{"id":2354,"date":"2020-10-28T01:41:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T01:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/?page_id=2354"},"modified":"2020-10-28T01:48:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T01:48:20","slug":"the-fun-room","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fun Room"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"2354\" class=\"elementor elementor-2354\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2f0fbc50 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2f0fbc50\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-265ece40\" data-id=\"265ece40\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d4680be elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4d4680be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"id1586478064211\" class=\"design-element element-size-box has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text is-section-child\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064211\"><div class=\"element-main-box design-element-main-box has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064211\"><div class=\"element-border-box element-border-target element-padding-box design-element-border-box has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064211\"><div class=\"element-content-box design-element-content-box has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064211\"><div class=\"content-container content-container-type element-size-box element-size-target has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064211\"><div class=\"rich-text-element-content absolute-fill element-content dir-ltr\"><div class=\"rich-text-positioning-wrapper vertical-alignment-top\"><div class=\"rich-text-content common-rich-content-style has-content\"><div><span class=\"theme-text-color-0-2\"><strong>The Fun Room<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"id1586478064212\" class=\"design-element element-size-box has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text is-section-child\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064212\"><div class=\"element-main-box design-element-main-box has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064212\"><div class=\"element-background-layer element-border-target design-element-background-layer has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064212\">\u00a0<\/div><div class=\"element-border-box element-border-target element-padding-box design-element-border-box has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064212\"><div class=\"element-content-box design-element-content-box has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064212\"><div class=\"content-container content-container-type element-size-box element-size-target has-rich-content user-selectable-element clickable-element has-rich-content has-text\" data-element-id=\"id1586478064212\"><div class=\"rich-text-element-content absolute-fill element-content dir-ltr\"><div class=\"rich-text-positioning-wrapper vertical-alignment-top\"><div class=\"rich-text-content common-rich-content-style has-content\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The telephone chimed daintily in the distance and Jerry Miller clenched his teeth. Why Shannon had preferred that to a normal, old-fashioned ringer, he\u2019d never know. She\u2019d also tried to convince him to replace the landline with his seldom-used cellphone, but he didn\u2019t want to be \u201cin constant touch with the world,\u201d as she\u2019d put it. If that were so, he wouldn\u2019t have retired at forty, taking just a few occasional contracts too lucrative to pass up. He should have dumped Shannon after six days, not six months. Sure, she\u2019d made some decent improvements to the place\u2014like the sauna, the 72-inch smart TV, and the barbecue smoker\u2014but she was a nitwit. Great in the sack, though.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The chiming went on for a few more seconds before the answering machine took it. He could have picked up the basement extension\u2014set never to ring\u2014but he didn\u2019t answer phones. From where he was standing, he could just make out Celeste\u2019s voice on the other end, but not her words\u2014something about \u201caudit\u201d and \u201csorry.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His mouth twisted. He supposed she was telling him she was stuck at the bank\u2014again. For once, he\u2019d chosen an educated woman with a real career and a house of her own, and it made an interesting contrast to the ones who latched onto him for his toned athletic body, movie star looks, and\u2014last but not least\u2014his money. But Celeste would have to get over the notion that her pissant little job came first. The last time they were together, he\u2019d told her to ditch the career soon or he\u2019d ditch her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jerry picked through the wine racks. He\u2019d acquired the fancy-schmancy habit a year or two ago from Lila\u2014gorgeous black-haired Lila, a model turned artist, and the classiest chick he\u2019d ever had. She\u2019d also been the only one who ever tried to dump him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He found a nice French vintage, not old enough to be snooty over, but full-flavored and fruity, with a nice acidic touch. Suddenly, he was so thirsty he almost guzzled it right there. Yeah, real high-class. He\u2019d take it upstairs and listen to Celeste\u2019s message. Afterward, if he still had the urge to guzzle, he had German beer in the fridge.