It all started with a rumor, a mother and child have a fight. The child was found dead the next day with a brick tied around their ankle. The child committed scuicde. The mother, Lenore, became grief stricken and she lost her job. Seeming to go insane, the mother hangs herself outside her bedroom window. A bank eventually tries to sell the house, but screaming, and the clomping of a shoe, threatens any potential buyer, except Martha Jones. She was a mother of four grown children. Around a month later Martha was found dead, hanging. It is said Lenore kills parents who caused bullying or bodily harm to their children. To this day children, teens, and grown adults are scared of the house, and the clomping of Lenore's shoe. 

I hear the soft humming of my father's, 2016, purple dodge charger pull up into the driveway. "Hi pumpkin," he says with his signature cheshire smile. "How was your day?" "Fine, as best as it can be." Recently, I have been bullied, due to my parents 'situation.' My father, Ben, had found out my mother had an affair. With his brother. "Well I hope some quality time will make it better!" My father spoke cheerfully. Suddenly with an idea I responded, "Can we watch the documentary about Lenore?" 

Don't tell me you believe that story.

Well it stands to reason. Two women were hanged.

Okay, but the second one, Martha, was diagnosed with serious levels of trauma and psychosis. 

It doesn't change my opinion, but I do admit your right. Even if unnatural sounds plague the house, you still think its mental issues? I mean Lenore was sane. "That we know of at least, now hush I want to hear this." He commands booting up the show. The movie is like most horror documentaries, people go in, get phony evidence, and leave. One thing I did find odd was the clomp of a shoe. I heard it throughout the documentary, but when I asked my father if he heard it, he spoke not a word. My father is a doctor and is currently on call, so when we finished the movie he had to leave. I then lied down feeling woozy. In a matter of mere moments I drift into a sleep full of dreams. 

I awoke in a puddle of sweat. My dream was about my boyfriend asking me to come over. That seems wrong, hmm. It is what happened anyway. He told me his parents were gone. Immediately I told him no I wasn’t ready for… that . This was how the affair spread. We broke up, he then told his friends, who passed it on and on. Until everyone knows. I broke down in tears remembering this. The tears came furiously and swiftly, salty and tangy. My eyes became fountains draining my body of all sustenance. As soon as they slowed another wave came crashing down, hard. Trying to push the painful memory out of my mind I began to sing trying to feel comforted. Right as I began to stop, the clomp echoed outside.

I bolted to my room, locked the door, and with all my strength, I shoved my dresser in front of the door. Slowly, quietly I crept to my bed, sat down, and grabbed a pillow. Sitting there in silence I listened to my own heart. Slowly I began to hear a faint clomp. My heart seized as I lay down covering my ears. The clomping grew louder and louder. It stopped for a moment in front of the door. They tapped their foot furiously . The clomp moved from the door continuing down the hall. “Why would this happen? How is this happening? Is it truely Lenore?” I thought. “Could-” BAM! BAM! BAM! She was back. “Hey Aranza, I’m here to get the rest of my stuff.” “Mom at least ring the doorbell next time. You scared the bejeebers out of me!” I shoved my dresser back, and opened the door. I saw a brown heel with a noose tied around it.

Creeping back into my room I pulled out my phone and called my friend, Emma. She answered right before the last ring. “Aranza, what do you need?” “Can I come over?” “Anytime.” “I need you to come pick me up, I'm going insane.” She drove over in under five minutes. Before I left I took a picture of the shoe. On the way to her house I explained everything. “Girl you are going insane!” She told me in disbelief. “Do you have proof?” I showed her the picture of the shoe. “So Lenore is trying to find your mom?” “No, she came after me.” “But it doesn’t make sense? What is wrong with you?” We sat in silence for a few seconds pondering this. “What did her kid look like?” I finally spoke, breaking the silence.  Emma stopped at a red light and looked it up on her phone. She looked at me before handing me the phone. The person and I looked exactly the same. The same milk chocolate skin, brown eyes, and curly hair. I scanned for a difference; finding none. Once more I became overloaded with questions. Nervously Emma spoke, “We’re here. Don’t worry, my parents are normal'' “For the most part!” I added on. Emma’s parents were all about spiritual energy, healing rocks, and sage, lots of sage. “Hello darling,” her dad said as we opened the door. “I thought you would be home earlier. The sage told me so.” “Dad, not now, I love you!” She replied running upstairs. I followed her reluctantly up the stairs. “Crud, I never told my mom I would be here.” “So?” “Well she will call your dad and come over when she sees I’m gone.” She was now thinking about how Lenore could come back since we would both be here, my mother and I. I have now put her and her father at risk. “I’m just considering all angles here.” Emma continued. “Just saying couldn’t you have just FALLEN ASLEEP and imagined this?” “Then explain the shoe, and how I look just like her kid! Before either of us said anything more, Emma’s dad yelled, “Your mom is coming to check on you. And Aranza, she is not happy.”

