Written for Crispina’s Crimson’s Creative
Challenge #076. I chose Pic #1.
Here’s where the image took me.
Detective Harris had been watching No. 21 for five days from his concealed car across the road.
The sage-green door never moved, yet every morning, without fail, the brass letterbox gleamed. The potted trees flanking the entrance were neatly trimmed. Someone was maintaining this place with quiet, deliberate care.
But nobody ever came or went.
On the sixth morning, Harris noticed the climbing rose. Wild, unpruned, it was slowly reclaiming the white brickwork as though nature was being invited in. A disguise, perhaps …. a way of appearing abandoned to casual eyes.
He pushed open the iron gate and crunched across the gravel. One set of footprints in the frost …. arriving but not leaving.
The detective pressed his ear to the door. Somewhere deep inside No. 21, almost imperceptible, came the faint sound of breathing.
He reached for doorknob.
NAR©2026
This is “House Where Nobody Lives” by Tom Waits
Everything seen here was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 
Holding my breath. What happens next? That’s a cliffhanger if ever there was one!
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Thanks, Crispina …. and as soon as I know, so will you! 😊
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Cheers. Look forward to it!!!
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A mysterious story!
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A mysterious image, too! Thanks so much, Lisa.
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Very intriguing story Nance you are always leaving me on the edge of my seat! and this is such a perfect track to accompany it🙌
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Thanks so much, Ange, but many times I don’t even know how it’s going to end! 🤣 Crispina’s photos can be so inspiring.
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I know ♥️
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Intriguing story Nancy!
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Thanks, Di. Crispina always has such interesting photos.
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Ah, maybe it was the house breathing…
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I do like the sound of that and I think you may be right, D.
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We have just such a house in my neighborhood. It is huge and beautiful and no one is ever there- the driveway is currently obscured by like 4 feet of snow- and not a single footprint. Nicely done.
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Funny you should say that. We have one of those houses on the street where we live; in fact, I can see it from my bedroom window. It’s a ridiculous “McMansion” which was built about 8 years ago and went on the market for an obscene $3.9 million. It has remained empty since then. The builder, who is also the owner, puts a fortune into maintaining it and having it looked lived-in. What a shame; they could have built two smaller houses for much less money and they would have sold in a heartbeat.
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and we wonder why there are so many homeless…
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Oooh, interesting. Anyone I know?
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I’ll let you know once we get inside! Thank you, Chris.
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Intriguing story, Nancy. An enjoyable take on the image.
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Thanks so much, Eugi. I’m glad you enjoyed my story
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You’re welcome, Nancy.
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A fabulous Tom Waits song to accompany your very intriguing story, Nancy …
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Yes, I thought that Tom Waits song fit well. This one by Pop Evil is new to me. Thanks for the great share, my friend 🥰 🎶
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Always my musical pleasure my friend 🎶🥰
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Very interesting story Nancy.
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Thanks very much, dear friend.
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You’re most welcome
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