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, he wished he hadn\u2019t given Bill and Peggy the weekend off. He wouldn\u2019t have, if he\u2019d known Celeste was going to be an asshole. Instead of a nice dinner at Crocetti\u2019s, then back here for playtime, he\u2019d have to cook for himself, or order in. He\u2019d cover the tab, but she\u2019d be the one to pay.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clutching the bottle, Jerry paused with one foot on the first step. Had he heard something in the fun room? It was sound-proofed, but maybe he\u2019d left the door open a crack when he checked the batteries in the camcorder. He listened. Nothing. As if anything <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">could<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> be there. This house was guaranteed pest free, and the exterminator came by every few months to make sure it stayed that way. He shuddered. Spiders, rats, snakes\u2014they all creeped him out. The only thing worse was the dark. His stepfather used to knock him around and lock him in a windowless, dirt-floored tool shed for two-bit infractions like stealing, mouthing off to his mom, or picking on Becky, his dipshit half-sister.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the confinement and the beatings had supplied him with ideas for some of his best fun room games. Jerry sneered, remembering Lila\u2014naked and chained spread-eagle on the plastic sheeting he\u2019d placed over the bed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI may be gone two, three weeks, so go ahead and scream,\u201d he told her as he walked toward the door. He paused in the doorway and glared at her. \u201cI fixed it so no one\u2019ll ever know you were here tonight. Just think how good you had it with me while you wait to die alone in the dark.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She had returned his glare, though something behind her green eyes showed a trace of fear. \u201cStop this, Jerry. Think of all the good times we had together. Don\u2019t let it end ugly.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis was your choice, bitch. Remember that.\u201d Reaching over, he flicked off the light.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJer\u2014!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He slammed the door on her sudden panic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When he\u2019d returned from his planned four-day business trip\u2014he\u2019d still been working at the time\u2014she blinked up at him in the light, her eyes haunted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if he\u2019d relented and let her live, she was no good to him silent and staring at something beyond his sight. Given her cool sophistication, he\u2019d been surprised at how easily she\u2019d broken. After thinking about it, he decided maybe everyone feared the dark, but stood it in varying degrees, like the cold. Sooner or later, everyone got cold.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The noise came again, a soft moaning sigh so faint it might have been the chill autumn wind playing in the trees outside. The hair on the back of his neck stirred. Two steps at a time, he bolted up the stairs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A couple of hours later, Jerry was bored, a little drunk, and sorry he\u2019d been such a chicken. He\u2019d polished off the wine, TV sucked, and the message on the answering machine had indeed been from Celeste: \u201cHon, I just got an emergency audit dumped in my lap, so I\u2019ll be tied up all weekend. I promise I\u2019ll make it up to you. Sorry!\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Damn straight, she would. He could call a couple of the guys to come over for a poker game but didn\u2019t want anyone to know he\u2019d been stood up. Besides, with the wine in him, he\u2019d have to be too careful not to let anything slip out about his past, and especially what his \u201clabor relations specialist\u201d job had really entailed. He\u2019d gone to a lot of trouble around here to make himself seem respectable and legit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christ, Celeste would pay for this!<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He wandered into the kitchen and peered into the fridge. The pizza he\u2019d ordered had been too greasy, and one bottle of the best Bordeaux in the world couldn\u2019t rid his mouth of the taste. With a beer in hand, he paused. This stuff had more zip than wine, and the carbonation would feel good going down, but that last bottle of French had been just about perfect. He had plenty more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jerry opened the basement door. Shannon had called it a wine cellar, though just one small section contained the wine racks. To him, it would always be a basement. He stopped halfway down, remembering that creepy sound. Then, he felt stupid. He\u2019d done lots of ballsy shit in his life\u2014why should a little noise scare him now? Besides, it couldn\u2019t be anything but the wind. The fumigators had been by a couple of weeks ago\u2014any surviving vermin would\u2019ve had to wear hazmat suits. The idea made him snicker as he stumbled down the steps.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even so, he hurried. He snatched a bottle from the wine rack without glancing at the label and trotted toward the stairs. He\u2019d nearly reached them when a feminine voice whispered, \u201cJerry\u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He stopped so quickly that he weaved in place.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That little bitch! Now, he knew what was going on. Celeste, playing around, trying to get a rise out of him. It wasn\u2019t the first time. Once, she\u2019d yelled \u201crape!