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</div></div><br/><span style="font-size: 18px">Rune Halonen was blissfully unaware of the negative sentiments some of the townspeople of Newton had about his new home. Even if he had known about it, he probably wouldn't have given two shits about their anecdotal encounters because he had fallen in love at first sight with the house of his dreams: 238 West Street. The house was a turn of the century, fixer-upper that had languished on the Newton real estate market way longer than it should have. An interior decorator's dream, Rune obtained a more than a fair price on the property. After finding a mortgage company willing to finance his purchase he made the owner a full priced offer and the paperwork leading to the purchase of his first home was signed.<br/>
<br/>
The house on West Street was sold to Mr. Halonen for $70,000 under market value, and it was a good thing that Rune appreciated a good bargain. Rune was fairly certain that all of his obsessed babbling about the new house-- and all of  kitchen plans, wallpaper patterns, color palettes and floor tiles he'd chosen for the renovation were enough to drive his colleagues at <i>Nest Interior Design,</i> in Boston, insane. There were of course, a few hitches. The lenders were nervous about Rune's ability to pay his mortgage based on his limited credit usage history, so Rune put his money where his mouth was and put up $40,000 of the money in his savings account towards a down payment for the house. <br/>
<br/>
The financing phase of the house purchase moved smoothly ahead, without further incident. Since the Victorian home was 162 years old, Rune had an inspector take a look before he signed the contract to verify everything was up to code. After thirty minutes, the inspector left the property abruptly. Supplying Rune with a weak excuse for having to leave early the inspector green lighted the property without mentioning anything about the strange incident that spooked him while inside the house. After all was said and done Rune Halonen was the new owner of 238 West Street, and less than a month later, his moving in day was finally underway. Rune met his realtor, Jonathan Lewinski, at the new place in order to receive his keys and have a final walk-through before taking possession of the property. <br/>
<br/>
He wasn't expecting to see Mr. Lewinski waiting for his arrival across the street from his house by his vehicle, rather than waiting for him on the large, wraparound porch showcasing his home. Then again, the Mayflower moving truck had just arrived and had begun unloading Rune's furniture from within, taking it to wherever room that had been marked on the boxes or where they were asked to take it. Rune was used to the slower pace of Toronto, Canada, where he was born and raised.  The Canadian version of a slow pace didn't translate the same way as it did in Newton, Massachusetts. To Rune's dismay, he found Mr. Lewinski's distant behavior a bit disconcerting, especially after he'd been so gracious during the closing contract meeting. Even the moving team seemed brusque, and rather pressed for time in his opinion.<br/>
<br/>
It never occurred to him that everyone was too scared to be inside his home alone.<br/>
<br/>
<i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff4d4d">“Mr. Halonen, it’s a pleasure to see you again! Glad to see you’re already on your way to settling in,” the man greeted overenthusiastically, a great big grin encapsulating his features as he reached out and firmly shook the beautiful young mans hand. “I’ve just come to hand over the last of the paperwork, and the full set of keys to you.” He drew a carefully folded stack of paperwork from his pocket, alongside a ring of shiny new keys and he held all of it out towards the young man. “I’m delighted that the home worked out well for you, Sir. I wish you all the best of luck with it.”</span></i></span><br/><br/><span style="font-size: 18px">Taking the keys from the realtor felt so liberating to Rune that he didn't <i>have to notice. </i>He was no longer a renter, he was an owner. Shaking hands with Jon, he replied, <b>"Thank you so much for your help, Jon. Everything seems to have moved along so uncomplicated and smoothly. I'll gladly take those keys off your hands! Won't you com-" </b>Rune started to invite him in, and just laughed in an effort to ease the sudden distress he felt at Jon Lewinski's quick brush off.<br/>
<br/>
<i><b>Well have a nice day. Asshole. </b>he muttered under his breath.</i><br/>
<br/>
Rune didn't reveal how perturbed he was having to embark on a solo tour of 238 West Street, but he quickly began looking for anything out of place. In observation mode, it was almost as if Rune had stepped back in time. He nearly had to pinch himself just to see if he were dreaming, the renovations were spot on. The interior was clean. In place of cobwebs, dust, chipped paint and peeling wallpaper, were hand-hewn oak plank floors, gleaming stainless steel appliances, a center island in the kitchen, and a conversation nook with a flat screen and eat-in area. There were light bulbs in shiny new brushed nickel fixtures, new paint in neutral shades and wallpaper that was part of the Victorian era that was very hard to find. National Grid had turned on the gas service, and NStar had turned on the electric meter, and that was verified by flicking the light switches on and off. <br/>
<br/>
The elements the house possessed that he'd fallen in love with were the ones Rune wished to preserve, like the stained glass windows, and the copper pipes left in their original place. Realistically though, the electrical system was slated for an update, and it was completely upgraded to code, along with a new water heater, ductwork and HVAC system. The window panes were re-glazed and repainted so they would be up to stuff to endure the frigid New England winters. Rune wanted to keep the structures' timeless charm, so the steep, gabled roof was redone with rust colored thirty-year shingles. The rotting wood siding was replaced with a more cost efficient, yet elaborate metal gingerbread trim with scalloped shingles in sage green with coordinating, patterned masonry.<br/>
<br/>
An ancient oak was left in place, as were the tall birch trees. The overgrown shrubs and weedy garden beds were also revamped, a landscape professional consulted that created a lovely water garden with koi in the backyard near a new patio, and new raised flower beds in the front yard. Rune was standing in front of a picturesque bay window overlooking the front yard, when a cool breeze ruffled his long, dark blonde hair near the nape of his neck. The sensation made him pause and reach up to touch the back of his neck, then go check to see if the air conditioning unit had been turned on. As the Verizon technician showed up outside, Rune's attention was diverted to getting his internet and cable installed.<br/>
<br/>
Briefly gazing at the thermostat Rune realized the air condition wasn't online. <i>There was a window open in the kitchen to let in a cool breeze, that must be why, thought Rune.</i><br/>
<br/>
New and old, old and new. Material, tangible things Rune could replace or repair, people not so much. Unbeknownst to him, as he directed the moving men to and fro around his house with furniture, the young man was being watched by an unseen, invisible force. <br/>
<br/>
</span><br/>