Emma and I both prepared for the worst. We grabbed two knives from the kitchen, a hammer from the backyard, some water bottles, and some snacks because you never know. I could hear it before my mom arrived, the clomp, threatening to come inside. My mom came busting in the front door moments later yelling, “Aranza Cathorine Eli-” “Catherine,” Emma's dad yelled out. I raced downstairs to  see my mother lying dead on the floor. Turning around I see a figure snap the neck of Emma’s father. I proceed to run out of the house, but now my pursuer grows faster. With each step she gains on me until she jumps on my back. I run to the nearest street lamp in hopes of seeing them. Starting to hyperventilate, I collapse onto the concrete. I turn around to see her standing with her tangled hair, broken teeth, and brown heel staring at me in disbelief. “Child how? You are the same! It’s not possible. Well, neither am I. I bet you're wondering how? Why? Well I need an acolyte, a preceder. So I will explain. My daughter, sorry child, came out. I disagreed. They then left the house and never returned. It is true I lost my job, hung myself, and haunted my house. Eventually I became bored. I let Martha come, and I tricked her into scicide, but that wasn’t enough. Go turn on the news, you will see eight mothers have been killed in the past week. Each one was bad to their children. You see this don't you? That's why I need you! You can help me! I already freed from your mom. You. Owe. Me. Take my ha-” Emma was standing over Lenore with the hammer. “Aranza, run.” Emma screamed, pulling me up. She ran to her car, and I barely got up in time before she drove off. Apparently she has a lead foot because we are going down a 20mph side road and we’re going 100. “Where am I going Aranza?” “The hospital my dad needs to know.” Along the way we pick up six cop cars and one SWAT car. They eventually say, “This is your last chance.” To which I yell back, “MY MOTHER IS DYING!” They then left us.That was strange. As we pull up Emma whispered, “I’ll wait outside.” I could tell her father's death rattled her, so I said nothing as I got out. “Ma’am, I'm sorry he's in the middle of surgery. Ma’am you're not allowed back there! MA’AM!” I tuned the clerk out as I went to the elevator, and went up to the fourth floor. The door to the operating room was locked, so I waited until they were done, almost. A nurse went to grab something. Seizing the moment I caught the door, and entered. Thankfully I wasn’t forced out, as well the surgery was successful. My father was clearly angry, so before he could say anything, I spilled the beans. Not to my surprise, he man-explained that it wasn’t possible and how it must have been a dream. I left angrily, choosing the stairs, so the clerk wouldn’t see me. Before I could open the door, I heard Lenore electrocute my father. Turning around I see her power walking towards me. To my rescue, again, Emma pops up out of nowhere and hits Lenore with a steel chair. Emma and I race down the stairs, and back to her car. Praising her I say, “How the heck do you keep doing that, seriously?” “Well, whileperformingsomemagicIcursedLenoretoyousonowyoucanneverbealonesorryIcanfixitifyournotmad?” “Today has been weird enough I am not questioning it, how? “Well, sage. It may be enough to cast her back from whence she came.

Once more, Emma regained her lead foot, speeding back to her home. As soon as we arrive we rush in, grab a ton of sage, and go up to her bedroom. I went around her room trying to find the knives from earlier, but to no avail. In under ten minutes, Lenore arrives, prepared. She comes straight for us. We have covered the walls with sage, but it is not enough. Even with each one lit, Lenore enters. I strike her with a pillow, but she shoves me aside. Before I knew it she was over Emma. “For harming and disturbing me I shall kill you!” Lenore pulls out the knife, and stabs Emma in the heart. Slowly I back against the wall, shaking. “You could’ve joined me,” Lenore yelled. “Well your time is now up, sorry we couldn’t work out. Don’t worry I’ll make it slow.” First Lenore strikes at my knees. Then the elbows. Slowly working around to my kidney. Finally when no more blood can be lost, she strikes my heart. In a blink it's all gone.

“Aranza wake up! Emma is here to pick you up for your date. I need to go to the hospital. Come on, Chop Chop, go get ready.” “Dad what?” I replied groggily. Before I knew it he was out the door. Slowly I sat up on the couch to see on the coffee table a brown heel.