“My pancakes are delightful, and you know it.” Sara stuck her tongue out at Ash before flipping the pancakes over. She glanced up at the mirror.
Ash followed her gaze to see the spirit sitting on the couch with a sullen expression plastered across his face. “What’s up with him?”
“Oh, he’s just sulking. I tried to get him to write in the flour on the sheet pan,” she said, nodding to a cookie sheet covered in white powder a seat over from where Ash was sitting.
Squinting at it, Ash raised an eyebrow as she read off what he had written on it. “No. Why no?”
“I called him TIM and asked him to leave you alone while you were here. You know, no haunting funny business. I know how much you hate horror movies.”
“And?” Ash asked, a look of concern crossing her face as she looked back at Sara from the sheet pan.
“He said no.” Sara shrugged and took the pancakes off the griddle, placing them on two plates. She sprinkled chocolate chips on top and gave one of the plates to Ash before continuing, “So I told him, if he wasn’t nice to you, I’d take away the television for a month. That’s when he started sulking. He keeps looking up at me though. I think he’s trying to gauge if I’ve taken pity on him yet. Of course, you know me. I always follow through.” The last part of her sentence was meant for her apparition.
The spirit was looking at her with wide eyes, his lips turned into a pout, and she sighed. She wouldn’t give in to that look. Sometimes she thought life was easier when she couldn’t see him.
“I have to say, chocolate makes these hockey pucks almost bearable.” Ash ignored him, taking her clues from Sara. It reminded her of high school when they would ignore the kids who bullied Sara. There weren’t many. Ash was the captain of the cheerleading squad, and her older brother was the star of most of the sports teams. No one messed with Sara if they knew better, but there was always that one person who thought they could drive a rift between the two friends. TIM glared at them, and Sara grinned at Ash.
They finished their food, chatting about nothing in particular and catching up on the last few months since they saw one another. Eventually, Sara cleaned up the mess she made while cooking breakfast and Ash jumped up to help her.
“So, do you think he’ll talk to us now?” Ash asked Sara, loading the plates into the dishwasher.
The spirit shook his head in dissent, and Sara rolled her eyes. “How can we help him if he won’t talk to us?” Sara replied, louder than necessary for solely Ash to hear. The spirit’s head shot up, and he turned towards them, leaving them a view of the back of his head. Cocking his head to the side, he continued to watch them rather than turn back around so they could see his face.
“That got his attention.” Ash wiped her hands on a dish towel before pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee. Sara did the same, and they walked to the couch together. They both sat down, sitting on either side of TIM, and placed their drinks on the table.
Turning her head towards Ash, Sara smiled and gave her a look that said, I’m glad you’re here.
Sara picked up the box containing the Ouija board and opened it. The board itself was made of cheap cardboard, like most mass-produced games. The face of it was tan with black around the edges. There were small pictures of a sun and a moon in the upper corners and two women in the bottom corners.
Moving the coffee table closer to the couch, she placed the board on it and set the planchette in the center. Ash leaned forward, putting both her hands on the left side of the planchette. “This is so creepy.”
Sara leaned forward, copying Ash’s movements. “It could be worse. If we didn’t have the mirrors, we’d have no idea who or what we were talking to.”
“We still have no idea who or what we are talking to,” Ash warned her, “Don’t forget that.”
Sara sighed, she knew this was probably a bad idea. Ash was right; she didn’t know who or what the thing she shared her house with was, but she knew when he wasn’t trying to scare her he was actually quite sweet. She couldn’t help but think of him while he slept. He looked so peaceful and innocent. Her eyes flicked up to the mirror, and she saw he was looking at her, but his expression was unreadable.
“So, I guess first things first,” Sara said, watching him, “What’s your name?” He hesitated for a moment as if unsure, then turned towards the planchette and put his hands on it between their fingers. Slowly at first, the cursor moved over the board, picking up speed while it hovered over letters for a split second before moving on to the next.
