Halloween Ouija

.1

"Hey guys, what are you doing for Halloween?" Rosa asked at lunch, her mouth full of food as always.2

Wincing, Ali said, "I have a party at night, but my afternoon is free."3

Both girls turned to look at Brandi, poking at the lunch on her tray and scowling. "Life sucks. I have to take my stupid brother trick or treating. Plus, I don't have a Halloween joke yet. Like I said, life sucks."4

"Well, how about we do a Ouija?"5

"A Ouija? Why would we do it during the day, and where would we go?" Ali and Rosa stared at her. Brandi crossed her arms and glared at them both. "Fine, you win, come over to my house. We can do it in my haunted basement."6

The following Saturday was a glorious day; blue skies, a slight breeze to give a little chill to the otherwise warm day. It didn't seem like it was Halloween, and even the children didn't seem to enthusiastic. It's hard to associate a warm, sunny day with all the eerie shrieks and costumes of the night.7

The three girls sat in the middle of Brandi's basement. The lights were off, the doors were shut tight, and Brandi had pleaded with her family to give them some privacy.8

"Do you have any chalk?" Rosa broke the silence. "We need chalk for a protective circle."9

"A what?"10

"A protective circle! So we are safe from any demons we might contact."11

"And chalk will do that?"12

"Yep."13

Brandi glanced at Ali, who shrugged. So she eventually found a piece of chalk and silently watched Rosa draw a large circle on the brown tiles. "Now we need the board. Got any paper and tape?"14

This time Ali was confused. "Will a paper and tape Ouija board actually work Rosa? I thought you said you were bringing a real one."15

"I use them all the time, they work just as good as a real one," Rosa declared haughtily.16

After the board was made, the circle was drawn, and Brandi brought a small plastic cup downstairs, Rosa motioned for everyone to sit in the circle. There was barely enough room for them all to sit within the chalk boundary, but they managed. They had decided to all place their fingertips on the glass, and stop after each letter to write it down. This wasn't very productive, and the jumble of letters they got didn't have any clear meaning. Brandi was elected secretary. She was glad to retreat from touching the board, because although she was sure the other two girls were moving the glass, it was still creepy.17

After a few minutes of silence where Rosa instructed everyone to "relax and open" themselves, they once more tried to get a response from the board. Rosa asked the questions; it was clear to everyone that Rosa was the most experienced here. Ali and Brandi were just following her lead, not sure they believed in this kind of thing but curious nonetheless.18

Letter by letter a message was spelled out. Brandi didn't say a word, just wrote them down as they came, jotting notes as to what the question was. There was a full page of information by this supposed spirit, and as Brandi took a breath to suggest a break, she noticed that Rosa's eyes, previously closed, were now wide open and staring in disbelief at the plastic cup on which her fingertips rested. It was shaking fairly violently, even when the two girls snatched their hands away. It wasn't them doing it. It wasn't an earthquake, for nothing else in the room was shaking; there seemed no plausible reason for the trembling.19

"Rosa? Has it ever done this to you?"20

But Rosa couldn't answer, just sat there staring at the moving object. Ali clenched her hands into fists and stared at Rosa suspiciously, though there was no way Rosa could be causing this disturbing incident.21

Brandi's scream jerked their heads in her direction. Ali yelped as Brandi grabbed her arm. "Oh fuck, holy shit!" she swore, and scooted further into the circle.22

"What's your problem?" Ali said, trying to jerk away, but Brandi only tightened her grip.23

"Do you see that?"24

"See what?" Rosa demanded. "Quit messing around! Yeah, the plastic cup thing is freaky, but it's just a cup, see?" she said, and picked it up. She reached for the matches and started to burn it. The blackened plastic drops fell onto the basement floor just inside the circle. "See, all gone."25

But Brandi wasn't even looking there, just staring over Rosa's shoulder. "You guys can't see it?"26

Rosa turned to look, scared by the tears streaming down Brandi's face. "Oh damn!"27

God only knows what it was the two girls saw that day. In silence other than their hiccups of fright they sat, too terrified to move. And besides, it wasn't coming in the circle, so they felt safe. Ali screamed, leaped up, and bolted for the door. Brandi had still been clinging to her arm and the abruptness of Ali's departure and made her fall backwards outside of the circle. She stood and sprinted for the door too, Rosa right at her heels. Finally, the three burst outside into the sunlight.28

"Do you remember that day?" Brandi asked, smiling. 29

Rosa laughed. "Yeah, I remember. What was that message we got, anyway?"30

Brandi shrugged. "It was something about a WWII thing. I don't really remember."31

"Oh I remember those little pygmy looking things though." Rosa shivered. 32

And even talking about all the inhuman things they had seen and experienced in that basement so many years ago left them both glancing at the shadows in fear. Unconsciously, they scooted closer together. "I guess Ouija boards really aren't toys like we thought."33

"I never thought they were toys. But seriously, nothing like that has ever happened to me since then. I mean, my lights will flicker and candles will go out, but nothing like those things that danced around the circle in your basement."34

Brandi nodded. "That was freaky as hell. Hey, remember when you dripped the plastic onto my floor?"35

"Yeah."36

"It's still there."37

The two girls laughed hysterically. Later that night, at home once again, Brandi went down to her basement. She smiled as she knelt and ran her fingers over the lumps of plastic melded to her floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw movement, and she turned her head quickly.38

She didn't see anything, but the plastic under her fingertips grew warmer and warmer until she had to move her fingers or be severely burned. As she fled the dark basement for the safety and light of her room upstairs, she heard a strange sound. She didn't dare turn around.39