The Hungry Haunted House

On Specter Street, one house stood out from the rest. It was old, creaky, and according to local legend, very, very haunted. People said they could hear it grumbling and groaning at all hours. But the truth was far stranger – the house was just hungry!

You see, this house was alive. It had windows for eyes, a door for a mouth, and a rumbling stomach that shook its very foundations. The problem was, no one ever visited to feed it. Everyone was too scared!

One day, 9-year-old Sam, a budding chef, moved in next door. He heard the house’s tummy rumbles and thought, “That sounds like me when I’m hungry!”

Bravely, Sam approached the house with a plate of cookies. The door creaked open, sniffed the cookies, and in one big “CHOMP,” gobbled them up!

“Thank you!” the house said, its windows blinking happily. “I’ve been starving for decades!”

Sam learned that the house loved to eat, but it couldn’t feed itself. So, he made it his mission to cook for his new friend. He brought over pizzas (the house loved the gooey cheese), spaghetti (it slurped up the noodles through its mail slot), and even tried sushi (which made the house hiccup bubbles for a week).

Word spread about the friendly, food-loving haunted house. Soon, other kids joined Sam, bringing dishes from their families’ cultures. The house loved trying new cuisines!

The townspeople realized the house wasn’t scary – it was just lonely and hungry. They started hosting community dinners in the house’s spacious rooms. The house was overjoyed, its walls vibrating with happy munching sounds.

Sam’s family never had to buy a refrigerator – the house kept all their food perfectly cool in its basement. And on hot days, the house would treat the neighborhood kids to icy-cold lemonades it stored in its attic.

From then on, the house on Specter Street was known as the most popular (and well-fed) house in town. And if sometimes late at night people heard strange noises… well, it was just the house enjoying a midnight snack!