Halloween story

The evening fell. All the houses on Maple lane were illuminated by funny and scary Jack-o-Lanterns. Sculptures of black cats with fire green eyes, of various little monsters and other Halloween creatures adorned almost every yard. There was a lot of movement inside and outside the houses, but just except one place. That was not a big dilapidated wooden house. It was situated at the very end of a long lane and considered to be out of the town's territory. It was believed that ghosts and monsters inhabited that place and no one of the citizens dared to come in. There was always an ominous silence, but some people said that sometimes they had heard strange creepy sounds coming from old walls.
On that very evening, on the 31st of October, after traditional trick-or-treating a group of teenagers gathered on the playground to divide all collected sweets into equal parts for each of them. They talked, laughed, discussed their fruitful work.
"Hey, guys, look what Mrs. Pastwick gave us!!! She was perhaps the most generous this year," exclaimed Larry, opening a brown sack full of chocolate sweets. "Yes, this one will be for me..."
"Not so fast, Larry "King"! I think Mrs. Pastwick would not be glad if all cooked-by-herself sweets were eaten by YOU!" said Angela in an adult strict voice, so that was a bit ridiculous. "Don't you remember how you fell on her favourite flowerbeds trying to catch the ball?"
"Yeeaahh" Larry drawled this word, "That day she called me "Lucifer in a human body" for the first time."
"And she was somewhat right", smiled Jack.
Responding to this remark, Larry raised his hands, crooked fingers, made a scary face and growled "I'm a devil. I've come for your souls...". Everybody laughed.
Some time later Max spoke to Larry "Remember, you've once said that when you are 14, you'll go round the haunted house? Don't you think it's time to keep your promise?"
There was a silence for a few seconds, then Larry said: "Hmm, you have an excellent memory, Max. Really, it's time for making a feat." He stood up. "I even have a better idea. What you'll say, if I enter the house and turn on the light on the top floor?"
"Aren't you afraid of ... ghosts?" Kate said a bit worried.
"I don't just believe in them. I consider all this stuff about spooks to be one big silly superstition."
His friends exchanged glances, but said nothing. Larry was known as an obstinate, intrepid person, who didn't like to lose and be mocked at. And all of them knew that he wouldn't change his mind.
So it took 10 minutes for them to get to that haunted house. Teenagers stopped before the gate and looked around. There was rather quiet. George took a small lantern out of his pocket and gave it to Larry.
"Thanks, man" said Larry, slightly smiling.
He opened the gate and went towards the house. All his friends kept silence. At last Larry came in. There was not dark at all. Everything was flooded with moonlight. Interior seemed to him rather nice and the atmosphere rather peaceful. His heart beat regularly. He went upstairs.
Meanwhile Larry's friends felt nervous. Max began to regret that he had started all this.
Larry already reached the top floor. He turned on the lantern and saw two closed doors. He slightly pulled the doorknob of one door, but it was locked. Then he came to another door, but it appeared to be ajar. Larry's calmness suddenly vanished away, he felt someone's presence. He was already about to run away, but then he pulled himself together. "The last step, only one step and I'm the winner". And he eventually opened the door, but the lantern stopped working. He shook it, but nothing. Batteries were probably flat. "Oh, George, better pray, cause when I go out, I'll kill you" said Larry in a low voice.
There was complete darkness in the room. Larry made a step and suddenly fell, stumbled over something. A loud ominous laughter filled the house. All windows opened by themselves and the light was switched on all over the house. Dark silhouettes flickered in windows.
Larry's friends got frightened and ran away, crying for help. When a lot of adults reached the house, it was quiet. All windows were closed and the light was turned off. Some brave men entered the house and went upstairs to the top floor. There they found an empty room with an only broken lantern on the floor.
"What a horrible nightmare!" Larry woke up in a cold sweat. He got up and came to the window. He focused his attention on the dilapidated wooden house, that stood on a small hill and was seen among the branches of the maple tree. That was the night before Halloween.