\u201d in the parking lot of Bully\u2019s Steakhouse. The bouncer\u2014so muscle-bound that he seemed like something from a cartoon\u2014would have beaten the shit out of Jerry if he hadn\u2019t recognized him from the gym.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, this was her game. She was pissed because he\u2019d given her the ultimatum, so she\u2019d pretended to be at work, then snuck in here to scare him. She could have asked a friend\u2014most likely that ditzy redhead\u2014to play a recording of her voice for the answering machine. When he found out for sure, he\u2019d take care of that idiot, too. But first, Celeste.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hell, with her key to the place, she\u2019d probably been here the whole time. He didn\u2019t know how she\u2019d found out about his thing with the dark and rats and all; maybe she\u2019d pieced it together because the exterminator came by so often. She was a lot smarter than she looked\u2014with her big brown bimbo eyes and bleached blonde hair. Too smart for her own good.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jerry thumped the wine bottle down on the steps and stalked toward the fun room. Good thing she liked it so much in there\u2014she\u2019d be inside for a long time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the time he opened the door, his anger had cooled to icy calm. He stepped inside the windowless room, locking the door behind him. Fifteen feet away, a light had burned out in the back corner, past the brass bed bolted to the red tile floor. The light behind him caught the gleam of the steel handcuffs hanging from the headboard. Celeste giggled from the shadows beyond the bed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJerry\u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His head started to clear. Something was off. He hesitated.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJerry, wanna play?\u201d she whispered.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He snarled and strode past the bed. She crouched between it and the cabinet that contained the camcorder and some of his toys. Above her, his leather stuff hung from a wall rack. Silently, she waited, as if sorry she\u2019d taken it this far. Too late for that. She\u2019d get what Lila got.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou fucking bitch!\u201d He towered over her. Gazing up at him, her green eyes were huge.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Green eyes. This wasn\u2019t Celeste. And she didn\u2019t look scared. Jerry started backing away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lights went out.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He gasped, the ancient fear of darkness crashing over him like an arctic wave. He turned and lurched toward the door. His knee smacked against the bed, causing the cuffs to jangle against the brass headboard. He stumbled, half falling onto the silk bedcovers, but surged to his feet, groping in blind panic for the doorway. A couple more steps, and he\u2019d be there. He slowed so he wouldn\u2019t smash into it. Any second now, he\u2019d be there.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He couldn\u2019t find it. Arms outstretched, he searched. No doorway. No wall, either. How had he gotten so turned around?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He set off again, doing his best to head in a straight line. If he could find a piece of wall, he\u2019d know exactly where he was, and he\u2019d be able to feel his way out. Having a plan calmed him a little.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJerry, why don\u2019t you want to play?\u201d The murmur was plaintive, and a little pouty.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christ. This was a nightmare. He must have passed out from the wine. He was still upstairs, sprawled in front of the TV. Even as he thought it, he knew it wasn\u2019t true.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But it couldn\u2019t be true that Lila was alive down here, either. On that last visit, he\u2019d forced her to crawl and beg, he\u2019d hurt her until he felt good, then he left her to die. He\u2019d seen plenty of corpses\u2014made several people into them in his \u201clabor management\u201d capacity\u2014and death was one thing he knew all about. She was as dead as they came, wrapped in plastic and buried under the new wing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, how was she here?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJerry&#8230;I came to play with you&#8230;like we used to. Remember?\u201d The voice held a touch of spite.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He kept moving. Still no wall. He hadn\u2019t even run into the bed again, or the cabinet. Or anything else. It was like the room went on forever. His footsteps on the tile didn\u2019t even sound right. They echoed as if he were in an airplane hangar or a warehouse with a whole lot of nothing inside it. Except for him.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the voice. \u201cJerry?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe he\u2019d gone nuts. If so, someone in a psych ward would shoot some stuff into his arm pretty soon, and he\u2019d feel better. Maybe even wake up.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Something furry brushed against his ankle. He screamed aloud, a high, girlish sound that embarrassed him.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A throaty laugh, followed by skittering noises, like rat claws on cement.