(Writing is NOT my strong suit, but I tried! This is based on a story my sister and I used to tell around the campfire all the time as kids, (the characters are always named after who is around the campfire at the time, so I just used place holder names for this telling) The story changes a bit with each telling, but the resolution is always the same.
I hope you enjoy it!
Gather 'round the campfire friends while I recall the tale of the Spooky Mansion in the woods. Legend has it the woods on the edge of town is quite a dangerous place. There have been countless stories of children who foolishly wander into the forest never to return. Rumors of the wood's infamy have spread amongst the high school kids of our town and venturing into the woods at night has become somewhat of a right of passage for the young ones. It is said that if you are able to find the strange house that only appears when the mist subsides, and spend the night there, you are blessed with eternal life. Our story revolves around two such kids...
Jack had always considered himself a leader, he positioned himself in front, with his father's flashlight in hand. Following closely behind was his best friend Cody.
"Jaaaack" Cody sighed "Do we
really have to do this? There's no way the stories are true, I mean like come on, if people really found a way to live forever, don't you think we would have seen them around town?" Cody attempted to reason with him, but when Jack's pride was on the line, there's nothing that can be done to change his mind. Jack grabbed and squeezed Cody's hand and ventured forward.
"Give it up Cody, we've made it this far we've got to be getting close... right?" Jack scoffed.
The fog swirled around their feet and settled behind them in a thick, opaque sheet. They continued on, occasionally tripping over the gnarled roots bellow.
"Do you see that?" Jack gasped suddenly.
"See wha-" Cody's foot got suck in a root and he fell face forward into Jack's back and they both fell to the ground.
The flashlight went black as it clattered among the roots. Jack picked it up and smacked it, but it wouldn't turn back on.
"Ooof! Uh sorry... What did you see?"
"Look! Do you see that light over there, I think that's it!" Jack pointed ahead into the fog where a faint light glows in the distance.
"It's probably just some dumb kids lost in the woods.... like us" Cody sighed
"Let's check it out!" Jack grabbed Cody's hand once again and pulled him along.
The fog ahead began to thin, seemingly creating a path for them to follow, and they soon came to a clearing where before them stood the large and foreboding silhouette of a creepy old house with black siding. A single flickering porch light illuminates the front door which stood slightly ajar.
"I can't believe it." Cody whispered
"Now we just need to sneak in and find a good place to set up for the night, it's really happening!" Jack squealed in excitement
"You aren't serious right? It's probably just some weirdo's house, Jack!"
"What in all the time we've spent together makes you think I'm not serious?" Jack retorted, as he approached the front door and peeked in.
"See? There's not even anyone inside, the place looks abandoned, this is so cool!"
The boys crept inside, Jack could feel Cody's hand trembling. The floorboards creaked underfoot and the walls of the mansion groaned.
They stood in a great foyer with a towering ornate staircase, and huge arched windows in various states of disrepair. Torn sheer curtains wafted with the wind whistling through the broken panes.
"Do you smell that? It smells like something is cooking... Jack I think
there is someone in here!"
"You're just imagining it, I mean look at this place, looks like no one has been here for years!"
Jack released Cody's hand and headed upstairs.
"I'm going to see if there's an attic we can hold up in, you look around down here"
"Yeah splitting up seems like a great idea..." Cody resigned to Jack's plan and continued down a hallway. "I think that smell was coming from over here..." he mumbled.
At the end of a long hallway was a formal dining room, with a huge embellished table complete with lit candles and place settings.
a light flickered from the kitchen.
"Hey!" Jack placed his hand on Cody's shoulder and Cody jumped and let out a yelp.
"Don't sneak up on me! Jack look, there's definitely someone here, in the kitchen!"
Jack pushed past Cody and approached the kitchen creeping up against the wall.
He peeked around the corner and whispered "You where right! There is someone in there" and turned back to Cody
"L-let's get out of here!" Cody stuttered.
"
Oh, but you've only just arrived, and we're about ready to eat" A voice rasped from behind Cody and he froze in place as he watched the color drain from Jack's once confident face.
Cody slowly turned his head around and saw that in the doorway stood in a looming hooded figure, the candlelight's reflection flickering in their blood red eyes. The boys both screamed, and Cody ducked under the table.
"Run Jack!"
With impossible speed, the figure lunged towards Jack as he ran into the kitchen and slammed the door. The figured fazed straight through the door and Cody heard a muffled scream followed by various crashing sounds.
Cody was terrified, and he bolted for the exit then stopped. He knew this whole thing was Jack's terrible idea, but he couldn't leave him for dead! He rushed back over to the table and grabbed one of the lit candelabras, and took a deep breath.
"Okay." he whispered to himself "Let's do this!" and he burst through the kitchen door.
"AHHHHHHH" Cody screamed his eyes darted around the room but there was no sign of the figure anywhere. "Jack? JACK?!"
"mmmhdy mmoof mmup!" Jack was tied up and sat upon a serving platter, with an apple in his mouth.
"Jack!" Cody dropped the candle to the floor and rushed up to Jack. He yanked at the ropes binding his friend, when suddenly the figure dropped down from the ceiling on top of him
"Ah, now I've got ya, you'll make a great appetizer!"
The monster lifted him into the air and Cody screeched as the figure's face came into focus. It's jaw stretched wide open, both sides flexing separately like a snake and giant fangs unfolded from the roof of its mouth.
Cody shut his eyes tight 'Is this it?' he thought to himself
"SCCREEWEACAAAHH"
Cody fell to the floor with a thud and looked up to see the monster engulfed in flames.
He shuffled over to Jack and untied him.
Jack spit the apple from his mouth and yelled "GET YOUR OWN STINKIN' ENTREE!"
The boys bolted out of the house, and back through woods. They didn't stop running until they made it to Cody's house on the edge of the woods.
"You know" Jack started "I don't think that whole 'eternal life' rumor is real..."
"Oh ya think?!" Cody rolled his eyes. Both of them burst into laughs of relief, finally safe again.
. 
