The Old House

Greg was worried. He had done it again. He had taken on a dare with Jamie and the gang to sneak into Mrs. Adams’ house while she was away. Why did he do these things? Last time it had led to big trouble with Mother and Father as well as the police. He was really too old to be taking on dares.
Greg climbed on his bike and pedalled slowly up the hill. Sally would give him a hard time. He had half promised her to keep out of trouble. Next to Tim, Sally was his best friend.

But it was hard to resist this dare. Mrs. Adams’ house was old. It was large, empty and run-down. Mrs. Adams herself was not a favourite with the children. She seemed cranky and upset if any of them came on her property so it was a sport with them to cross her yard on occasion. But to enter her house -this was something no one dared to try before. From some of the windows you could see cobwebs in the corners and there was a tower on the side with a small window at the top. It always seemed like such a dark and dismal place.

Greg glanced at the house in question as he rode his bike past. The dark tower was enough to make goose bumps on your back. Greg shivered as he thought of entering that house in the dead of night. He wished he hadn’t taken on this dare.

There were some dares that he refused to take such as smoking. That was something he would not try because his Uncle Harry died from lung cancer only last year and his mother said it was from smoking. Another one was smoking marijuana. Some of the older kids in his class had tried it but he had no desire to get caught up in drugs. His aunt had and she nearly died from an overdose when she was a teenager.

As Greg reached his gate, he saw Sally and Tim talking. They both looked up when he reached them. “Hi, what’s up?” asked Tim. “Are you still coming tomorrow night for you-know-what?” Greg glared. He didn’t want Sally to know what was going on. “Yeah,” he murmured.

Sally looked from one to the other. “Not again! What dare have you taken on this time?” Her blue eyes reflected anxiety. She knew Greg. He would land in trouble again.
Greg shrugged his shoulders, “The gang have dared me to go into Mrs. Adams’ house and up to the tower. She’s gone on a trip out of town.”

Sally shook her head. “You can’t do that, Greg. Your parents will be very upset. And you promised. No more dares. Besides you are invading the privacy of someone you know, even if she is old and cranky. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“But I can’t back down now, they will call me chicken.”
Tim agreed with Greg, “The guys will give him a lot of trouble if he doesn’t do it now.”
Sally sighed, “That will be nothing compared to what his parents say when they will find out.”
“And who will tell them?” Asked Greg.
Sally grimaced. “You know what parents are like. They always find out.”
Greg was thoughtful as he said good-by to his friends. He thought of what Sally had just said. He guessed she was right and, if he was honest with himself, he was dreading the following night.

After a fitful night’s sleep the following evening found Greg at Tim’s home. The gang had planned to meet them at 9:30 in front of Mrs. Adams home. Greg was having second thoughts about the arrangements they had made. He knew he would be in big trouble if they were caught. Was it worth it? Would his grandfather approve? He guessed not. And Grandfather was someone who had won his respect. “Think before you act,” Grandfather often said.

Well, he had well and truly thought until he felt his head would burst. But it hadn’t helped much; it had only made him more confused than ever.’ Deep down, he knew he had been foolish to take on such a dare. But surely it wouldn’t be all that bad. He wasn’t hurting anyone. Or was he?

After nine o’clock the boys went to bed and at 9:20 they quietly crept out the window. Within five minutes they reached the tall grey stone house. The wind was howling in the trees, lightning flashed across the sky and the thunder roared. Five of his friends had made it and Sally. The boys began to tease him, wondering if he would back out.

Greg was beginning to feel terrified. It was easy to be brave in daylight. But not now, what with the wind, lightning and thunder. He looked at the house in the darkness and wished that he was home in his own bed.
Greg pulled his raincoat around him and tested his flashlight. “Well here I go.” He looked fearfully at his friends. “You won’t leave me will you?”
“Not on your life,” Tim reassured him.

Greg crept around to the side of the house. He looked fearfully about him. He wasn’t sure how to get in. They hadn’t planned that far and he wished they had. He looked up high at the windows. Then he noticed a balcony door swinging in the wind. How come it was open? Surely Mrs. Adams had locked up before she left. Perhaps someone else had broken in and was waiting there to kill him. His thoughts were running wild. He wanted to turn and run, but he couldn’t. He would never live it down if he did.

He scaled the large tree and hopped over the balcony railing. He turned on his flashlight and it lit up the room which led off the balcony. It was a small room – one not in use by the look of it. Greg crept in and noticed old-fashioned pictures on the wall. Then he heard a loud moan. Greg stood still, his hand clutched his throat.

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t open that door and go closer to the sound. At that moment there was a sharp flash of lightning and a clap of thunder that shook the house. There it was again.. .a long shuddering moan.
What should he do? He couldn’t back out now. He’d come this far. He was halfway there. All he had to do was find the stairs to the tower. He opened the door slowly. There was dead silence as he crept along the wide hall. His hand found the banisters of the staircase leading upwards, when he heard it again. A long terrible moan.

He almost ran down the stairs, but he felt compelled to go up, up the long winding staircase. His teeth were chattering and he almost dropped the flashlight out of his hand. In his terror, he fell over the stair runner as he ran up the stairs, and burst open the door at the top.

