Post by thestoryteller20 on Jan 11, 2006 16:05:22 GMT -5
As an entrepreneur, I look for ways to buy and sell distressed properties through on-line auctions. I can pick the state, city, and many times the street for just the right property that “shows potential”! Sometimes I made an excellent profit, while other times I was lucky to break even. I always try to do a quick turnover. So when I saw the photos of one particular property in Lodi, California, the lot size and true market value,
including delinquent taxes owed, I chose to bid on it.
On-line auctions for properties are peculiar. On the one hand, one might think few would be interested and 15 place bids. On the other hand, you feel many will try to buy a particular parcel and no one does. In my case on that hot summer day, I was one of three bidder’s for the condemned house on a narrow lot, in a nice neighborhood. In the end, my bid turned out the highest. Within 10 days, all the escrow documents had been faxed to a title company in Lodi, and I initialed or signed, as usual, like a movie star signing
autographs.
Prior to escrow, I drove to 946 Pine Avenue and parked. I got out and walked to the middle of the street and looked directly at the boarded up house. Then I stood on the sidewalk to the left and then to the right of the house. I had an eye for visually being able to see
what such a lot could look like once cleared. There was a huge green shrub by the sidewalk, and 2 smaller ones to the right of the porch.
As I walked around the house, I observed that all of the windows and doors had been boarded up. What I thought was peculiar though was the thickness of the plywood and size of nails. The plywood was ½ inch thick and the nails, well, they were way too large. I wondered why they had gone to the unnecessary expense to board the house up?
Later, I would find the answers to that question and many more, in the basement of the house. I would embark on a quest to save the souls of children stolen and killed by a demonic spirit in another world. I would not only fight to save their souls, but fight for my own spirit as well. Finally, I got a call on my Cell-phone from the Placer Title Company, informing me the documents were ready to be signed. I stopped at my bank and got
the Cashier’s check and drove to their office.
As I left the realty office with the folder of documents, I felt good. The property was in a good location to build a house or duplex. I wasn’t one to be greedy, or charge a fortune for what I bought, quite the contrary. I offered a good lot for a fair price allowing families to have what they once dreamed not within their reach. I drove over to Pine Avenue, to take a look at the property more closely this time. I made sure I brought a large hammer,
a flashlight and a crow bar, to gain entry, and look inside to see what was inside.
When I got there, I parked in front of the house, locked the car door, and opened the trunk and picked up the crow bar. I looked at near-by houses as I stood on the sidewalk, to get an idea of the size and style of houses in this neighborhood, when I saw a woman staring at me from her window. Her eyes were angry, yet sad, as I watched her close the white curtain. Then, to my surprise, she stepped out onto her front porch, closing her door behind her.
She was a tall but thin woman, in her 70’s with long flowing white hair. She walked hurriedly toward me, but with a limp. The cane in her right hand tapping the concrete as she drew near, told me that she must have had a fall sometime in the past. When she was about six feet from me, she stopped, as I looked into her deep blue eyes. Her voice had an Irish accent, and a
foreboding warning. “Excuse me sir, you aren’t going to work on that old place are you”; she asked?
“No mam, I’m not here to do any work, I just bought this property and I plan to tear it down. I’m just going to look inside and see what shape it’s inside”. “No….you mustn’t She said frantically, you mustn’t. Death and misery lingers in that house, you mustn’t disturb the evil that lives within its walls”, she cried, almost hysterical. Her comments were so off the
wall, so unexpected, I almost laughed. “Evil, death, what are you talking about. You have me more then confused”. She motioned me to walk towards her as she backed up further from the house.
“I’m telling you the gospel truth sir, when I tell you that there is a demon’s spirit in that house, and with him he keeps the souls of the children he has killed”. The look on my face I’m sure was one of total astonishment! How do you know that, where did you read that”? Suddenly her face grew white, so very pale, and she fought to take in a breath. Her hand holding her
cane was shaking and I thought she was about to fall to the ground.
