A Smiling House - Serenity

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The old house sat on the outskirts of town, abandoned eleven months out of the year. It opened in October, when the owners mixed decorative cobwebs into the real ones and added a few plastic skeletons for effect.

The Funhouse of Horrors, it was called, although there wasn't much that was fun or horrific about it in Jennifer's mind. Just a rotting stack of wood that played with your imagination. Her parents had taken her when she was young, and she could admit that her childish mind had enjoyed it. Everything was simpler as a child.

The road ended half a mile from the house, and she pulled over to park on the side. The crisp autumn night was silent and bright with stars as she walked through the grass, Trina running ahead with the endless energy of an eight-year-old. The moon hung low in the sky, swollen with a brightness that lit the path ahead.

"Look, Mama!" Trina pointed as they approached the steps that had begun to sag. "The house is smiling."

Jennifer laughed. Maybe she could remember that simple, childish happiness after all. The woman at the door offered her a paper cup of mulled wine, and a hot apple cider for her daughter.

She took the drinks, accepting the house's smile as she entered.

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Inspired by the 5 Minute Freewrite Prompt - A Smiling House provided by the lovely @mariannewest!

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