The Horror! The Horror!

Moving to a new home when our children were young was a bit unnerving in many respects especially when our children were very comfortable with all their friends and with their schools. How were they going to take a move? It would be a real change.

We were looking at a house on a cul-de-sac on James Island when there were many children in the neighborhood and surrounding areas. Should we take it? Should we not? We had never lived on James Island so living this far out might be a problem.

Traffic? Horrible!

Restaurants? Few!

Shopping? Inconvenient!

Lots to think about because this was before the James Island Connector and most Charlestonians remember what that was like just trying to get down Folly Road. What a nightmare! As one neighbor told us, “Once we are on the Island after work, we don’t leave again till time to go back out to work the next day.”

And, that was exactly like it was. But that was very different from our family lived. We were always moving about and keeping those roads hot.

My husband and I talked and decided even though it was “out in the boonies” that we would give it a shot. It might be a good move for us. But, how do we tell the kids? Maybe we wouldn’t say anything right now. Maybe we would just put the kids in the car. And drive over to the Island and show them the house. You know, get a feel from them before we finalized things.

So that’s just what we did.

The four of us hopped in the car and headed over to the Island. By the time we arrived, it was dark.

NOT GOOD!

No power in the house so how would we handle this? My husband turned into the cul-de-sac and stopped right in the middle of the open area facing the house.

It was a full moon. The house was a large, stately, two-story gray house with a circular window in the center of the second floor. That window reminded me or something. But what?

The house was surrounded by woods except for a small house on the left that was hidden by sprawling oaks and pine trees. No street lights anywhere. Pitch black dark. Everywhere.

We sat in the car, motor off, lights off, staring up at this house. The full moon was situated right behind the house, illuminating it from the rear. All one could see was the outline of this dark, black, eerie house. But the moon shone right through the circular window like an evil eye looking down on all of us.

Creepy.

Real creepy!

“What do you think?” we asked them.

“What do you mean what do we think?” our youngest said.

“How would you like to live in this house?” my husband asked. “Don’t you think it’d be fun?”

Our youngest slowly peered up at this house with the circular window and exclaimed, “I’m not moving into this Amityville Horror House. No way!”

“AHHHHH!” I screamed to myself. “That’s what this house reminds me of.”

We, being the wonderful parents that we were, decided that this was the perfect house for us. Within the month we were living in the Amityville Horror House.

And, a bonus – my son decided that the little room with the circular window would make the perfect play area for himself and his little friends… real or unreal.

~ Jeannie Joyner