The House of ages
by Tazz
For 100 years, the house known as The House of Ages has been unoccupied. No one seems to be wanting an old, creepy looking house. People have entered the house but they don't come out. Well that is what they say. When the doors open, people find small children as young as 1 and old people and even skeletons leave the house. The people who come out have no memory of what happened or who they are. Some people the house is haunted, some people say the people who enter become younger or older and leave with no memory.
"Ok, welcome to the new hit reality series Mystery Solvers. I’m your host Johnny Fairly and you are the selected 6 men and women who are going to try to solve the mystery of The House of ages. When I call your names come up and grab your flashlight and of course at the end the ones who leave the house the same will get $100,000"
One by one the 6 selected men and women were called and they were given their equipment
Ben a cop from the Bronx was first called up. He was a 28 year old who was the oldest of 5 siblings.
Jennifer a 26 year old waitress and single mother of 1 who was from Hollywood came up shortly after.
Jack a unemployed wise guy type of man who was 30 and still lived with his parents in Rhode Island.
Brandy a 25 year old model from New York who is the youngest of 3 siblings.
Frank a 65 year old Marine Veteran from Miami who just recently celebrated his 40 yr anniversary with his wife.
Finally was Barbara a 45 year old mother of 3 from Atlanta came up to get her equipment.
"The Objective for you is to spend a night here in the house and hopefully find out what is the mystery of the House of ages and to make sure none of you decides to leave the house we have locked the doors."
One by one the contestants entered the house and inside the house looked like something they never thought the house would look.
Jennifer was the first to say something "Its so beautiful. It looks like um"
"Like a circus but inside a creepy looking house" said Ben.
Frank responded "We should split up and investigate different parts of the house more quickly and meet up in 3 hours to fill in what we have seen."
"Good idea" Barbara said
Brandy was the first to claim what area she was going to investigate.
"Ill take the west wing on the floor"
It was decided there after was Ben was to look on the west wing of the second floor while Frank did the west wing of the second floor, Barbara was going to do the east of the third floor, Jennifer was going to do the west of the third and, like the lazy person he was, Jack took the west wing of the floor they were on.
After given the floors to investigate the group split up to go to their locations.
Jack didn’t go far for him to take a rest. After looking around for 10 minutes he decided to take a break.
"Man, getting paid $1,000,000 to just look around a stupid old house is going to be breeze. I might as well just sit down in a room and say I looked. But first."
Jack turned off his camera, so people wouldn’t see him slack off.
Jack searched the hall for a room and all the doors were locked except for a room that looked like it belonged to a little kid. When he entered he saw a very comfortable couch to lay on.
"This is going to be the easiest $1,000,000."
Just then the door opens up.
"Who's there?"
"Its just me one of the caretakers of the house"
"Alright room service."
"Care for a cookie?"
"Don’t mind if I do."
Jack grabbed a cookie and took a bite.
"MM, this is good. What kind is it?"
"Its my very own recipe. I’m glad you like it."
After a while Jack had stopped eating the cookies after 4 because he had started to feel strange.
"Um, I don’t feel so good and why is the room getting bigger of all sudden?"
"Oh, that’s the cookie taking affect."
"What do you mean?"
"Stupid mortal don’t you realize this house makes its guest older and younger and you are the house's next victim."
"I got to warn the others."
Jack ran towards the door even though he had trouble since his clothes were now getting big on him but the door seemed to be locked."
"No, I don’t want to be a little kid again."
But it was too late, Jack shrunk into a 5 year old and like the previous people who entered the house Jack loss all of his memory and was now a real 5 year old.
"Be a good boy and stay in here while I take care of your little friends."
After 3 hours like they have planned the rest of the group all met in the lobby in the house to discuss what they have found except for Jack.
"Ok, looks like we are all here. What have you have seen?" said Frank
Everyone pretty much said the same thing that was all the doors were locked in the areas they were assigned to.
