Old Markham House



p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px}Note: This house does exist.

Markham, Ontario is one of the major cities in the Greater Toronto Area. It is a city of sprawling, rapidly-rising suburban developments, shining skyscrapers and business. All of this popped up in only the last thirty years. Before then, Markham was a quiet town. It was not the technological capital of Canada, as the sign will claim. Most of these neighbourhoods were, perhaps in a time you lived in, farmland.

There still is farmland around the Markham-Pickering border. However, in the 1970s, the Canadian government purchased a large portion of this land, with plans to build a new airport, and a city around it. Many were forced out of their homes, businesses in this area were shut down. Hence, abandoned buildings were left behind.

The airport was never built. The people were never allowed to return to their homes. Their homes, decades later, still stand, some with all of their belongings untouched.

On Reesor Road, alongside some houses that are occupied today, you will find a dirt road leading into the forest. If you follow it, within a short distance it will lead to an abandoned house, in plain sight. Go inside. The house has been vandalized by teenagers and the ceiling is beginning to peel, but otherwise it is in good condition.

In the middle of the home you will see a stairwell, leading into the basement. In the entrance to the stairwell, the words "LEAVE NOW" will be spray painted on the wall. Don't. Walk down the stairs. They're quite rickety though, so make sure you've got the proper equipment. Sit on the ground and wait.

At exactly twelve in the morning, if there is a full moon, an old woman will walk down the stairs. You cannot hide from her, she will notice you right away.

She will say to you, "It's awfully late, do you need a ride home?"

Say yes. She will lead you upstairs and to her car, which will be parked on the dirt road by the house. When you step inside, she will not ask you where to go, she will simply begin to drive off. When she does, ask her, "Can you take me beyond here?"

She will reply, "That is certainly a daring request, I will see what I can do."

She will then hand you a puzzlebox from within her purse. It will be easy to solve, so don't worry about it. But when solved, half of it will fall off, revealing a question written inside the cube. This will be an entirely random question, one with an answer you may know very well, or one that requires a lot of thought, but it will always be very cryptic, perhaps relating to a past event in your life. She will turn to you when you are figuring out the answer, and ask, "Well?"

If your answer is correct, she will hand you a large piece of hard candy, but when you unwrap it, you will find a diamond inside. You won't know it immediately after, but she also grants you the power of limited extrasensory perception -- use it wisely. Afterwards, she will drop you off safely at your home.

If your answer is wrong, she will slam into the nearest car she sees. You won't die in the crash, but your injuries will be critical. The next few days will be agonizing for you, but you will be completely aware, unable to sleep. Anesthesia and painkillers will have no effect on you. The old woman will come out unscathed. She will visit you in Markham-Stouffville Hospital and place her hand on your forehead. When she does, you will slip away. What you see will be the most beautiful thing you witness in your life, and what happens after that is unknown. She will tell you, however, "you are ready."