SAMUEL.
“Samuel, I like it. Can I call you Sammy?” Sara asked, grinning. She watched in the mirror as his head turned towards her with narrowed eyes. He shook his head no.
“All right then, Samuel it is.” He turned back to the board, ready for the next question.
“How did you get here?” Ash asked. Samuel looked at the mirror and raised an eyebrow.
“I think we have to ask him questions with short answers.” Sara looked at Ash. It was disconcerting to think someone was sitting between them who they couldn't see. “Why are you here?” Sara asked.
Ash snorted, “Yeah, that’s a question with a much shorter answer.”
Samuel shook his head but placed his hands back on the planchette. TRAPPED.
“Trapped by what?” Ash asked. Sara’s eyes flashed over her friend’s face, but she wasn’t paying attention. Ash was getting more comfortable with the idea of talking to a spirit even though she hated anything to do with horror or things that go bump in the night.
WITCHES.
Ash made a sound of dissent, took her hands off the planchette. “There is no such thing as witches. That’s all made up for Hollywood.”
“Says the girl who idolized The Craft in high school. But seriously, we’re talking to a guy we can only see in a mirror with an Ouija board, and ‘witches’ is where you draw the line?”
“First off, The Craft was a cheesy movie. Secondly… good point.” Ash hesitated but placed her hands back on the planchette.
“Do you know why the witches trapped you?” Sara asked, watching the mirror. Samuel nodded, so she continued, “Why were you trapped then?”
POWER.
“So witches trapped you for power? Why would they do that?” Sara asked, but when she looked at him in the mirror, he was shaking his head.
“You don’t know?” She asked, but he shook his head again, so she continued, “Or it’s too long to explain now?” Samuel nodded.
“When?”
He hesitated again but answered 1695. He took his hand off the planchette and, with his palm down, rotated it from side to side in a gesture that said, about.
Ash shuddered and almost lost her composure. “You’ve been trapped for like,” she did a quick calculation, “almost three hundred and twenty-five years. Is your dead body buried somewhere in the yard?”
Samuel paused but shook his head. Sara watched him, thinking it might be faster to ask yes or no questions rather than ones he had to spell out.
“Alright, I’m going to ask some yes or no questions, see if we can speed this affair up a little.” Sara watched Samuel in the mirror. He shrugged but nodded.
“Is your body buried on the property?”
He didn’t answer one way or the other.
“Does your non-answer mean it’s not a yes or no question?”
Nod.
“Okay, do you have a body?”
Nod.
“Is it on the property?”
Nod.
“So, your body is trapped on the property, but saying it’s buried isn’t a yes or no.”
Nod.
“Alright,” a sudden inspiration hit her. “Does it have something to do with the basement?”
Nod.
“Is your body in the basement?” She asked. She had seen into the basement through the windows in the backyard but couldn’t remember seeing anything inside that would fit a body. The idea sent a creeping sensation down her spine, and she shivered.
Shake.
Ash squinted, and Sara could see her mind was working out the problem. “Ash?”
“Is it under the basement?” Ash asked, twirling her long blonde hair around her finger. It was a habit she developed in high school while flirting with the football players that turned into an unconscious movement when she was thinking.
No answer.
“You may have to help us with this one.” Sara placed her hands back on the planchette. Ash and Samuel followed suit, and the object moved again.
CELLAR.
“We don’t have a cellar,” Sara said, frowning up at him.
“That’s not necessarily true.” Ash looked at her with wide eyes then continued, “A lot of houses were built on the old foundations of previous homes. Root cellars were common in the early seventeen-hundreds as a way to store food. They were built into the sides of hills or dug down into the dirt so the cooler temperatures underground would keep food fresh.”
Nod.
“So, there is a cellar under the house, and the entrance is through the basement?”
Nod.
