Ghosts Next Door

Ghosts Next Door
by Lopaka Kapanui

May 19, 2022

Intrude 2022

They were armed to the teeth, but for some reason, with all the hardware they had, they came in with knives.

Maybe it's because the neighborhood is densely populated, perhaps they were worried that even a muffled gun blast could be heard, or the flash from the muzzle would briefly illuminate any of the rooms? Whatever the reason, they got the right house, but they came on a wrong night. It was a twelve-man team. The first three sat in a blacked-out van at the end of the street, monitoring everyone's movements from their own laptops and head mics. The main body of the six entered the house, and the remaining three found sniper positions and were given orders to fire at will if anyone in the house escaped. Once the team was inside, their coms went dead. No static, no squelching, complete silence.

The sniper team volunteered to go in, but the communications team told them to hold their positions. The three closed up their laptops and entered the house themselves. The second the door closed behind them, their coms went dead too. That left only the snipers. Their infrared thermal heat meters showed zero body signatures inside. Collectively, they took a moment to pause and assess the situation. Within less than half an hour, nine team members entered the target house and lost all communication. None of their heat signatures were registered, meaning that they entered a heavily fortified space where all signals were cut off. Through their communication, the three snipers agreed to meet at the tree in the house's backyard, where they would then figure out their next move. The silence was unnerving; nothing moved, no wind, no sound. Literally, it felt like dead space. The problem was clearing the first door because the question became, when did the team get hit? Right at the first door or further in? Before the question could be discussed, the house in its entirety vanished right before their eyes. 

~


MILILANI MAUKA SCHOOL. PRIVATE ROOM.


"Let's start again," Agent Forbes sighed. "What happened to your team?"

"They disappeared," agent Manning replied. 

"How did they disappear, agent Manning?" Forbes droned for the millionth time.

"They cleared the front door of the target house, and they were gone," agent Manning droned back.

"Then, the house disappeared as you claimed, is that correct?" Forbes rubbed his eyes and sat down.

"You and your higher-ups assigned the house to us, so you knew where the house was located, and you knew the situation with the house," agent Manning began. "So, it sounds like you're making us the scapegoats to take the fall for you fuck up."

"Let's start again," agent Forbes droned.

"Fuck you," agent Manning retorted.


~

In the middle of the night, a two-story, eight-bedroom home manifested on an empty lot at the intersection of Wilder and McCully. It came with lights on, family noises, and cars parked in the driveway. No one knew how it got there, but there it was. Nosey neighbors who knocked on a door that they found was open, wandered in on their own, and were never seen again. Some say, that the structure is literally a monster house.


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17A Productions Presents

Lopaka Kapanui at Hawaii Theatre
LOPAKA KAPANUI - CHICKEN SKIN GHOST STORIES

A storytelling concert at the historic Hawaii Theatre. This master storyteller is one of Hawaii’s most popular teller of tales and has been in the business of scaring people for more than 20 years. Lopaka is terrifically skilled at provoking that sudden chill going down one’s back or causing the small hairs on your arms to stand up. Chicken skin is what we call it in Hawai‘i. Others might refer to it as chills or goosebumps. Sharing real accounts of Hawaii’s supernatural culture, Lopaka often leaves audience members questioning the darkness on their drive home and anxiously leaving the light on at bedtime.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!










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