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// House Built On A Cemetery  
// Story: Stuck On This Side Of Death 
// by grey mane 
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"Why should I fear Death? If I am, Death is not. If Death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?" - Epicurus





I still remember it like it was yesterday; how I followed him or it, not sure what it was, from my room into the living room. And how it vanished once it stepped into the light...but I'm getting ahead of my self right now. Lets start back at the beginning of this story, back at that place I once called home.

The year was 1996 and I was living on 66th street near Peoria in the city of Tulsa, Oklahomare; funny the name of our city means Old Town in the old Creek language. Sorry getting off topic, fall was just starting to set in and for several years my neighborhood was rather normal; or as normal as it could get when three houses down from us was a drug dealer, and if that didn't make things seem bad the cops where no better. More times than not I had seen them buy drugs from this guy to either plant them on people for an easy arrest; or just simply to have fun on the weekends, at times the older ponies that lived in my neighborhood would often yell at them about how they should do their jobs right. At the time I didn't think too much about it nor did I have any real clue as to what was going on, I was no older than six at the time; my birthday had passed just a two months prior. 

In my home at the time lived eight ponies my grandparents, mother, uncle, and three brothers along side my self; things where tough for us even then, but we pulled together even through the worst of it. Grandma worked as a house keeper for a couple of lawyers, grandpa was a retired army vet from Vietnam (and by far the most feared black stallion in the neighborhood, not even the drug dealer; or dirty cops would mess with him), uncle was a manager at Homeland at the time; and mom worked for the state part time as a social worker. As the season grew colder I was ecstatic for what came at the end of the month; my favorite holiday Nightmare Night. 

I had only seen pictures from the years before and this year I wanted to be a Pirate and go 'Arrg' as I asked for candy. My grandmother misheard me the first time and asked in her broken english, "What is a Pie Rat?" 

I should have also mentioned that she had jumped the border from Mareico with my mother, uncle, and aunt when my mother was just 6; and with the help of my grandfather, and none of them would be legal citizens till I was around thirteen or so.

As the weeks past I grew more and more excited for Nightmare Night as my grandmother continued to make our costumes for us, I was so excited I could barely contain my self even in school. Each day I would watch the clock and count the hours, though I had no real idea how to tell time; for some strange reason it made me feel more anxious even when I didn't look at the clock. As the day finally came I was unable to stand still as my mother helped me put on my costume, she even had to threaten me to stand still or we wouldn't go out to trick-or-treat. I still look back on those days and laugh, as I came walking into the room shouting 'arrg' my uncle followed in behind me dressed as a pirate as well; his reaction was one of us would have to change costumes, I was tolled I wouldn't stop crying for half an hour but that bit of memory is a tad fuzzy to me. *Cough* *Cough*

I enjoyed that evening so much the family split up into two groups and I went with my uncle, and though I didn't know it then he would be one of the biggest stallion role models in my life; mostly because my parents where divorced at the time and my father is a useless sack o... ...sorry I'm getting off track. I remember coming home with a bag full of candy and loved it, but my uncle said something about keeping his mareish figure and gave me half his pillow sack of candy; and split the rest up with everyone else later. Once we got home my mother took all of the candy to start inspecting it for anything wrong, at the time she was one of those parents that believed just about anything that was on the news; well that and if she didn't and some one at the DPS (Department of Pony Services) office found out it could have looked bad on her, funny that place can't seem to catch a break now a days anyway (your taxes at work everypony).

The home we lived in was a decent size though I thought it was huge at the time, it was a three bedroom two bath home that was painted a dark green, (and not some emerald green or fancy dark green just strait dark green, I thought it was great) though I always wondered why it was at night I feared this house; and only from the outside as if it could harm me. That night I was so exhausted from the fun I fell right to sleep after my bath, even after fighting everyone saying I wasn't tired yet; I even remember hugging my pillow as my mother tucked me in while saying I could stay up all night. I remember my grandmother coming in to hum to me and my brothers to help us fall asleep, I slept on the top bunk above my older brother as he liked being closer to the ground back then. My other brothers had beds that laid parallel to each other with toys that littered the floor between them, I even look back to hear all of us arguing over who's toys belonged to whom; it often ended with the toys either being taken away or my younger brother breaking them as he said no one could have them now. 

