Lisa rolled off of Jonathan's body, screaming. Her screams continued for
a minute or two, and then she fell into deep, body-wrenching sobs that
shook her intensely. Then . . . silence.

Suddenly she was up and climbing the stairs . . . the book ! She had to
save the book! She fought through the smoke and flames until at last she
came to the table where the book sat, vibrating. With one big scoop she
grabbed up the book and hugged it to her breast, crying tears of joy. She
made her way over to the stairs, but . . .they were on fire ! Totally in
flames. The attic began to go up like a torch ! She began screaming again,
hysterically. The book was vibrating in her hands, and she sensed its fear.
She watched in horror as faces of ghosts came out of the paintings Jon
had found, and disappeared in the choking blue smoke, screaming to the
end. Her clothes began to catch fire, and she smelled her own hair burning.
And still she screamed. The book itself began to catch fire, and that's when
Lisa fell unconscious.

The book burned hotly for an hour, spewing dark black smoke in waves of
death.


And later . . .

The children were found by neighbors the next day, and taken to their
mother's sister's house seventy miles south, where they prospered and
were finally adopted by their aunt and uncle.

The bodies of Lisa, Jonathan, and Agnes were never found.

Although only the attic of the two-story house was burned, the house was
abandoned as a total loss, and years passed without anyone ever setting
foot back inside. Rumors circulated that the house was haunted. Maybe
even evil.
...............................................................

Seventeen years later a car pulled up to the overgrown property. A woman
got out and began taking pictures of the house, walking carefully around
and through the giant weeds and vines. She noted that the barn had long
since rotted and fallen in on itself. She reached the stairs to the porch, a
double wrap-around porch, and climbed to the front door, trying the knob.
It opened immediately, as if beckoning her to come in.

Liza toured what was left of the house, stopping at last in the dining room.
It was just as she remembered it. Her mother's dream house was still in
pretty good shape, considering. Even the painting her Dad had hung on the
wall was still here! Walking over to it, she lifted it off the wall and put it
under her arm as she made her way back to the front yard. She set the
painting down carefully, then turned and faced the house. Getting down on
her knees, she began to pray . . . for her parents, for Agnes, even for the
house. She finished with "God bless everyone and everything here."
........................................................................

Driving away, she watched it all disappear in her rear-view mirror. The
painting rode in the backseat. She had looked at it briefly but it wasn't
quite as she remembered it. But . . .it had belonged to her family . . . .
and she'd get used to it.
As she drove, her hand went to the necklace around her throat. A gift from
"Little Luke", it reminded her of something, but she wasn't sure what. It
did resemble an amulet though . . . and that was pretty cool.