"Wait a minute, where’s Jack?
"I don’t know, I haven’t seen him since the last time we all met."
"He is probably sitting around doing nothing."
"Yeah, that’s probably it."
"Ok, we should all split up and look for him most likely he stayed on this floor so he wouldn’t have to do much."
The group was divided to 2 groups of 2 and one person went solo. The groups were Frank & Brandy, Ben & Jennifer, and Barbara volunteered to go by herself.
Frank & Brandy decided to search near the lobby since that was the closest to the front door since the door was locked.
"Where could he be Frank?"
"I don’t know, what kind of man just does nothing instead of getting the chance of getting $1,000,000."
"What will you do with the money?"
"I don’t know, I always wanted one of those RVs and take the wife on a road trip. What about you?"
"I want to own a modeling company and look for new models."
They search the hallway and tried to open the doors and like last time they were locked.
"Well, this door is locked. Why would there be locked doors if we are supposed to solve a mystery?"
"I don’t know, but maybe we should try that last door."
"I guess you are right."
Frank and Brandy tried to open the door and this time with luck the door opened. Inside the room there was a blue crib and the rest looked like something an older person would have in a bedroom.
'Well, Jack isn’t in here"
"Yeah want to stay in here and get maybe 5 minutes of rest since we have been walking for a while."
"Sure, do you mind if I lay on the bed?" said Brandy
"I don’t mind."
Just then a women entered the room.
"Hello, I am Elizabeth one of the caretakers of the house."
"I thought no one lived here"
"Oh, I live here to make sure the house is nice and tightly, would you like something to drink?"
"ok" said both Frank and Brandy
They took a sip from the cups they were given.
"I feel kind of strange."
"me too"
Brandy and Frank walked towards the mirror and were both shocked to see what was staring back at them.
"I’m older. I am like 40 years old."
"Yikes, and I am younger, I must be like 23 years old."
And that didn’t end there. Brandy continued to age.
"I cant get old, I have a modeling career" Brandy said as she stopped at age 85
"And I cannot get younger, I am married" Frank said as he stopped at age 1
Both of them loosed their memory and now an older Brandy picked up a baby Frank.
"Now, sweetie what are you doing here. Ill take care of you until I found out who you belong to."
Meanwhile in the lobby....
"Now Frank and Brandy are missing."
"What’s going on?"
"Ok, lets stick together and search for them together so we don’t get split up."
They searched through the east wing of the house and tried all the doors and they were all locked.
"Barbara come here."
"Did you hear that?" said Barbara
"Hear what?"
"A voice just called my name and told me to enter that room."
"I didn’t hear anything."
"Lets continue walking, they bound to show up sooner or later."
After a while of walking, Jennifer notices something.
"Where is Barbara?"
"Man, she must have entered that room."
Ben and Jennifer walked until they had found that room Barbara told them about. Inside they hear a scream. Ben tried to open the door but it was locked. He as kicked down the door and inside the room was a little girl maybe 8 years old.
"Hello, would you like to play dolls with me."
"Where did that little girl come from?
Just then they noticed that the girl had a necklace on that looked a lot like the one Barbara was wearing before they got lost.
"Whets your name little girl"
"Barbara but I like to called Barbie like the doll."
"Do you know who we are?"
"No"
Just then the door shut closed and was locked again.
"That was weird, maybe the legends are true and maybe the house does make people older or younger"
They found a door that was unlocked near the lobby and inside was an elderly woman holding a baby.
"SSSHH, be quiet and don’t wake up the baby."
Like the last room the door shut again and locked.
Another door they found had a 5 year old boy playing with toys.
"These are mine and stay away before I cry."
The door closed and locked as well.
"Ok, that has to be Jack. The old woman was Brandy and the baby has to be Frank."
"We got to get out of here before we get younger or older."
"But how, the door is locked?"