“I assume the entrance is hidden since it wasn’t listed on the house specifications or floor plans when I bought it.” Sara pursed her lips and glanced towards the utility room where the door to the basement remained locked and secure.
Nod.
“But you can show us where it is?”
Nod. Samuel’s face lit up. He looked more excited than she had ever seen him before, even when he shared the bedroom with her.
“You’re joking right?” Ash cut in. “We’re not going into some hidden cellar to pull out some fucking corpse that’s probably more withered away than the Crypt Keeper.”
Sara noted the slight sound of hysteria entering her voice. Before she could say anything, she saw Samuel in the mirror, shaking his head.
“There isn’t a corpse?”
Shake.
“But your body is down there?”
Nod.
“That doesn’t make any sense. It’s almost like you’re trying to say you aren’t dead.” Sara scrunched her face in disbelief.
Nod.
Sara and Ash looked at one another and had a silent conversation with their eyes.
“How?”
Samuel leaned forward and placed his hands back on the planchette with Ash and Sara joining.
MAGIC.
“Is this like a ‘Believe in magic, you muggle’ moment?” Ash asked, laughing.
Sara grinned at her. “I guess so. So, Samuel, why can’t we go in the basement? I’ve been wondering since I moved in. Every time I touch the door, it’s like my worst nightmare sits on the other side.”
AVERSION SPELL.
“More magic then,” Sara sighed.
“So, do you know anyone who has magic?” Ash gave her a crooked smile.
“Who needs a person when you have the internet?”
Ash rolled her eyes, “Do you know how many magic websites there are out there?”
Sara pulled her phone out of her pocket and started a browser window. She typed ‘counter aversion spell’ into the search bar and scrolled through the results. “Apparently not how many magic sites but how many video games use aversion spells.” Sitting back, she noticed the messenger icon in her phone’s notification bar. Thumbing it open, she smiled, “But, I think I know someone who can help us. The guy that gave me those mirrors, he or his girlfriend could probably steer us in the right direction.”
Opening the message she received from Greg asking how the mirrors were working out, she typed an invitation to the house for an early dinner.
18. SARA
“Thanks for inviting us over for dinner!” Nicole said, leaning in to give Sara an enthusiastic hug. Sara didn’t like people touching her, but it was something she learned to live with growing up in the South.
“We were surprised. Well, not really. We hoped you would invite us over; we wanted to speak with your spirit,” Greg added, walking in the door behind his girlfriend with a bottle of wine. He handed the bottle to Ash who greeted him with a handshake. They both bent to greet a jumping Chico, Nicole cooing over him.
“I’m Ash. Sara’s been telling me about y’all.” Ash smiled and waved them into the house. “We’ve been talking to the spirit all morning, and we have some interesting information.”
“You said you might be able to find someone who knows something about magic?” Sara asked them, leading them towards the living room.
“Me,” Nicole said grinning. “I’m a white witch.”
“You know, a few days ago I wouldn’t have believed magic existed.” Ash followed behind, going to the kitchen to open the wine and find glasses.
“Most people don’t,” Nicole shrugged. “I have my toolbox out in the car.”
Sara nodded her over to the utility room. “Can you look at the basement door? Samuel said there’s an aversion spell on it, or around it, we aren’t sure.”
“Samuel?” Greg looked around the room as if searching for another person amongst them.
“Our spirit.” Sara pointed over Greg’s shoulder to the mirrors. Samuel was next to her, his stance casual, watching them greet the others. He kept his attention focused on Nicole with an undefinable expression.
“I wanted to ask how the mirrors were working out but I see they seem to be working perfectly,” Greg said, wandering over to the one over the television. Samuel made a thumbs-up motion, and Greg raised an eyebrow looking back at Sara.
“We decided to use thumb motions because it was easier than nodding or shaking his head. We also added the side-thumb for ‘I don’t know’ responses,” Sara explained, walking around the bar into the kitchen. She removed a casserole from the oven and took several plates out of the cupboards.
