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6 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2024 NEWS GOZO, a tranquil island with a rich history, is known for its beautiful landscapes and charming villages. But behind the picturesque scenery lies as well a world of chilling folklore, and tales that have haunted the island for centuries. As the nights grow longer this October, join us as we step into the shadows of Gozo's haunted past, beginning with the sto- ry of the notorious Haunted House of Gozo. The legend begins with two brothers who once lived in the house. The younger was qui- et and kind-hearted, while the older sibling was filled with en- vy and a dangerous temper. Their bond was shattered when the younger brother fell in love, spending more and more time with his sweetheart. The elder brother watched from the shadows, his jealousy growing until it twisted into hatred. Consumed by his dark thoughts, the elder brother de- vised a chilling plan. One night, he brutally attacked his sibling, chopping off his hands and throwing him into a well, leav- ing him to die. With no way to escape, the younger brother perished, his love story tragical- ly cut short. His girlfriend, una- ware of his grim fate, eventual- ly drifted into the arms of the older brother, whom she later married. But peace was not to be found. One night, she woke up to dis- cover her new husband dead— strangled as he slept, presuma- bly by the ghostly hands of the brother he had murdered. The house was abandoned soon after, forever tainted by the tragedy. Years later, locals would re- count the grisly tale over drinks in the nearby bars, but most avoided the subject altogether. That was, until one night, when a visiting foreigner overheard the story and dismissed it as mere superstition. Bold and unconvinced, he made a bet; he would spend the entire night in the haunted house and leave unscathed. He arrived at the house, seem- ingly unafraid. Hours passed without incident, and eventu- ally, he drifted off to sleep. But as the night deepened, strange sounds woke him, an ominous scratching coming from the staircase. He followed the noise, and to his horror, saw a pair of severed hands slowly making their way up the stairs. Frozen in fear, he watched as the hands entered the room where he had been sleeping moments before. The room, once empty, now appeared ful- ly furnished, and on the bed lay a man, struggling as the disembodied hands tightened around his throat. The man was choked to death before his eyes, vanishing along with the ghostly hands, leaving the room as bare as it had been when the foreigner first entered. Terrified, he fled the house and never returned. The locals had been right all along. Despite the story's eerie de- tails, no one can seem to locate the exact destination of this infamous house. Perhaps the locals have their reasons for keeping the house's location secret. The spooky side of Gozo: The abandoned house in Marsalforn A mysterious haunted house in Gozo is the setting of a chilling tale of jealousy, murder, and ghostly revenge MARIANNA CALLEJA mcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 947 (or 94.0 per cent) of these final deeds of sale involved in- dividual buyers (households), with companies accounting for virtually all remaining deeds. The value of the deeds involv- ing individual buyers (house- holds) amounted to €233.9 million, equivalent to 86.5 per cent of the total value. The highest numbers of final deeds of sale were recorded in the Northern Harbour and the Northern districts, with totals of 327 and 197 deeds, respec- tively. On the other hand, the low- est numbers were registered in the Western, and the Gozo and Comino districts, at 70 and 111 deeds, respectively. The highest numbers of final deeds of sale were recorded in the following localities: San Pawl Il-Baħar (87), Birkirkara (52) and Il-Mosta (46). The sum of agreements re- corded in these localities cor- responded to 18.4 per cent of the total final deeds of sale registered during September 2024. During the month under re- view, the number of properties transacted in the final deeds of sale was equivalent to 1,114. Apartments (401) and Ga- rages (230) accounted for the largest shares, at 36.0 per cent and 20.6 per cent, respectively. In the third quarter of 2024, 3,004 final deeds of sale were registered, an annual increase of 4.7 per cent. The value of the deeds regis- tered during this period went up by 1.5 per cent over the same quarter of the previous year and amounted to €816.6 million. The highest numbers of final deeds of sale were recorded in the localities of San Pawl Il- Baħar (275), Birkirkara (139) and Il-Mosta (132). Promise of sale agreements In September 2024, 1,046 promise of sale agreements re- lating to residential property were registered, equivalent to an increase of 2.1 per cent over the same period in 2023. Individual potential buyers (households) accounted for 945 (or 90.3 per cent) of these agreements, while the rest mainly involved companies. The largest number of prom- ise of sale agreements relat- ed to residential properties were registered in the North- ern Harbour district with 312 agreements. This was followed by the Northern district with 193 agreements. On the other hand, the low- est figures of promise of sale agreements were noted in the Western, and the Gozo and Comino districts, at 106 and 126 agreements, respectively. The highest numbers of promise of sale agreements were recorded in the following localities: San Pawl Il-Baħar (78), Birkirkara (55) and Mar- saskala (46). The sum of agreements re- corded in these localities cor- responded to 17.1 per cent of the total promise of sale agree- ments registered during Sep- tember 2024. 1,046 promise of sale agreements recorded in September Reference period: Q3/2024