THE TRUTH FROM BEYOND
Sixty years ago I was twelve and my brother Eddie was ten, we lived in a small town called Mainsfield on the boarders of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
I was the one with the brains, Eddie with the brawn, he was a feisty little so and so with a short temper, so fights between him and me were quite regular.
Thinking back, we must have been a handful for poor old mum. Dad, who was a good man, strict, but fair, worked long hours on the railway, so mum had the task of trying to control two roguish young boys, not an easy one I can tell you.
It all started the day Dad gave Eddie the strap, Mum had heard him swearing and that's something they both frowned upon, so when dad got home from work Mum told him and Eddie got several whacks with his thick leather belt. I can remember sitting on the wall outside listening to the thwack of leather as it wrapped itself round his back side.
When he came outside rubbing his arse I couldn't help but laugh, he clenched his fists and ran at me, jumping over the wall, I legged it across the field, Eddie in hot pursuit.
It wasn't long before he stopped chasing me, if there was one thing I was better than Eddie at it was running.
He stood shouting, Tommy Larke scared of the dark; Tommy Larke scared of the dark.
Tommy Larke that's me and I have to admit I was scared of the dark, at night I would ask mum to leave the candle alight, I would tell her it was for Eddie, I don't think she believed me for one minute but she never said anything.
After several minutes of throwing insults at each other he shouted.
"I bet you daren't go into the old house when it's dark."
Of course, not wanting my little brother thinking I was a coward I replied.
"Oh yes I dare."
"Prove it then, tonight." He said,
"Ok, I will."
Don't ask me why I said ok because the thought of going into that house in the day time sent shivers running down my spine.
They say the ghost of a man who was hanged for murdering his whole family haunts the house.
It is said on Christmas day you can hear him pacing up and down crying the names of his wife and children; it made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
That night Eddie and I went to the old house, my hands were shaking my legs felt like jelly and my kneecaps were doing an involuntary dance.
"Go on then, go inside." He said pointing at the large wooden door.
"I don't think we should, if dad finds out we'll both get the strap."
"See I told you, I knew you wouldn't go in, you're scared."
"All right then, I'll go in if you will."
Eddie looked at me curiously, as if he was thinking, shall I or shan't I.
"Ok then come on."
My heart missed a beat as he started to walk up the overgrown path leading to the old door, He might not have been blessed with brains but he sure had plenty of balls.
The door was still in tact but the frame was well rotted making it easy to get in.
With two of dads old lanterns off the railway we made our way inside, and I can tell you, them old lanterns didn't half throw some scary shadows.
It was hard to make things out at first, but as our eyes got used to the dark we could see reasonably well, everything was in its place, by the look of it we must have been the first people to step through that door in the fifty years since the murders.
A couple of rats ran from under an old piece of sacking, I know what they mean now, when they say I was scared to death, I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. After all these years I can now tell you I wet my pants that day. Of course all balls and no brains Eddie thought it hilarious chasing the rats trying to kick them, all this running and jumping about took its toll on the old floor boards, one minute Eddie was there shouting and chasing the rats the next he was gone in a cloud of dust and a crashing of old timber.
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