“And the Ouija board?”
“For when he gets frustrated with us and has to spell it out.” Ash laughed as Samuel covered his face with his hand and shook his head. Ash and Greg took seats on the couch while Sara brought them plates of food and silverware.
“Sorry we have to eat on the couch, but I don’t have a kitchen table.” Sara joined them with her own plate after leaving one for Nicole on the table they sat around.
Greg smiled at her, waiting for his girlfriend to join them. “It’s no problem, we eat around the television at home too.”
“Well,” Nicole said, taking her own place between Greg and Ash, “I can make temporary talismans we can wear to get past the spell. It won’t break it, but it will lessen the effect. That’s some pretty dark magic.”
“It seems the effect will worsen the nearer you get to the source. Samuel said there is a door hidden behind the bricks down there.” Sara told her before taking a sip of the wine.
“Good thing Greg keeps a sledgehammer in the truck then,” Nicole chuckled. They chatted about themselves while everyone ate and Samuel watched, sitting next to Sara as part of the group but wholly separate.
“Oh hey,” Greg said as Sara picked up the finished plates and carried them into the kitchen. Nicole returned with her toolbox after retrieving it from the car. She set her things on the coffee table, pushing the Ouija board aside as she laid out different packets of herbs and colorful crystals. “Some guy came into the shop asking about you this morning.”
Both Sara and Ash froze, neither moving a muscle for a short period before exchanging a meaningful glance. “What did you tell him?” Sara asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“He had a picture of you. Said you were a long-lost cousin, and he needed to get in touch with you about your grandmother or something.”
“I had a bad feeling about him,” Nicole chipped in, glancing up at them, “So I told him we’d never seen you, but we’d keep an eye out around the city. He left a card with us.”
Sara refilled her glass of wine and rejoined the others around the couch. Greg pulled the card from the breast pocket of his shirt and handed it to her. She glanced at it before shuddering and giving it to Ash. “If he comes
back, please don’t tell him anything about me.”
Greg and Nicole gave her a quizzical look, but both agreed not to say anything. Sara sighed and sat in her spot between Samuel and Ash. “If it’s who we think it is, he’s the agent of an ex who I have a protection order against. Although, that’s in Texas so I’m not sure if it still works here too.”
“What happened?” Nicole asked, tying off the second talisman with a white silk ribbon.
“Oh, he simply tried to set her apartment on fire and burn her alive,” Ash said. Sara looked up just in time to see Samuel’s head fly up and stare at her. He looked agitated. His jaw kept clenching and relaxing. Balling his hands into fists, he stood up, and she watched him walk to the coffee table, kneeling before it. She nudged Ash on the arm as the planchette moved without any help.
PROTECT.
“You’ll protect me?” Sara asked him, cocking her head and furrowing her brow slightly. Samuel gave her two thumbs up as he nodded.
“What do want in return?” Ash watched him in the mirror, her lips pursed into a thin line. Sara sighed, and her friend gave her a sideways look. “Nothing’s free.”
RELEASE.
“Sexy,” Ash giggled, and Samuel looked at her in annoyance before his gaze flicked back to Sara.
“I’m finished.” Nicole held up the talismans. She seemed oblivious to the conversation.
“Good, let's go try them out.” Sara jumped up and took one from her, ignoring Ash’s comment. Nicole put another around her neck, letting it hang like a long necklace then handed the rest out to the others.
Sara, trying to appear calm, walked to the basement door. She placed her hand on the knob and felt nothing. The creepy vibes that emanated from the door were missing. Turing to the others, she nodded and opened the door. She wasn’t sure what she expected to happen, but it wasn’t the feeling of entering any standard basement.
Flipping on the lights, Sara led the others down the steps and stopped at the bottom, taking in the view of the lake through the hazy windows. Enough dappled light showed through them to light the basement relatively well, but as the sun descended and dusk took over, they would need the overhead lights to see.
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