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Something tickled his cheek, then his hair. When he raised his hand, cobwebs clung to it. He gritted his teeth, determined not to scream again. This wasn\u2019t real.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The wine must have been bad. Spoiled, or something. Maybe some kind of mold like those Mexican mushrooms that made people see fucked-up visions. He hoped it worked its way out of his system fast.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Something dropped onto his head, plopped onto the floor, and scuttled away. Jerry shrieked. A second later came a many-legged scooting across his neck. He swiped at it, incoherently babbling. Warm wetness ran down his legs, splashing and trickling into his shoes.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJerry\u2026.\u201d The voice came from inches away. He smelled Lila\u2019s spicy perfume. \u201cJerry&#8230;it\u2019s my turn to make up a game. Do you like it?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNo,\u201d he sobbed. \u201cStop it! Just stop it! <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stop!<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharp teeth nipped his ankles and little stinging creatures scuttled up his bare arms. He bolted. Behind him, Lila gave the throaty laugh that he used to find sexy. Then she laughed again, ahead of him.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He veered off, screaming and sobbing, his breathing ragged. Crushing pain filled his chest and his heart leapt so frantically he thought it would stop.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It did.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He crashed to the floor. The abrupt absence of pain brought no relief.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nearby, Lila\u2019s voice said, \u201cJerry&#8230;come with me. We can play forever.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chilly fingers touched his face. He moaned in terror. He must be dead, his body no longer anything but a cooling mass on the floor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then why wasn\u2019t this ending?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">doesn\u2019t<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> end, Jerry\u2014not ever. It\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">my <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">game now. We\u2019ll play it forever.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The servants returned late on Sunday. Assuming Mr. Miller had retired for the night, Peg tidied up the living room and kitchen and closed the door to the basement while Bill put away the car and hauled in the luggage. As usual, every light had been left on, so the two turned off most of them and went to bed. When the boss didn\u2019t appear at breakfast, Peg tapped on the master suite door. Peering inside, she found it empty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When she told Bill, he said, \u201cWell, the Porsche is here, so he has to be around somewhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They stared each other down until Bill shrugged and ventured into the basement, almost tripping over a bottle of wine a few steps from the bottom. He knocked on the door to the room where the boss took his women, but there was no answer. Trying it, he found it locked, as always. He went back upstairs and told Peg.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat do we do now?\u201d she asked. \u201cHe\u2019s never this late coming out of there and when the blonde from the bank stays over, she\u2019s always up early, looking for breakfast. Besides, she usually drives her own car, and it\u2019s not here. Something\u2019s wrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWell, we can\u2019t just break down the door,\u201d Bill said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After a long silence, Peg said, \u201cI think we should call the cops and let them worry about it. Plus, he golfs with the police chief, so maybe they could check with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">him <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or something.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bill picked up the phone.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The police found Jerry Miller a couple of feet inside the brightly lit room, an expression of helpless horror on his face. They searched the area and examined its contents, alternately amused and appalled. They questioned Bill and Peg, but neither had ever accessed this room in the seven years they\u2019d worked for Miller.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After peering through the doorway, Bill told the officers, \u201cI always wondered if it was something like this, though.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peg gave him a sour look. \u201cSo did I, but this is disgusting\u2014and him always so uppity, too! I\u2019m glad he never tried to get me to clean in here; I\u2019d have quit on the spot.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the end, the police found no indication of a crime or of anything that would frighten a man to death, as appeared to have happened.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The coroner hauled away the body. A subsequent autopsy indicated a heart attack, and that was that.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almost.