February 22, 2008

Oakland Fantasy House

When my children were young, we started playing a game designed to stretch their imaginations and develop stories in a quick timeframe. Usually we were on the road and would see something unusual, like a man walking slowly down the street with his head partially bandaged, looking dazed and confused. Each of us would have to come up with a story on how it happened and then we would vote on who had the best one, and there were some doozies. As adults, they still continue to play the game, and today’s Daily Stat leader made me want to play with you. The home is located at 856 W. MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland, near the Emeryville border. It’s a broke-down home listed as a contractor special for $229,000 (originally listed at $299,000 in November). Here’s my story (and I’m sticking to it):

Last Halloween, the owners of this home decided to set up a fright house and went whole hog. While you cannot see it much from the street, they started by painting the whole house orange, in honor of this holiday’s gourd. Then they put bars on the windows, so frightened customers couldn’t bolt during the tour, and added a bit of graffiti here and there, so that it would attract urban youth. To block the light, they added sheets on most of the windows, which also helped the vampires sleep during the day. Fake blood was thrown all over the kitchen floor, where they staged a murder scene, a la The Chainsaw Massacre (very creative, I might add). And to make room for the hordes waiting to get it, they just threw the furniture into the back yard for later use. Oh, and for an extra fee, adults could go out back to the really dilapidated garage and see real bats hanging from the ceiling, as well as torture paraphernalia (only for the strong of stomach).

So, what’s your story?

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