HISTORY OF THE BLEAK ESTATE
Compiled by Ray O'Bannon

This Victorian home was built in 1897 by Victor Bleak, a retired archeologist with a rather dark reputation. He was said to have let a group of guides starve in the jungles of Peru, and there were questions as to what had caused the loss of an Arctic expedition he had been involved with. But he was quite wealthy, so no one objected when he offered to purchase a small neglected cemetery.

The deal involved a promise to restore the little cemetery, and Victor did just that. He had the headstones cleaned and set upright, the lawn manicured and the brick fence surrounding the property repaired. It was noted that his repair crew behaved oddly, never speaking and working only at night. Still, the townsfolk were delighted to see the quaint little cemetery restored so nicely.

Three nights later, Victor Bleak's crew returned to knock down all of the headstones and begin filling the cemetery with dirt. Victor was seen dancing atop the cemetery wall as the property was filled and leveled to create a foundation for the new home he intended to build.

When construction of the house was finished, Victor brought his new wife Edna to live with him there above the little buried cemetery. There were rumors that Edna was some sort of sorceress or voodoo priestess. The Bleak house was never lit at night because Edna refused to interrupt the natural darkness. Edna also refused to ever open any of the windows in the house, so most of them were filled with ornate stained glass to keep the rooms cooler in the Summer.

Eventually, peculiar storied began to circulate around town. It was said that if you made Edna Bleak angry, she would somehow capture your soul and store it in a bottle.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about Victor and Edna Bleak is that they were rumored to have a child, which they kept locked in the attic due to some unfortunate abnormality. From time to time, a faint light could be seen in the attic window. Everyone assumed the child was sending a signal out into the night, hoping to find a friend. But folks continued to avoid the Bleak estate, wanting no involvement with Victor and Edna.

On a cold October evening in 1924, an unknown teenager threw a rock through one of the Bleak estate's windows. A large black cloud quickly formed over the property, and a small tornado-like strand of that cloud poured into the house through the broken window. All of the stained glass in all of the windows immediately exploded forcefully outward in all directions.

Eventually, the dark cloud dissipated and the night grew quiet. Concerned neighbors cautiously investigated to see if Victor and Edna had been harmed. Several broken bottles were found inside the house, but there was no sign of anyone present. Victor and Edna Bleak were never seen again.

Those searching the house soon realized there might be another person at risk... the child rumored to be locked in the attic. Racing up the attic stairs, they broke through a heavy locked door to gain entry into the attic rooms. What they found there has never been accurately recorded, but it was said to be horrifying and somehow at odds with the laws of nature. Some say the child, whatever it was, was destroyed. Others say the searchers were merciful and simply left it there. Of those actually involved, no further words regarding the incident were ever spoken.

The Bleak estate has been sitting empty for a very long time. An ornate wooden stairway leading up to the house has long since been removed to discourage vandalism. But it's not as if anyone wants to go anywhere near the place. It's still shunned by everyone in the area. The walls grow more warped and discolored with the passing of every year. The house stands empty, it's halls dark and silent.

But of course, there's still a local legend about the place. They say that on certain nights, if you wait patiently, you might see a faint flickering light in the attic window. Because the 'child' is still up there, signaling out into the night, hoping to find a friend.