The Spooky Dancing Skeleton

The skies hung heavy with clouds and the wind seemed to carry secrets on this cold and gray day. Grandpa John sat on his porch with a robe and wooly slippers, enjoying a cup of hot cocoa.

He had heard rumors about a spooky dancing skeleton that was seen around town at night. People said it had been spotted at graveyards, abandoned buildings, backyards, and even inside homes. Some claimed it danced like a puppet with tangled strings. Others say it moved like something out of a bad dream.

Grandpa John chuckled. "A dancing skeleton? That doesn't sound bad. Actually hilarious to think about!"

But even so, something about the whole thing made him a little uneasy. He didn't like spooky stuff, especially when it was too quiet and lights flickered.

After dusk, there was no moon. The sky was pitch dark and only the orange streetlights lit the empty road. Grandpa John was just finishing another level of a game on his tablet when he heard it.

Clacking, rattling, and tapping on concrete.

Frowning, he grabbed his flashlight and shuffled outside. The light beam cut through the fog, and in the distance, he saw something on the sidewalk. A pile of bones. Just sitting there. Waiting.

He stepped closer, then the bones twitched and clicked together. One by one, the arms, legs, spine, ribs, and skull lifted and connected.

And then, it danced. But not in a funny way.

Its limbs jerked and twisted like it didn't belong in this world. Its head spun too far, its knees bent the wrong way, and its jaw opened like it was going to scream but made no sound.

Grandpa John took a step back. Then another.

The skeleton froze, then turned its head towards him slowly. All of a sudden, it started running towards the old man.

"NOT TONIGHT, SONNY!"

He hobbled as fast as he could inside and slammed the door shut then locked it. Grandpa John panted for breath with his back against the entrance. No one knew what happened if the skeleton caught you, nor did he want to find out.

Outside, it began: scratching, rattling, moaning, and a shriek.

Grandpa John shivered. "Creepy thing."

Eventually, the noises stopped. Just... stopped.

He waited. Then, cautiously, Grandpa John opened the door and peeked out. There it was. The skeleton had collapsed back into a pile of bones right on his front steps. He stepped out and gently nudged a bone with his foot. Nothing.

"Whew. Glad that's over-"

SHRIEEEEEK!

The bones snapped together like magnets, and the skeleton stood tall and shrieking ever so frighteningly. Grandpa John scrambled back inside, but he forgot to lock the door this time.

He dove into the hallway closet and pulled the coats around him. Creaking, rattling, scratching, and tapping echoed through the house like someone hunting. Grandpa John held his breath in hopes that he would not be found. His orange tabby cat named Persemis was hiding underneath the bed, but he knew he was safe there.

A plan was devised. He had to get to the garage, hop in his golf cart, and zip out of there like lightning. Slowly, carefully, he crept across the living room floor until unexpectedly landing on a creaky floorboard.

He froze. Only silence.

Exhaling quietly, he was about to move when his smartphone began blaring. It was a ringtone created as a joke of his good friend named Grandpa George and his iconic catchphrase, over and over and over.

"WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?!"

"No no no no-"

The skeleton shrieked from the hallway as it spotted Grandpa John. Its bony feet thundered down the floor at a terrifying speed. He dashed into the garage, hopped into his golf cart, pressed the garage door button, and slammed his foot on the pedal.

From behind, the skeleton burst through the doorway, arms flailing and jaw snapping.

Grandpa John shouted over his shoulder. "Can't you take a hint?!"

The cart moved quicker as it rolled down the street. Porch lights flicked on, curtains twitched, but no one came out. The skeleton chased him for blocks, but eventually slowed down and stopped.

It wasn't until he was miles away that he finally made rest. He leaned back in the seat, breathing hard.

"Not bad for an old man," Grandpa John said to himself with a proud grin.

As he cruised past a graveyard at the edge of town, a faint rattle tickled his ear. He didn't even look back since he knew what that was. Nothing happened this time, but Grandpa John did return home safely.