THE THIEVES' DEN

It was late that evening as Kevin and his friend Robert were walking down the lane, coming home after school. Oh their way as they always did, they passed the old Windsor manor which had rumours of being haunted. No one knew anything for sure, but people in the neighborhood had different stories to tell about Windsor Manor. Some said that ghosts frequented it, while others said that gunmen who shot them down murdered anyone who went there. Usually all the kids in the area even avoided walking past it after six in the evening. That evening as the two boys were walking past the old manor, something looked different about it. It was almost like this invisible force that was drawing the two of then towards the house. Kevin and Robert both contemplated as to what they should do and after a while they made the bold decision to venture into the manor. As they pushed open the garden door, it creaked, loudly. The garden was bare and had no shrubs or bushes. There were many old and unkept trees growing with their roots spreading in all directions, making it difficult for anyone to walk. The sky was darkening as the sun went lower and lower below the horizon. Suddenly the two boys almost jumped out of their skin as they heard a loud noise, which sounded like a gunshot. Only after a few seconds did they realize that Kevin had stepped on a dry twig that had cracked to make the noise. Kevin and Robert finally reached a clearing and now the house was clearly visible. It looked unkept and uncared for. All the windowpanes were broken and the doorway was old and musty. They pushed the old oak door open, which creaked even louder than the garden gate had creaked. Once again both the boys got the scare of their life on hearing this sound, but nothing would make them turn back. The house was old and bare. Cobwebs could be seen hanging from the walls. There was plaster peeling of the walls and many holes in the roof let a small part of the evening light come in creating shadows on the wall, thus making the place look even scarier. As the boys ventured from one room to another, they saw nothing strange or weird. The two of them finally realized that the house was not really haunted, it was just empty and dirty. As the two of them were departing from the house. A sudden flash of light and movement from the next room caught their eye. At first they though it was a rat. However for safety sake, the two of them hid behind the wall and peeped inside a room. From the room, a part of the wall had opened to reveal a small cave. Within the cave, were about three or four men and in front of them sat a huge machine. At first the boys could not discern what the machine was meant for, but on overhearing the conversation between the men, Robert and Kevin realized that these man were thieves and they were using Windsor manor as their hide out to store their loot and make counterfeit money. The boys tiptoed out of there as quietly as they could and ran all the way out of the gardens, down the street, round the corner, till they finally reached Kevin's house. From there they made a call to the local police, informing them about what they had just seen. That night the police came to Kevin's house and profusely thanked Robert and Kevin for their help and as a reward gave them a huge sum of money and a certificate for bravery. The two boys would have quite a story to tell their friends the next day at school.