Lucas sat across Emily and placed his fingers on the planchette. Positive sign was that his fingers did not go through the planchette. When Emily called out his name again, Lucas tried moving the planchette to ‘Yes’.
Nothing happened.
“Lucas? Are you here? Please be here, otherwise I stole Dad’s credit card and bought this board for nothing”, Emily said quietly.
“Come on”, Lucas whined, mainly because he really wanted the planchette to move, but also because Wow! His little sister, his perfect, know-it-all-and-get-it-all little sister had stolen their Dad’s credit card! Lucas was sort of proud. He took a deep breath and pushed the planchette with all he got. It moved a bit and Emily stopped breathing for a moment. Lucas had to really, really push it but eventually he managed to move the planchette to ‘Yes’.
Emily looked terrified but she didn’t move her fingers away from the planchette. Tears ran down on her face and she was gasping for air, but she kept playing and Lucas was rather proud of his little sister; she was a strong soul.
Emily took a deep breath.
“Are you in peace?” she asked with a shaky, weak voice.
Lucas had to put in so much effort to make the planchette move on top of the text ‘No’, but he managed. He felt like he was out of breath after it and his fingers hurt. Why did the Ouija board resist him? It was so hard to talk through the board, it pulled so much energy out of Lucas which he didn’t even know was possible since, well, he was dead. He wondered how it was possible that he felt exhausted but then Lucas noticed that Emily’s lips were trembling and her whole body was shaking.
She must be so scared, Lucas realised. He felt stupid; of course Emily was scared, how would Lucas feel if he was alive and Emily was dead and then Emily would contact him via the Ouija board? Fucking terrified, that’s how Lucas would feel.
“Where are you then?” Emily asked quietly and Lucas was sure that Emily feared the answer, that’s how much she was shaking. But still, she kept her fingers firmly pressed on the planchette and waited.
Painfully slow Lucas started moving the planchette on letters.
S–T–U–C–K.
When the planchette stopped moving, Lucas was breathing heavily and he saw, how Emily had had enough. She yanked her fingers away, which immediately made Lucas’ fingers go through the planchette: he couldn’t move it anymore.
“Mum! Dad!” Emily yelled, tears running down from her eyes to her cheeks. She ran out of her room, yelling for Mrs. Boyd. Lucas stayed in her room, trying to gather up his strength again. He felt like he could barely move his hands. Why was it so hard to move the planchette? Why was he so exhausted? What did that game do to him?
“WHAT?” he heard Mr. Boyd’s voice coming from the kitchen.
“THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” Mrs. Boyd yelled.
“MY FAULT?” Mr. Boyd bellowed. “YOU ARE HER MOTHER, HOW COME YOU DIDN’T NOTICE THAT YOUR DAUGHTER IS HURTING SO MUCH FROM HIS DEATH THAT SHE IS PLAYING WITH A FUCKING OUIJA BOARD, TRYING TO CONTACT HER DEAD BROTHER!”
Mrs. Boyd started crying, Lucas could hear it all the way from kitchen to Emily’s room. Lucas had always hated it when his mother cried.
“You are her father!” she yelled. “It was as much your responsibility to notice that everything’s not okay with our daughter as it was mine!”
“How did she even get that board?!”
“I don’t know!”
“You don’t know even that?! What kind of mother are you?!”
“What kind of father are you?!”
That’s when Emily came back to her room, tears still running down on her face, but she had a determined look on her face. She slammed the door shut, making the voices go down. Lucas watched how she wiped her face, sniffled a bit and then she pressed her fingers on the planchette.
“Lucas, if you can hear me, I want you to know that everything’s okay. Mum and Dad are probably going to take the board away from me so I can’t contact you anymore but I know what to do”, Emily said whispering. “You will move on, I promise.”
Lucas didn’t have time to try moving the planchette, because then, as Mr. & Mrs. Boyd were still yelling at each other in the kitchen but now their voices were muffled by the door, Emily yanked his fingers away, stood up, took her phone and chose a number.
“Who you are calling?” Lucas asked. “Emily?”
Apparently the other person answered because Emily looked relieved and let out a breath before speaking.
“Hi, Ronald”, Emily said and Lucas let out a breath he was holding. Thank God it was Ronald and not some priest who would conjure him away. Lucas had seen enough movies to know that it would hurt.
“I think…”, Emily hesitated, but one look at the Ouija board and she furrowed her eyebrows and continued, “I think Lucas needs help.”
Emily sighed. “I already explained it to you two times, Ronald.”
Lucas couldn’t hear what Ronald answered since the call wasn’t on speaker, but Emily sighed again before starting the story over again.
“I stole my Dad’s credit card, ordered an Ouija board, played it and got a contact to Lucas. He spelled out S-T-U-C-K and I’m absolutely certain he needs help.”
Again Emily was silent while listening what Ronald was saying.
“Thank you”, Emily said. “Also I’m fairly sure that my parents will take my Ouija board away as well as my phone, so… tell me how it goes okay? Come over or something.”
Apparently Ronald agreed, because then Lucas heard Emily saying goodbye and saw her close her phone.
“Don’t be scared, Lucas”, Emily muttered. “Ronald will help you.”
