English Original
I live in rural Virginia. My high school was situated between two pastures in a very agrarian area. Although I was never much into sports, several of my friends were on the cross-country running team.
The cross-country course took a meandering path around the school and into the surrounding pastures. One section led runners past an immense old farmhouse, abandoned and dilapidated on the crest of a hill overlooking the school. There were rumors it was haunted, but to my knowledge, no one ever saw or heard anything there.
At times, runners did see someone poking around, but it was obviously the property owner, as his truck would be parked outside, and he used the downstairs rooms to store equipment and hay.
That being said, I shall relate the story of my friend Candy and the discovery made by myself and some intrepid companions.
Candy was on the cross-country team. She was hardly the star member and often found herself running alone, but her spirits were never dampened. One day, as she trudged up the hill towards the old house, she glanced up and saw someone walk past an upstairs window. She assumed it was the farmer, but only later realized his truck was not in its usual spot.
She told her friends, and some of us decided to investigate the following Saturday. We met at noon and explored the typical, decaying farmhouse: empty rooms (except for stored items), creaky floors, and debris like wet plaster, beer bottles, graffiti, and cigarette butts. As we rounded the corner from the living room to go upstairs, we all stopped dead in our tracks.
There were no stairs. Apparently, the stairwell had collapsed into the cellar long ago, leaving only a gaping opening ten feet above a tangled pile of old timbers. Yet, Candy had sworn she saw someone upstairs. We searched more carefully but found no second staircase and no way to reach the second floor. The mystery remained unsolved, as during our exploration, we heard a truck door slam outside and beat a hasty retreat to avoid being caught trespassing.
I don't know if it was a ghost or someone who could climb like an orangutan, but it's all a moot point now. The house was demolished a year later, and a new modern split-level was erected in its place. I wonder if the new owners ever have late-night visitors...
中文翻译
我住在弗吉尼亚州的乡村。我的高中坐落在一个非常农耕化的区域，位于两片牧场之间。虽然我本人不太热衷运动，但我有几个朋友是越野跑队的成员。
越野跑路线蜿蜒穿过学校周围，延伸至附近的牧场。其中一段路会让跑者经过一座巨大的老旧农舍。它已被废弃，破败不堪，坐落在可以俯瞰学校的山顶上。有传言说那里闹鬼，但据我所知，从未有人在那里看见或听到过什么。
有时，跑步者确实会看到有人在里面转悠，但那显然是房主，因为他的卡车会停在外面，而且他用楼下的房间来存放设备和干草。
话虽如此，我要讲述我的朋友坎迪的故事，以及我和几个胆大的同伴某天的发现。
坎迪是越野跑队的成员。她算不上明星队员，经常独自落在后面，但这从未打击她的热情。一天，当她艰难地爬上山坡朝老房子跑去时，她抬头一瞥，看见有人从楼上的窗户前走过。她当时以为那是农夫，但后来才意识到他的卡车并不在往常停靠的位置。
她把这件事告诉了朋友们，我们中的一些人决定在接下来的周六去一探究竟。中午我们集合后，便动身去探索。我们发现那是一座典型的、破败的农舍：空房间（除了存放的物品）、吱呀作响的地板，以及湿石膏、啤酒瓶、涂鸦和烟蒂等杂物。当我们从旧客厅拐角准备上楼时，所有人都猛地停住了脚步。
根本没有楼梯。显然，楼梯井早就塌陷到地窖里了，只留下一个距地窖地板上杂乱堆积的老木头十英尺高的豁口。然而，坎迪曾发誓她看到楼上有人。我们更加仔细地搜查，但没有找到第二段楼梯，也没有任何办法能上到二楼。这个谜团始终未解，因为就在我们探索时，听到外面传来卡车门的撞击声，我们赶紧从后门仓促撤离，以免因擅闯而被抓。
我不知道她看到的是鬼，还是某个能像猩猩一样攀爬的人，但现在这一切都已无关紧要。那房子一年后被拆除，原址上建起了一座漂亮崭新的现代错层式住宅。我很好奇新房主是否会有深夜访客……