He had made it. He was there. He had won the bet. He could hold his head up. He opened the window and signalled to his friends waiting below. He almost cried with relief. Now he could go home and forget this had ever happened. But could he ever forget the fear he felt?
He managed to close the window, then almost fell down the first flight of stairs to the long landing. There it was again. But wait…. Was that someone calling for help?

Greg stopped and listened. He was afraid and uncertain of what to do. But one thing he did know: someone was in need of help. He was sure now that the sound was coming from the end of the hall. He knew he shouldn’t be where he was, but he couldn’t leave whoever was in trouble. He knew he might land in jail; that his parents would get upset, but he had to see what he could do.
He heard it again. The moan became a cry of despair, “Oh please, somebody help me.”

Greg reached the door at the end of the landing and flung it open. His eyes peered through the darkness. He shone his flashlight about the room. There, lying on the floor was a woman, an old woman. Greg was afraid. He knew this person couldn’t see him. He could escape and no-one would know it was he that had been there. He could ring the police and tell them to come. If he stayed, he would be in big trouble.
But he knew he had to stay. He could never face his grandfather again if he didn’t. The old lady needed help. She needed the comfort of knowing help had come. “Mrs. Adams?” Greg’s voice was shaking.

“Oh, thank God you’ve come. I’ve been lying here, praying, for two days. I fell when I was getting my suitcase from the top of the wardrobe.” She stopped. “Oh, Greg, it’s you… how?” she moaned again. “It doesn’t matter how you came to be here. Just call your mother, a doctor – anyone.” Greg bent over her. “Where is the phone?” he asked, then ran to the window. “Tim, Sally!” he shouted. “Get Mum and Dad. It’s Mrs. Adams. She’s hurt and can’t get up. Get help quickly.” He hesitated. “Sal, you come up here. I’ll let you in.”

He ran down the stairs and opened the large cedar door. Sally stood there, the rain dripping from her coat. “Tim’s gone for help. The others have run away.”
Greg took her arm. “Come on, I’ll show you. She might need something. She’s been there for two days. Oh Sal, what if I hadn’t come? She may have died.”

Sally nodded as she followed him up the wide staircase. When they reached the room the woman was still. They both stood in the doorway, afraid to move. Was she dead?
Sally moved to Mrs. Adams’ side and bent over her. “She’s still breathing. I think she fainted. Turn on the lights, Greg. We’ll be able to see what we’re doing. Get some blankets off the bed.”

Mrs. Adams’ eyes fluttered open and she moaned again as she tried to move. Sally glanced at the bedside table and noticed a covered jug of water and a glass. She half-filled the glass and lifted Mrs. Adams’ head to help her drink. “You’re a sensible girl, Sally. It’s so good to hear voices again.” She sighed as Sally laid her back on the pillow she had placed under her head.

The next thing they heard was the doorknocker and voices in the hall. Foot steps sounded on the stairs and Greg’s parents appeared in the doorway. Greg’s father frowned. He wasn’t too sure how to handle the situation. Greg had done wrong, but if he hadn’t done what he did, old Mrs. Adams may have died Greg’s mother lifted the old lady into a more comfortable position. “We’ve rung the ambulance. They’ll be here shortly. I’m sorry about Greg breaking in. I don’t know what got into him, but I suppose it was a dare again.”

Mrs. Adams smiled weakly. “Well I’m not sorry. God sent him. My prayers were answered. But if he wouldn’t mind feeding my cat when I am in hospital, I would greatly appreciate it.” Mrs. French looked embarrassed. She didn’t quite know what to say. She didn’t know what to do. Greg needed to be punished in some way for what he had done. Yet it would seem so hard and unfair when he has saved a life.

The next day Greg was in disgrace. Other than checking on Mrs. Adams’ house, he was grounded for two weeks. He looked across at Grandfather who was seated in a chair reading the newspaper. “Grand-dad, it’s not fair, is it?” He knew his action had saved Mrs. Adams’ life and he felt his parents did not appreciate this.
Grandfather smiled. “I guess at your age it doesn’t seem fair, Greg. But what you did was wrong. You can’t get away from that, no matter how you look at it.” He thought for a moment as he looked into his grandson’s miserable face. “But I’m so pleased about you, just the same.”
Greg looked at him in amazement. “How come?”

His grandfather smiled. “You could have run away from it all. We all make mistakes. We all sin against God. But is the way you handled your mistake that I appreciated. I think you handled it pretty well. You could have run away and avoided being caught, but you decided to help and to face the consequences.”

No matter how much good we do in our lives, when we sin, there are always consequences for our sin. Unless we repent of our sins we will not be forgiven. While God wants good deeds from us, our good deeds will never hide our sins. “The wages of sin is death.” We must accept the love of Christ into our lives and only by sincere repentance and confession will we find peace in our soul. This will lead us to help in a time of crisis, not thinking of our own selves, but rather thinking of others and their immediate needs before us.

The Lord could have answered Mrs. Adams prayers in another way, however the Lord chose to answer her prayers through Greg to teach him a valuable lesson. From that day onwards, Greg never took another dare.