It wasn't till late that evening I was woken up by somepony or something shaking me awake calling my name, I didn't know who or what it was at the time nor did I ever find out. All I could remember of it was its body was slim and shown no signs of muscle or fat, I asked how it knew my name only for it to tell me that it didn't matter and we had to make our way to the kitchen. 

Looking down at the figure I asked why it came to me only for it to say it didn't matter only that it had somepony, "Then why don't you wake up my older brother he's right under me." 

"I would if I could but he's like a rock and won't get up. I tried everyone in here and none of them would get up, you're the only one." I questioned how it managed to wake me up as I had been tolled that even at that age a bomb could go off next to me and I would sleep through it. 

But then again if a bomb went off next to me I wouldn't be waking up either way, I know its a coined phrase but still I felt like saying it. As it reached up to touch me I could feel its hoof was soft, softer than anything I had ever felt before and yet at the same time it felt like something was off about it; what I couldn't tell. 

Climbing down I followed it into the hallway but stopped at the door frame to look at the door to my uncle's room on my left, "Come on everypony is fast asleep, no pony is going to wake up I already checked." 

I didn't know If I should trust this thing but my curiosity got the better of me as I followed it down the hall, as we walked we came past the floor furnace I looked down at it to try and spot the pilot light; once I saw it I knew where to start walking round it. 

As we came to the living room I saw my oldest cousin who had a spare key and snuck into the house some time after we all fell asleep, 'We can't go any further, if he wakes up we will be in big trouble. He just mite tell grandpa.' 

I whispered hoping not to wake him, at the time he was a quarter back in college who doubled as a line backer; and more times than I cared to count he was fun to play with but was not fun to be around when he didn't get much sleep. As it walked into the living room it went up to my cousin and slapped him on the chest, I watched as he twitched for a second then continued snoring. 

'See what did I tell ya, like a rock. I find it odd that he sleeps with his shoes on though, what does he think something is going to drag him away by his hooves?' At the time I didn't know the answer to that but I found out a few years later that our grandmother had placed a never ending fear of demons who would drag him to Tartaros if they got a hold of his bare hooves, even to this day he sleeps with socks on and even tucks the covers under his hooves. I recommend if you ever meet him don't mess around with him on this subject he believes it to be true even if you show him some kind of proof that says other wise.

Walking through the living room I saw the light from where my grandmother had her sowing machine, though it wasn't worth much in cash value to her it was the world; she has it even to this day and not once has it ever broken down, they sure as Tartaros don't make them like that anymore. As it started to walk into the light I watched as it started to disappear, as its body completely vanished I heard it let out the worst blood curtailing laugh I had ever heard causing me to stand frozen in fear for a few minutes. As the fear shot through my body I could feel my mind shouting to my body to turn around and run, but my body could not move even though it wished too.

As its laughter came to a short end I could feel my body react as it turned and ran back to my bed, I even found my self jumping into bed to cover my self up; not sure if I had actually jumped into bed or if I was so fear stricken I couldn't recall climbing into bed. 

As I lay there under the covers I could hear that thing calling out my name, "Where did you go, I thought you wanted to go to the kitchen with me?" 

Peeking out from under the covers I watched as it slowly turned the corner into my room and I saw its eyes for the first time, they where so crimson in color I had though its eyes where made of blood. Laying there I waited for it to leave only to hear it calling my name constantly, I don't recall how long I stayed awake in fear or if I just passed out from fear. All I know is that I couldn't go back to sleep so long as I could feel and hear that thing was still there calling for me. 

What I do remember is the following morning when I asked my grandpa if he knew anything about the land, "Oh ya I know quite a bit, there used to be a Cemetery right here where this house is." I didn't want to believe him but after what I had encountered that night I couldn't help but take his words as truth. And though I wouldn't know it for several years, that one encounter would spark my never ending interest into the world of the paranormal and the supernatural.