I’ll always remember the day I visited the old house by the sea. It was during the month of July, my family and I decided to take a week off and relax at a beach resort. We immediately packed our essentials such as: sunscreen, bathing suits, sun glasses, beach umbrella and snorkelling gear. We left our house on a Saturday and planned to return before next Monday. I was very excited because this was the first time we were going to stay at a beach resort. When we finally arrived, my dad went to the lobby to check in to our rooms and I waited impatiently tapping my foot. I was extremely eager to go to the beach and have some fun. I longed for the cool ocean and the fresh salty air of the beach.

Finally, when we unpacked our things in our room, my parents and I went to the beach. I had brought a book with me and some sunscreen as the weather was as hot as a furnace. As I was about to lay down under the shady part of a tree, I noticed a small, old, weather-beaten house out of the corner of my eye. The house looked like it had been abandoned for years. Curious, I got up and made my way towards the house. As I got nearer to the house, I noticed that there were dark smears along the side of the house. I leaned closer to investigate and recoiled when I realised that the smear was actually some blood splattered against the wall in the shape of a child’s handprint.

In the distance, I could hear children laughing gleefully behind me. I turned around, startled. To my utter confusion, there were no children playing anywhere in sight. I could only hear and see the gentle waves lapping onto the beach. I shivered although the air around me was warm. I quickly returned to my parents trying to forget the mysterious encounter I just had. After relaxing at the beach for an hour or so my parents packed up and headed towards our hotel. As we were passing by a few hotel staff, I heard them talking about the myth that a ghost haunts the beach. I paused in front of them and asked them a few questions regarding the myth. They told me that the house that I stumbled upon was supposedly haunted. A few years ago, three children and their mother lived there. Their father who was a fisherman, died while he was out at sea. Consumed by grief, the mother ended her own life leaving her children to starve to death. Again, I shivered. Did I really have an encounter with the supernatural a few hours ago?