The Gate of Visions

Story: Protagonist (Sarah) moves into a haunted house with her mother and younger brother.

I. Background
a. Sarah, 12, and her family are moving from California to Massachusetts because
her mother was offered a high-paying job there. Sarah’s father passed away
recently after an accident on construction site.
b. The move was rushed, and Sarah’s mother didn’t have the chance to see the
house before purchasing it. Describe reaction to how intimidating the house is in
person.
c. Sarah’s little brother, Rory, 6, is deaf and very observant. They are extremely
close.

II. The house and the move

a. The house is classic New England style, large, and in a remote location. Very
detailed description.
b. The closest neighbor is a two-minute drive away. Describe neighborhood.
c. The windows are small and ceilings low. There is a strong draft. A box goes
missing the first night. The house makes Rory uncomfortable. Set up
atmosphere.

III. Tension
a. Children sleep on second floor; mother sleeps on first. Mother hears noises
below her. She checks a door she thought was a closet, but it opens to stairs that
lead to cellar she didn’t know about. Cellar has coal shaft, making a strong draft.
b. Rory runs into Sarah’s room and signs something to her. She tells him to sleep
with her. She relays this to Mom in the morning and assumes there may have
been a spider in his room. Mom asks her to show her the sign he made. The sign
means ‘man.’
c. Mom comes home from work to find her entire floor covered in thick soot. She
figures it is a prank and demands the children clean it up. The children protest;
she doesn’t believe them.
d. Mom hears shovels scraping in cellar, sees smoke pouring out from underneath
cellar door, and calls fire department. FD find source of smoke is coal shaft, but
no fire. Smoke stops as soon as FD arrives. The walls are stained now.
e. The children are sleeping, Sarah hears door knob turn and sits up. Lights flick on,
door slowly opens then slams shut. She’s frozen and watches enormous, sooty
boot prints circle the room and go up the wall and to the ceiling. Mom walks in to
ask why lights are on, sees footprints, takes children to sleep with her
downstairs.

IV. Climax
 a. Mom’s whole room begins to shake. They all sit up in bed, Mom calls out asking
who is there. Rory makes the same ‘man’ sign just before a man in a miner’s hat
and suit breaks down the door. He demands they leave at one. Rory breaks
away and runs straight through the man and out the door. Mom and Sarah follow.
Just as they catch up to Rory on the street, the house explodes.
b. Police and fire departments arrive; chief says the house shouldn’t even be here,
let alone inhabited. The landlord was ordered to tear it down because of the
strange activity in the coal shaft. It had caused an explosion 100 year earlier,
killing a miner who was inspecting it.

V. Conclusion
a. The old FD chief shows them an obituary, and the ghost who had ordered them
out of the house was the miner who passed away in the explosion. They
conclude that his spirit remained to warn people and keep them out of harm’s
way.