What do I have to be scared of? Lucas thought. It’s you that I’m worrying about!
Nothing happened.
“Lucas? Are you here? Please be here, otherwise I stole Dad’s credit card and bought this board for nothing”, Emily said quietly.
“Come on”, Lucas whined, mainly because he really wanted the planchette to move, but also because Wow! His little sister, his perfect, know-it-all-and-get-it-all little sister had stolen their Dad’s credit card! Lucas was sort of proud. He took a deep breath and pushed the planchette with all he got. It moved a bit and Emily stopped breathing for a moment. Lucas had to really, really push it but eventually he managed to move the planchette to ‘Yes’.
Emily looked terrified but she didn’t move her fingers away from the planchette. Tears ran down on her face and she was gasping for air, but she kept playing and Lucas was rather proud of his little sister; she was a strong soul.
Emily took a deep breath.
“Are you in peace?” she asked with a shaky, weak voice.
Lucas had to put in so much effort to make the planchette move on top of the text ‘No’, but he managed. He felt like he was out of breath after it and his fingers hurt. Why did the Ouija board resist him? It was so hard to talk through the board, it pulled so much energy out of Lucas which he didn’t even know was possible since, well, he was dead. He wondered how it was possible that he felt exhausted but then Lucas noticed that Emily’s lips were trembling and her whole body was shaking.
She must be so scared, Lucas realised. He felt stupid; of course Emily was scared, how would Lucas feel if he was alive and Emily was dead and then Emily would contact him via the Ouija board? Fucking terrified, that’s how Lucas would feel.
“Where are you then?” Emily asked quietly and Lucas was sure that Emily feared the answer, that’s how much she was shaking. But still, she kept her fingers firmly pressed on the planchette and waited.
Painfully slow Lucas started moving the planchette on letters.
S–T–U–C–K.
When the planchette stopped moving, Lucas was breathing heavily and he saw, how Emily had had enough. She yanked her fingers away, which immediately made Lucas’ fingers go through the planchette: he couldn’t move it anymore.
“Mum! Dad!” Emily yelled, tears running down from her eyes to her cheeks. She ran out of her room, yelling for Mrs. Boyd. Lucas stayed in her room, trying to gather up his strength again. He felt like he could barely move his hands. Why was it so hard to move the planchette? Why was he so exhausted? What did that game do to him?
“WHAT?” he heard Mr. Boyd’s voice coming from the kitchen.
“THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” Mrs. Boyd yelled.
“MY FAULT?” Mr. Boyd bellowed. “YOU ARE HER MOTHER, HOW COME YOU DIDN’T NOTICE THAT YOUR DAUGHTER IS HURTING SO MUCH FROM HIS DEATH THAT SHE IS PLAYING WITH A FUCKING OUIJA BOARD, TRYING TO CONTACT HER DEAD BROTHER!”
Mrs. Boyd started crying, Lucas could hear it all the way from kitchen to Emily’s room. Lucas had always hated it when his mother cried.
“You are her father!” she yelled. “It was as much your responsibility to notice that everything’s not okay with our daughter as it was mine!”
“How did she even get that board?!”
“I don’t know!”
“You don’t know even that?! What kind of mother are you?!”
“What kind of father are you?!”
That’s when Emily came back to her room, tears still running down on her face, but she had a determined look on her face. She slammed the door shut, making the voices go down. Lucas watched how she wiped her face, sniffled a bit and then she pressed her fingers on the planchette.
“Lucas, if you can hear me, I want you to know that everything’s okay. Mum and Dad are probably going to take the board away from me so I can’t contact you anymore but I know what to do”, Emily said whispering. “You will move on, I promise.”
Lucas didn’t have time to try moving the planchette, because then, as Mr. & Mrs. Boyd were still yelling at each other in the kitchen but now their voices were muffled by the door, Emily yanked his fingers away, stood up, took her phone and chose a number.
“Who you are calling?” Lucas asked. “Emily?”
Apparently the other person answered because Emily looked relieved and let out a breath before speaking.
“Hi, Ronald”, Emily said and Lucas let out a breath he was holding. Thank God it was Ronald and not some priest who would conjure him away. Lucas had seen enough movies to know that it would hurt.
“I think…”, Emily hesitated, but one look at the Ouija board and she furrowed her eyebrows and continued, “I think Lucas needs help.”
Emily sighed. “I already explained it to you two times, Ronald.”
Lucas couldn’t hear what Ronald answered since the call wasn’t on speaker, but Emily sighed again before starting the story over again.
“I stole my Dad’s credit card, ordered an Ouija board, played it and got a contact to Lucas. He spelled out S-T-U-C-K and I’m absolutely certain he needs help.”
Again Emily was silent while listening what Ronald was saying.
“Thank you”, Emily said. “Also I’m fairly sure that my parents will take my Ouija board away as well as my phone, so… tell me how it goes okay? Come over or something.”
Apparently Ronald agreed, because then Lucas heard Emily saying goodbye and saw her close her phone.
“Don’t be scared, Lucas”, Emily muttered. “Ronald will help you.”
What do I have to be scared of? Lucas thought. It’s you that I’m worrying about!