The "Haunted House'

On a hot summer day, three bored children roamed their neighborhood streets, in a frenzied search for some stimulating occupation. Katie, the oldest and natural ringleader rode in circles on her bike. Kendall, the youngest, scooted on her, well, scooter while Karoline walked near her friends, itching at mosquito bites and complaining about the heat. Nobody remembers the reason why the girls did not prevail upon their siblings for further gaming ideas, but either way, the proceeding events would remain etched in their memory for many moons. Well, it would at least remain etched in Karoline's memory for many moons.

Braking her bike, Katie planted her feet on the ground, shook her shaggy bob into place and gestured her head to the left. "You know, I kicked a ball into that guy's yard the other day."
"Why haven't you gotten it yet?" asked Karoline.
Katie surveyed the large, and by the way, totally un-menacing brick house in front of them. She shuddered and declared, "I think that house is haunted. Nobody ever comes in or out of there."
Kendall and Karoline exchanged skeptical glances. After all, a haunted house in a gated neighborhood that was no more than five years old, seemed unlikely. In most stories, ghost inhabited old, decrepit houses. But Katie looked so confident, and she was rarely wrong...or so they thought.

"But, I need to get my ball back." said Katie.
"Well, I'm not knocking on his door if it's haunted." Kendall declared.
Katie stared into Karoline's eyes, testing her friends bravery. Shifting nervously in her battered sneakers Karoline finally relented, "We could all go together."
Seeming pleased, Katie followed her younger friends towards the porch. Nice, friendly windows were on either side of the front door, permitting a clear view indoors. Naturally, they peered through said windows before ringing the doorbell. After all, how many opportunities does a little girl have of looking into a haunted house?

"Look!" said Katie. "The tv is on, but there's nobody on the couch!"
Although the house did seem eerily quiet, the girls weren't ready to give in. "That's not so weird." said Karoline. But they all gasped and did a little a leap when the tv changed channels...and still, nobody was seen to be doing the changing.
"Are we gonna ring the doorbell or not?" asked Kendall.
Karoline knocked on the door, and just when they were about to turn away, a bearded man in a boring white shirt and pajama pants, opened the door at a leisurely place. "Yes?" said the stranger, who was suspiciously not opaque.

"Uh," Katie stammered, "We kicked a ball behind your fence, can you look and see if it's there?"
During the man's brief absence, Karoline and Kendall disparaged Katie for dragging them into this clearly messy affair. Would he reappear with a ghost army? A pitchfork? The remote control of doom? The possibilities were endless. Finally, he came to inform them, "Naw, I don't see a ball."

"Ok, thank you." Karoline squeaked; she thought that her heart might burst.
Kendall and Karoline turned towards their friend with wide eyes, feeling much like captives who had narrowly escaped death.
In reply to their shocked countenances and parched lips Katie shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, I guess it's not haunted."

Thank you for reading the first post in my series which shall be called, "Dramatically Retold Childhood Events". Feel free to comment below and let me know what you thought of this!