But she didn’t fall. She made a determined look of determination and replied; “I know things that no one knows, things that would make you go insane, if only you knew. Please I beg you, if you value your life, don’t enter that house. If you do, I fear you will not come back out. Leave now”! With those words, she turned and hurriedly limped back to her house and closed the door behind her.
© 2006 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)
including delinquent taxes owed, I chose to bid on it.
On-line auctions for properties are peculiar. On the one hand, one might think few would be interested and 15 place bids. On the other hand, you feel many will try to buy a particular parcel and no one does. In my case on that hot summer day, I was one of three bidder’s for the condemned house on a narrow lot, in a nice neighborhood. In the end, my bid turned out the highest. Within 10 days, all the escrow documents had been faxed to a title company in Lodi, and I initialed or signed, as usual, like a movie star signing
autographs.
Prior to escrow, I drove to 946 Pine Avenue and parked. I got out and walked to the middle of the street and looked directly at the boarded up house. Then I stood on the sidewalk to the left and then to the right of the house. I had an eye for visually being able to see
what such a lot could look like once cleared. There was a huge green shrub by the sidewalk, and 2 smaller ones to the right of the porch.
As I walked around the house, I observed that all of the windows and doors had been boarded up. What I thought was peculiar though was the thickness of the plywood and size of nails. The plywood was ½ inch thick and the nails, well, they were way too large. I wondered why they had gone to the unnecessary expense to board the house up?
Later, I would find the answers to that question and many more, in the basement of the house. I would embark on a quest to save the souls of children stolen and killed by a demonic spirit in another world. I would not only fight to save their souls, but fight for my own spirit as well. Finally, I got a call on my Cell-phone from the Placer Title Company, informing me the documents were ready to be signed. I stopped at my bank and got
the Cashier’s check and drove to their office.
As I left the realty office with the folder of documents, I felt good. The property was in a good location to build a house or duplex. I wasn’t one to be greedy, or charge a fortune for what I bought, quite the contrary. I offered a good lot for a fair price allowing families to have what they once dreamed not within their reach. I drove over to Pine Avenue, to take a look at the property more closely this time. I made sure I brought a large hammer,
a flashlight and a crow bar, to gain entry, and look inside to see what was inside.
When I got there, I parked in front of the house, locked the car door, and opened the trunk and picked up the crow bar. I looked at near-by houses as I stood on the sidewalk, to get an idea of the size and style of houses in this neighborhood, when I saw a woman staring at me from her window. Her eyes were angry, yet sad, as I watched her close the white curtain. Then, to my surprise, she stepped out onto her front porch, closing her door behind her.
She was a tall but thin woman, in her 70’s with long flowing white hair. She walked hurriedly toward me, but with a limp. The cane in her right hand tapping the concrete as she drew near, told me that she must have had a fall sometime in the past. When she was about six feet from me, she stopped, as I looked into her deep blue eyes. Her voice had an Irish accent, and a
foreboding warning. “Excuse me sir, you aren’t going to work on that old place are you”; she asked?
“No mam, I’m not here to do any work, I just bought this property and I plan to tear it down. I’m just going to look inside and see what shape it’s inside”. “No….you mustn’t She said frantically, you mustn’t. Death and misery lingers in that house, you mustn’t disturb the evil that lives within its walls”, she cried, almost hysterical. Her comments were so off the
wall, so unexpected, I almost laughed. “Evil, death, what are you talking about. You have me more then confused”. She motioned me to walk towards her as she backed up further from the house.
“I’m telling you the gospel truth sir, when I tell you that there is a demon’s spirit in that house, and with him he keeps the souls of the children he has killed”. The look on my face I’m sure was one of total astonishment! How do you know that, where did you read that”? Suddenly her face grew white, so very pale, and she fought to take in a breath. Her hand holding her
cane was shaking and I thought she was about to fall to the ground.
But she didn’t fall. She made a determined look of determination and replied; “I know things that no one knows, things that would make you go insane, if only you knew. Please I beg you, if you value your life, don’t enter that house. If you do, I fear you will not come back out. Leave now”! With those words, she turned and hurriedly limped back to her house and closed the door behind her.
© 2006 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)