The House on Koala Hills

This story was contributed by Shirley. I've written it out on her behalf

1 - Moving In

Peter held Ling in his arms and stared at the bungalow in awe. What a beauty! They had waited 3 years before they could finally afford their dream home in Perth. Though it wasn't easy making some sacrifices, Ling felt that it was worth it. She had earlier given up her job in Singapore to be with Peter in his hometown. They watched their three-year son Joe dash around the garden and into the house excitedly.

"I think he loves it!" said Peter lovingly to his wife as he glanced at Joe. The idea of leaving Singapore and his grandparents was not taken well by him. He had been throwing tantrums for the past few days before they got here. The sight of the house seemed to change all that now.

Together they held hands and entered their new home. They were finally going to live in their dream home.

2 - A Strange Encounter

After one year of bliss, Peter had to be posted to America for three whole months leaving Ling and Joe alone in their big old house. Ling wasn't too happy about it but she had no choice and had to accept things as they were. After all, it was Peter's salary that helped them achieve their dream home.

Everyday, she would go about doing her usual chores and playing with Joe to pass the time. She couldn't wait for the three months to be over before Peter came back. Then one day, a strange thing happened. As she was mopping the floor, she found Joe hiding in her bed crouching under the covers.

"What's wrong Joe?"

Joe didn't answer but whimpered from beneath. She pulled the covers and saw that his face was as white as sheet. He was in shock and refused to speak to her. Did he have a fall? She checked but there were no bruises on him.

She went to his room and looked around. Everything seemed to be in order. She was about to head back to her bedroom when she thought she saw two bright eyes looking at her through the window. Cautiously she approached the window to look out but there was nothing there. Perhaps it had been her imagination.

3 - We are not alone

Joe recovered a few hours after that incident but little did Ling knew that this was just the beginning of a series of other strange happenings in the house.

One afternoon as Ling was doing the dishes in the kitchen, there was a strong whiff of perfume in the air. The sweet smell continued to linger in the kitchen and seemed to follow her wherever she went in the house. The source of the scent was a puzzle to her but Ling wasn't too bothered about it.

Occasionally as she was doing her housework, she would sometimes get the feeling that somebody was standing behind her. However, Ling always thought that her loneliness was getting the better of her.

One night as she was sleeping, she felt her spring mattress jerked beneath her. She woke up expecting to find Joe in her bed but he wasn't there. It felt too good to be her imagination so she decided to check on him. When she got to his room, he appeared to be sleeping soundly.

Puzzled, Ling decided to question Joe the next morning. "Where you in my room last night?" she asked him suspiciously.

"Nope," he said. "That girl didn't disturb me last night. "
"What girl?" asked Ling shocked.
"The one who sometimes bullies me." He said pointing at the window where she had seen the pair of bright eyes a few days earlier. Her son's account made her skin crawl. Joe finally revealed that her son could sometimes see this little girl around the house. The little girl was hostile towards him and seemed to resent him sometimes.

Ling couldn't do anything about the strange happenings but fortunately, Peter was coming home soon. She couldn't wait for things to be normal again.

4 - The Psychic

Peter's return however, did not stop the strange things around the house. Although she had tried to convince him about their encounters he wouldn't believe her at all. It wasn't until one evening when Peter decided to invite his associates over for a dinner party that he finally started to believe her.

Pam was one of his senior business associates. She had never mentioned to him about her abilities to connect to the other world until that evening when she stepped into the house with three other partners. As she walked towards the living room, she suddenly clutched her ears and looked around in terror. The rest stared at her horrified.

"What's wrong?" squirmed Ling.

"There is a terrible sadness in this house." Pam said slowly. Pam looked around and started feeling the walls. "Oh no!" She screamed and seemed to go into a trance. She wavered, swayed, and leaned over. The others looked at her terrified not knowing what to do.

They were about to help her up when she suddenly recovered to her usual self. Then firmly she ordered, "Let's move to your dining room and talk".

"Peter, Ling," said Pam seriously. "I think its time that you move to a new place."

Pam revealed that she was a psychic. She could hear the sad spirits who used to live in this house and they do not like the presence of Ling and Peter in their home. Many years ago another family used to live here. It was a couple and their only daughter. However one day, the wife found out that her husband was having an affair. She couldn’t not take it so she killed her daughter and herself in this very house. Shortly after that, the adulterous husband was also killed in an accident. The spirits of the wife and the daughter still haunt this house today and they still believe that this house belongs to them.

The dinner party with Pam and other associates turned somber that night. Peter and Ling quickly made plans to abandon their home the next few days and they lived a happier life in their next home.

THE END