"I saw I door that wasn’t unlocked that led to a backyard, maybe we should take a look on the other side of the house. Maybe we can get out from there." said Ben
"Good idea"
They went to the other side of the house and like what Ben said there was a door that led to the backyard and finally some luck the door wasn’t locked. When they opened the door, the backyard had dead plants and grass, a sandbox and some children stuff. They walked around looking for a way out. It had to be 2:00 am. They slited up to look for a back exit. After 10 minutes they came back towards the door.
"There isn’t a way out of the this place."
"I know, at the end of this backyard is a huge wall that is impossible to climb."
"Are you two lost?"
"Who said that?"
"I did, I am the caretaker Elizabeth. Would you two like an apple?"
"No, thanks we are busy right now trying to find a way out. Is there anyway out besides the front door? The door is locked until 9am and we want out now."
"I’m sorry there isn’t, but you two young young’s look hungry, please take an apple."
"What are you talking about, we might be still young but young ones?"
"Tsk, I guess you don’t notice the house's magic is starting to take affect on you two."
"What do you mean?"
"Why take a look, there is a mirror over there."
Jennifer and Ben take a look at the mirror and to a shock staring back at them weren’t two people in their mid 20s but two young teenagers possibly no older than 15.
"What has happened to us?"
"This house has a curse on it. There are rooms and areas in the house that only can be unlocked by the ones the fit the description of the place and there the people get the ultimate fate."
"What do you mean?"
"You've seen the others?"
"Yes"
"Well their characteristic helps in the change. For instance Jack (Jack appears playing with toys still) was a grown man who acted like a kid and he is. Brandy and Frank appear with Brandy still holding Frank, Brandy always acted like an older woman while Frank acted like he was younger, and Barbara who was still playing with dolls appeared, she is the same as Frank."
"But what about us?"
"You two are both the oldest of siblings in your house and always act a little immature so you wouldn’t have the responsibilities and now you wont."
Ben and Jennifer looked at the mirror and this time they were 10 yr olds.
"How do we make it stop?"
"By eating an apple"
"What if we don’t?"
"Then you will continue to get younger until you are nothing. The backyard is where the magic affects you and will continue."
"We have no choice unless we want to not exist."
A 6 year old Ben and Jennifer grab an apple and take a bite. They stop shrinking while still 6 years old.
"Ha, I tricked you it would have stopped at 6 but now you will loose your memory like the rest."
Ben and Jennifer loose their memory and become real kids.
"Yuck a apple, I hate apples."
Ben throws the apple because of hatred at Elizabeth. It goes right into her mouth, she spits it out but it isn’t in time she had swallowed a piece, she then starts to age rapidly.
"Look the lady is becoming a grandma" said 8 yr old Barbara
She aged so fast in just a matter 2 minutes she was nothing but dust. After that a huge wave of light came from the dust and the whole area of the house became bright."
Later....
"Its 9pm and we are here at the house about to open the door to see if the contestants have changed like so many others have or solved the mystery and say those people were always like that"
The crew of Mystery Solvers open up the door and out comes the contestants back to normal.
"Did anything happen to you while you were inside the house?"
"We actually don’t remember." said Ben
"Yeah the last thing we remembered was you closing the door and then 4 hours later you opening." said Brandy
"So you have no idea what had happened?"
"We guess." said Jennifer
"Well you heard it hear, the house of ages is just a regular house after these 6 brave men and women entered the house and nothing happened besides lost time. Due to their braveness they will receive $1,000,000 dollars each. I’m your host John Fairly and this has been Mystery Solvers."
The episode aired like planned by the video that was taped from the cameras inside were mostly blank. Nothing goof so instead they reenacted what might have happened and did a documentary of the house using the video.
People did enter the house since there was nothing to be afraid of and Elizabeth never appeared at the house again. In interest, all 6 of them bought and moved in the house with the money they had gotten and turned it into a museum, they used some ideas they had they thought were just dreams. The house was a success, that’s what the children say.
The end