text: The old two-story wooden Victorian house stood at the end of the cul-de-sac. It had once been one of the grandest homes in the small town but now was in dire need of repair. The light blue paint that had covered the exterior walls was now faded until almost white and much of it had peeled showing decaying boards. Shingles were missing from the roof. The landscape that had once been adorned with beautiful flower gardens and neatly trimmed grass was now overgrown with weeds and unkept shrubs. Except for the dim glow of light that shone through one of the lower windows it was hard to tell that the old home was still lived in. But it was. Joseph Franklin had been living there for the past fifty years. Joseph had been hired as the caretaker of both the house and the surrounding grounds by the previous owner of the home, Doctor Edward Brown, who had built the homestead in the early 1900s. Joseph kept residence in a small guest house that was behind the main house. Doctor Brown had a medical practice in town and was married to Louise, a dressmaker. Louise had a dress shop in town where she sold the dresses she made. She had a good reputation as being a fine tailor and always had plenty of dresses ready to sell as well as making dresses to order. Louise had always dreamed of marrying and having children but after marrying the doctor and not becoming pregnant after the first two years it was then discovered that she was not capable of getting pregnant. This saddened her greatly. At the age of only fifty-six, the doctor suddenly became sick. At first, he tried to treat himself but only became more ill. It wasn’t long before the doctor had to be admitted to the hospital where he was diagnosed with an unknown but life threatening ailment. After a week in the hospital he was then taken to ICU and put on life support. After just a few days in ICU the doctor had a major heart attack and never recovered. Although Dr. Brown was a good man and gave Louise everything she desired, the one thing he did not give her was companionship. He was too busy working and never had time for his wife. During all the years they were married they had never gone on vacation together. The doctor had gone on business trips a dozen times but never took Louise with him. Louise loved the doctor and did not wish to hurt him, but she wanted more than just what money could buy her. The first ten years of their marriage passed and Louise remained faithful to doctor Brown. She became more and more lonely. Because of her loneliness, Louise turned to Joseph to keep her entertained and satisfied. Joseph and Louise was often seen around town in the company of each other. On the occasions when the doctor was out of town Louise would invite Joseph into the main home with her. Most people in town knew what was going on and talked amongst themselves. When the doctor suddenly became ill and died rumors began to arise that perhaps the death of the doctor wasn’t from natural causes. Murmuring got even worse when Joseph moved into the main house within a month after the good doctor’s death. Just three months after the doctor’s death Joseph and Louise were wed. Joseph was an expert gardener, and with the money left to Louise by her late husband, Louise helped Joseph open his own nursery business. He did landscape work all over town for people. He was a successful businessman and the nursery flourished. After their marriage Joseph and Louise took advantage of all of life’s pleasures that they could. Louise wanted to try to make up for all the years of pleasure she had missed while married to Doctor Brown. She and Joseph took a vacation at least once per year going on cruises to the Caribbean or touring European cities. They had taken a two-week honeymoon in Hawaii, a place Louise had always wanted to visit. They spared no expense for their excursions. Louis enjoyed being one of the town’s leading ladies and often held galas and functions for the opportunity to mingle with the town’s high class society. Joseph and Louise shared life happily together for twenty-one years before Louise became ill with throat cancer. She first underwent radiation treatments and chemotherapy. After completing those she was diagnosed as being cancer free. After another year it was discovered Louise’s cancer had returned. It was in a late stage this time and required major surgery where she had to have her larynx removed and was no longer able to talk. She was given chemo treatments again but the cancer continued to grow and to spread. She underwent more surgery having to have her tongue removed and was put on a feeding tube. Joseph quit working at his nursery and stayed home to care for his wife. Louise’s health continued to deteriorate. It wasn’t long before she was completely bedridden. After another six months Louise succumbed to the cancer and died. Joseph had her buried on the property. Joseph was heart broken and never returned to his nursery. He stopped caring for the homestead and the surrounding property. He became a recluse, seldom leaving the confines of his home, only going out for food supplies. Nine years have gone by since Louise’s passing. The once beautiful home now lies in a decaying state and the beautiful landscaping now is grown up. Joseph hasn’t been outside of the house in more than a year, having his food supplies delivered. It has been said by the few delivery people who have seen Joseph that he is a very feeble man and looks very old. It is rumored that Louise’s ghost walks the hallway in the house and after the death of Joseph their ghosts will remain in the house until it falls down.