The House of No Return

The House of No Return is a short story by R. L. Stine, part of the Goosebumps book series and featured in a collection of short stories called "Tales to Give You Goosebumps ". Followed by: Teacher's Pet

ynopsis

The story centres around twelve-year-old best friends Denise, Rob and Tammy. They are part of a club called "Danger, Inc." of which they are the only members, and pride themselves on being the boldest kids they know, who will take any dare they are offered.

They become interested in Becca Diggs, a new girl in town, and encourage her to join them. She is not very brave, and doesn't want to take part in their antics. They dare her to spend an hour in the "House of No Return", a boarded-up old house which none of the local children will enter because it is rumoured to be haunted. She reluctantly agrees, and they shut her inside. When she does not return, they go to look for her. The door seals shut behind them so they can't escape, and then an army of ghosts comes down the stairs.

The ghosts explain that Becca came to the house some time ago, but they allowed her to go because she promised that 3 other children would be following her. They also say that now Denise, Rob, and Tammy will stay in this house FOREVER.

TV Version

The story was adapted into an episode of the "Goosebumps" television show. It does not deviate much from the plot, except that it does not take place on Halloween and the background of the two ghosts is given. They were a newly married couple who just moved into the house when it was first built, along with their newborn baby named Emily Levins. But the baby died soon after they moved in after it fell through the floorboards. The couple soon isolated themselves in the house where they began arguing with one another endlessly. When they died, their ghosts stayed behind, taking away any unlucky boy or girl who enters to be a part of their family. Also, the characters in the TV version are Robbie, Nathan, Lori, and Chris.