A young couple came in behind him, wide-eyed and grinning as they looked from one spacious empty room to the next.
“This is so perfect,” said the young woman.
“I knew you’d love it,” replied her husband.
“Yeah,” said the young man in the suit. “This’s a great house, all right. We’ve had it on the market for well over a year now. A lot of us down at the agency are surprised that no one’s made a firm offer on it until now. And I’m glad to say that everything here is in solid working order.”
The young woman placed a hand against her protruding belly. “It’s going to be perfect for our family.”
“Of course it will,” said her husband, putting his arm around her.
“The perfect family home,” said the young man in the suit. “What a wonderful way to begin.”
Gary A. Braunbeck is the author of the acclaimed Cedar Hill Cycle of novels and stories, which includes In Silent Graves, Keepers, Mr. Hands, Coffin County, and the forthcoming A Cracked and Broken Path. He has published over 20 books, evenly split between novels and short-story collections, and his work has earned seven Bram Stoker Awards, an International Horror Guild Award, three Shocker Awards, a Black Quill Award, and a World Fantasy Award nomination. He doesn't get out much, which everyone agrees is probably for the best. Find out more about his work on-line at garybraunbeck.com
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