcophagus which contained all types of memories.
Prior to the present state of affairs the building had maintained a different form.
The residence acted as a safe haven until many past years. The McAllister family consisting of John and Margaret together with their children Daniel and Sophie maintained their residence in that home. Each wall of the house contained their life stories since they had inhabited it while spreading love through every room. Smoke from freshly baked bread and crisp apples scented the kitchen area while the living room radiated relaxation from its crackling fire and each bedroom stored silent tales that would become future realities.
The tide of time approached mercilessly to destroy their happiness.
The dark mood entered slowly like a silent shadow that only faintly touched the house at its beginning. John who was a carpenter worked diligently through years to create each perfect element in this house. John devoted himself to making the stairs by hand and finished them with precise manual work on every step. The master of the house dedicated his carving of the mantelpiece floral intricacies to Margaret because she cherished her gardening habits. Despite their devotion love was unable to stop the approaching bad fortune that threatened their lives.
During that cold December night Sophie the youngest McAllister passed away unexpectedly. Sophie passed away as the youngest McAllister member succumbed to fever. Little Sophie had not yet reached seven years when her laughter vanished from the air after smelling like wildflowers. The McAllister home felt emptier when Sophie was gone even though she had once lived there happily. Throughout the house Margaret wandered looking at Sophie's belongings such as her shoes at the entry and her creations on the walls. The firefight that used to deliver warmth had a pathetic glow as the McAllister family members became numb from the inside out.
The young Daniel closed himself off at that moment when he was ten. His energetic discoveries of the space and yard stopped while his body became still. Each night he went to Sophie's window watching stars and talking to her as though she occupied the space. The family leader John dedicated himself to work and developed rough hands while becoming more withdrawn.
Margaret failed to tolerate her quiet home and she became sick from her sorrow. She became more quiet and ate sparingly until her weak frame failed from sadness. Within a year, she was gone. John and Daniel received solace as the house joined their mourning through its walls that missed her cheerful presence and soothing voice while her presence in the garden as a source of life no longer existed.
Throughout his life John kept the house stable through ancient routines until he could no longer uphold them. A person can keep up their strength following many losses yet eventually they weaken too. He turned to alcohol and passed his nights in front of the fireplace smoking whiskey while mumbling apologies to his dead relatives. The teenager Daniel grew upset towards his father because of his changed behavior. With his mother and sister already gone John saw his father declining making him withdraw into his own breakdown. Instead of offering support or speaking openly the family members chose to let their home see their sorrowful decline.
One stormy night, John left. He left without telling his destination and made no promises to come back. He departed the house through its open door heading straight into night and disappeared without trace. The local people thought he chose to drown himself to rid his heart of sadness. Many people thought he left behind his memories by walking a long distance to escape them. _lr stays behind as an inmate of his empty home.
After these years he stayed at home tormented by laughing voices and soothing heat that disappeared. Despite his physical growth inside the empty home Daniel stayed a captive as he could not embody real life there. He decided to leave like his father after enduring too much pain alone. Time went by and the deserted house started to break down while its wall surfaces cried out with suffering.
Decades passed. After many years the town evolved while losing memory of the McAllisters. Several different families moved near the house yet no one chose to live there because of its past. The home served to mark sadness remaining on its window-gazing surface as if the house was preserving a forgotten memory no one wanted to recall. Children tested each other to approach the empty porch just to see if they would see ghosts and magic at work. The pain that happened there went further than any made-up stories.
After many generations passed an elderly man came back to the abandoned McAllister residence. His elderly features told a tale of great grief and sadness. Daniel McAllister returned to his childhood home for the first time and his chest tightened when he saw its ruined condition. When he pushed the door it made a sound of welcome to mark his return after all these years.
He moved through empty rooms to feel the past by touching their walls. The staircase remained in place but all its wooden surfaces had broken down. He found his father's carvings still present on the mantelpiece though the fireplace hadn't burned in years and his mantelpiece had broken. The decayed room stayed the same except for Daniel's discovery of Sophie's old drawings which kept their colors despite time passing.
Under the burden of time Daniel rested his body on the ground. During every day he lived as a fugitive when it came to handling loss and personal experiences plus the house itself. Since stepping into this space he knows he never really left the house behind. Despite all its damage the house preserved the memory of its past love. All past hardships failed to take it down and the house remained intact.
He said quietly "I am back home" while his tears kept streaming.
The falling snow carried Daniel's words from room to room as strong winds slipped through open spaces. From that moment onward the house stopped crying because another heart joined its sorrow.