For many years, the house br stood empty and forlorn. br The windows had been boarded br preventing the sunlight coming in. br No welcoming mat lay by the door; br laughter was a thing of the past br as spiders spun their webs br within the gloomy silence. br br The house stood empty br abandoned by most living things br and there were those who said br spooky goings on went on br after night fell in there. br No one could prove it br because no one would stay there. br Only the fool hardy br would ever enter after dark. br br The paintwork pealed br and the front door creaked br if someone dared to open it. br They say the house is haunted, br but no one knew br by what or who. br The house began to crumble br as each season came to pass. br br The glory of its birth br lay somewhere in the past br and now the crumbling walls br would never reveal br any of the secrets that it knew.