An old house before me, derelict, yet somehow enticing me to enter the gaping hole, once a door.
I touched the doorframe, long gone any sign of paint. The roughness tells me of long years past, of many hands that passed this way.
The gentle darkness beckons. The sound of a creak, the thought of many feet having trod.
A trace of dankness fills the air. The smells of cooking from a wood stove though long unused. The hint of families long gone lingers, apparitions of times shared.
A house, old, lacking care yet with the spirit of many lives.
Ross's Writing Blog 
Robyn Engel
October 16, 2011 at 09:32
Nice sensory details.
Ross Mannell
October 16, 2011 at 14:18
Thanks for the comment.
I think I achieved the prompt. 🙂
Judie
October 16, 2011 at 10:05
Ross, you took all the elements in just the right direction! Bravo!!
Ross Mannell
October 16, 2011 at 14:19
Thanks for the comment.
I’ve seen old run down houses and often wondered what histories they hold. 🙂
Sue
October 16, 2011 at 13:22
Nice job with this Centus.
I love an old house…and the spirit it holds.
=)
Ross Mannell
October 16, 2011 at 14:21
Thanks for the comment.
The much used phrase, “What stories these walls could tell.” was implied in the writing therefore it freed me to work on the sensory side. 🙂
Anita Terry
October 16, 2011 at 16:06
very descriptive. I love old creaky houses.
Ross Mannell
October 16, 2011 at 17:42
Thanks for the comment.
I suppose we could think of creaks as the voice of the house whispering its secrets. 🙂
claudia
October 17, 2011 at 00:45
Well done…I esp. liked this phrase:of many hands that passed this way.
Ross Mannell
October 17, 2011 at 07:05
Thanks for the comment.
After touching the door frame, many feet passing this way wouldn’t have been appropriate so I hit on the idea of saying many hands to add to the tactile sensation. 🙂
Dazee
October 17, 2011 at 12:18
so good. I’m falling in love with this house with every story I’m reading. Except for maybe mine. 🙂 Great job.
Ross Mannell
October 17, 2011 at 17:47
Thanks for the comment.
When I get a chance to read other stories, I’m am always impressed by the variety of styles and themes covered. It seems so many of us are would-be writers. 🙂
Jenny Matlock
October 30, 2011 at 08:24
Ross, this was lovely. I really felt like I was there. In every sense!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful writing style with us. You seem to be a master at crafting the written word.