The sun hovered, shining brightly on the warm Saturday afternoon and on the people standing in their long line, leading up to a grand, white mansion, furbished with spider webs, cracked windows, and broken shutters. The scene was adorned with statues and gravestones with stone sculptures of animals along with gnarled trees and bushes. A high, ivy-covered iron fence surrounded the premises. Outside of the tall fence, was a small sort of replica of New Orleans Square, Louisiana. Old-style buildings, standing all around, gave a somewhat ominous feeling to the otherwise happy place. A body of water lay in the center of the scene, the shore surrounded by wooden docks and rafts. An enormous riverboat labeled "Mark Twain" slid across the otherwise still waters. To the right of the mansion, a large, grass-covered mountain stood, towering over a puddle of water and a monstrous, mock briar patch. Half of a tree stood at the very top, serving as a mouth for the small waterfall pouring out into the pond. The sounds of screams of delight glided over the waters and into the cemetery, echoing off the stone walls, erasing the delight and replacing it with terror. Traces of a steam engine could be heard from behind the immense structure, the groans of the wheels reverberated all the way to the briar patch. The crackle of a recorded voice describing the stereotypical idea of a haunted house emerged from the bushes, preparing those in line for what was to come. Talk of subjects of all kind emitted from people in all directions, whether they were standing perfectly still or walking quickly to their next destination. Screaming children being dragged by cruel leashes added to the screams of glee from the water ride next door, echoing off the mineral walls in the same manner, and morphing it into fright. Birds in the trees and bushes seemed to have the impulse to join in the fun. Their tweets and cries gave the animal cemetery an aura of sorrow. Music completely out of the spirit of a frightening place fluttered from the bordering territories. The sensation of a ghostly presence succeeded in drowning out all lightheartedness of those entering the double doors of the mansion and being directed to step into the dead center of the room.