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That winter, Jerry Miller\u2019s only surviving family member\u2014a half-sister from out of state\u2014had the basement remodeled and sold the house. A year later, it was on the market again. Over the next few years, it was bought and sold half a dozen more times, then used as a rental. Each tenant had the same complaint: late at night, they sometimes heard noises from the basement.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Distant, throaty feminine laughter always followed by a man\u2019s pleading voice, then screaming that lasted forever.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>End<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56ab4083 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"56ab4083\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><span class=\"theme-text-color-0-2\">&#8220;The Fun Room&#8221;<\/span><\/div><div>\u00a0<\/div><div>Leith Brown is currently retired from a humdrum series of jobs, and has lived in Duluth all her life. She&#8217;s been writing since 1994, when she got her first computer. At that time, she was trying to figure out how to use its word processing program, so she started fooling around with a few lines that popped into her head, which then grew into a series of novels and a batch of short stories.<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Fun Room&nbsp; The telephone chimed daintily in the distance and Jerry Miller clenched his teeth. Why Shannon had preferred that to a normal, old-fashioned ringer, he\u2019d never know. She\u2019d also tried to convince him to replace the landline with his seldom-used cellphone, but he didn\u2019t want to be \u201cin constant touch with the world,\u201d &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Fun Room<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2354","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Fun Room - Twin Ports Terror<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Fun Room - Twin Ports Terror\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Fun Room&nbsp; The telephone chimed daintily in the distance and Jerry Miller clenched his teeth. Why Shannon had preferred that to a normal, old-fashioned ringer, he\u2019d never know. She\u2019d also tried to convince him to replace the landline with his seldom-used cellphone, but he didn\u2019t want to be \u201cin constant touch with the world,\u201d &hellip; The Fun Room Read More &raquo;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Twin Ports Terror\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-28T01:48:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/\",\"name\":\"The Fun Room - Twin Ports Terror\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-28T01:41:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-28T01:48:20+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Fun Room\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/\",\"name\":\"Twin Ports Terror\",\"description\":\"Original Horror\/Halloween Stories\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Twin Ports Terror\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/favicon-thick-lines.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/favicon-thick-lines.png\",\"width\":812,\"height\":808,\"caption\":\"Twin Ports Terror\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Fun Room - Twin Ports Terror","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Fun Room - Twin Ports Terror","og_description":"The Fun Room&nbsp; The telephone chimed daintily in the distance and Jerry Miller clenched his teeth. Why Shannon had preferred that to a normal, old-fashioned ringer, he\u2019d never know. She\u2019d also tried to convince him to replace the landline with his seldom-used cellphone, but he didn\u2019t want to be \u201cin constant touch with the world,\u201d &hellip; The Fun Room Read More &raquo;","og_url":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/","og_site_name":"Twin Ports Terror","article_modified_time":"2020-10-28T01:48:20+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/","url":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/","name":"The Fun Room - Twin Ports Terror","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-10-28T01:41:40+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-28T01:48:20+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/the-fun-room\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Fun Room"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/","name":"Twin Ports Terror","description":"Original Horror\/Halloween Stories","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#organization","name":"Twin Ports Terror","url":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/favicon-thick-lines.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/favicon-thick-lines.png","width":812,"height":808,"caption":"Twin Ports Terror"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Admin","author_link":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/author\/admin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The Fun Room&nbsp; The telephone chimed daintily in the distance and Jerry Miller clenched his teeth. Why Shannon had preferred that to a normal, old-fashioned ringer, he\u2019d never know. She\u2019d also tried to convince him to replace the landline with his seldom-used cellphone, but he didn\u2019t want to be \u201cin constant touch with the world,\u201d&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2354"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2359,"href":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2354\/revisions\/2359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hauntedduluth.com\/twin-ports-terror\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}