Saturday Night Séance

by S.J. Drew

said first. "It was going to steal my soul or something and pretend to be me."

  "No one said it was your fault," Isabella replied. "How did you know it would respond to holy symbols?"

  "Because it was totally evil. I mean, it was until it started trying to be me. We talked for awhile before I realized what it was doing. And I asked it, 'what's your deal,' and it was suddenly all about making a deal, you know, like demons, or devils. I mean, I know other things do too, but that thing was so evil. I mean really evil. It was already trying to be me so I didn't think my faith would faze it, but I didn't think I could tell you guys what to do because I was afraid its illusion would be so strong it could hide its reaction."

  "It might have been able to," Isabella said. "I've never seen that kind of magic before. It was using mirrors to cast illusions and make itself more powerful."

  "Except you broke one," Leah said.

  "Yes. Mirrors reflect each other to infinity. I figured breaking one would break the spell. I just didn't know how long it would take. Luckily I think that branding Nora gave it probably weakened it considerably."

  "You thought my faith would be that strong?" Nora asked Maryann. "And Leah's if she had gotten to that thing instead of me?"

  "Absolutely," the redhead replied immediately.

  She looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, um, thanks for that. So are we going to have more trouble with that?"

  "There's never any certainty," Isabella replied. "Regular mirrors are just pieces of glass, just like regular doors are only wood frames that create open spaces in walls. Except, of course, when they aren't."

  "Of course," Leah sighed. She brightened up. "But if mirrors are just pieces of glass, we should avoid the seven years' bad luck, right?"

  "Oh, I never believed in that anyway. I've broken a couple of mirrors before and I don't think I've had really bad luck," Maryann said.

  Leah and Nora looked at her with raised eyebrows. Isabella glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

  "Okay, well, maybe this is all bad luck. Or maybe this is just my lot in life and any bad luck won't make a dent on what I already deal with," she replied with a slight pout.

  "Don't worry about it," Leah said finally. "If you're cursed with bad luck, as long as it doesn't damage our music career, we'll get through it."

  "Thanks!"

  "But, you know, could you try not to fall into any mirrors?"

  "You guys," she sighed.

  And they continued on to their next gig.

  The Lyrics:

  Some say mirrors are cursed

  And they'll steal your soul

  Or they're doors to other worlds

  But what does folklore know?

  You glance at it in passing

  Wait, did something just move?

  You shake your head and leave

  You've got nothing to prove.

  Refrain: It's just a looking-glass

  A mirror to look into

  But when you look into it

  What looks back at you?

  When you get a funny feeling

  But you immediately deny

  Surely you're imagining it

  That's just a trick of the eye.

  Something just doesn't look right

  Your complexion is too sallow

  What's that behind you?

  Is it a moving shadow?

  Refrain:

  Shadows in the mirror

  What could they mean?

  Endlessly reflecting back

  What was once unseen.

  You realize the danger

  But it's too late, alas!

  What was inside is now out

  And you're behind the looking-glass.

  Refrain x2:

  Track 7 - Haunted Castle

  The Interview:

  Nico: This next track is, well, pretty retro. If I didn't know when this came out, I'd assume it was a rock and roll song from the '60s.

  Lenore: Good. That's the sound we were going for.

  Jana: Do you ever worry your albums suffer from tonal whiplash?

  Belle: Believe it or not, we do consider that when we put these collections together. And we know that because we play with so many genres that making the whole tone of the album coherent is a pretty big challenge.

  Lee: I suppose we could just pick a genre. That might make our lives easier.

  Anna: But we think our fans appreciate the variety of genres on our albums. And like Lenore said, sometimes we write the music to fit the song.

  Lee: So if we picked, say, alt rock as our genre, but the song needed a country beat, we either force the song into a genre it doesn't fit, or leave it out entirely. I mean, unless we decided to make a country album.

  Nico: That would be weird.

  Jana: Totally weird.

  Anna: But we could do a lot with costumes!

  Belle: Anyway, our inspiration is varied, so it seems only natural that our music should be as well.

  Nico: That's a good point. So it looks like you've got another song on the theme of the supernatural isn't a lot of fun.

  Lenore: A lot of people get caught up in the romance of the ideas without thinking out the practical considerations.

  Lee: So that's our twist.

  Jana: Did you ever stay in a castle that was supposed to be haunted?

  Anna: Yes and no.

  Nico: Are you going to explain that?

  Lee: Nope.

  The Story:

  The band called Nevermore and the Ravens was on the road again, but this time they were not heading for a gig. They were heading to a Labor Day weekend getaway, courtesy of Maryann's cousin Stephanie. The beautiful Washington state scenery went mostly unnoticed by two passengers. Nora, who still felt the sting of a summer-time love affair that ended badly, was staring blankly at her phone. Maryann, whose beloved grandmother had died only a few weeks earlier, was staring despondantly at some pictures on her phone. Isabella was busy navigating the winding county road, so only Leah had the luxury and inclination to take in the autumn colors. The green cargo van turned up one last bumpy, gravelly road and stopped in a crude gravel parking lot. They all got out.

  "So this is Rookwood Castle?" Leah said, looking at the stone ediface. "It's not as, well, impressive as a castle should be."

  "It's not a real castle," Nora said acidly. "It's just a bed and breakfast with a gimmick."

  "Maryann!" called a familiar voice. A bubbly blonde ran up the group and hugged the redhead tightly. "I'm so sorry," she said in a much more subdued voice. "I know how much your Mee-maw meant to you."

  "Thanks, Steph," Maryann answered with tears stinging her eyes.

  "This will be fun," Stephanie said. "I got us the Enchanted Cottage. It sleeps six, and has a kitchenette, and we can just relax and unwind, okay? Just like when we were kids and we went camping, only we don't have to pitch a tent." She squeezed her cousin's shoulders. "Come on. We'll drop off your luggage and then you can meet the innkeepers. They're really nice."

  Rookwood Castle was a small tourist destination near a state park. The castle was a stone building with three floors and a basement, a large, Medieval-style dining area on the first floor and a rather modern pub in the basement. The castle had been built on a hill, so the basement actually opened out to a patio with a view of the back courtyard. The second floor had a gallery with some suits of armor, a few paintings, and a few tapestries also in a Medieval style. The castle had only a few rooms for guests, but there were other buildings that made up the "village" around the castle. This included a few shops, rooms over the shops, a bakery, a few large cottages and cabins for whole families to stay in, and a few tiny cabins with minimal amenities. There was also a small house marked "servants' quarters," which was where the innkeeper's family lived.

  "Who painted these buildings, a five-year old?" Nora asked.

  "They're fairytale colors," Stephanie answered.

  "Or an Easter eg
g exploded," Leah remarked, looking at the pastel purples, greens, and blues that dominated the color scheme.

  The Enchanted Cottage was near the castle; it had two floors, a kitchenette, a full bathroom, a half bathroom, two bedrooms, and a pull-out sofa. It was also pastel pink.

  Leah looked at Stephanie. "Yeah, so of course we've got the pink one."

  "Of course! It looks like a Barbie dream house!" Stephanie said.

  The band stashed away their luggage and Stephanie gave them a tour of the rest of the village before circling back to the castle.

  They helped themselves to the always available tea and coffee while Stephanie introduced them to the innkeepers.

  "Glad to meet you," said Zac. He was a handsome man with thick glasses in his 40s. He had a pin with the symbol of the Rebel Alliance displayed prominently on his shirt.

  "We hope you enjoy your stay," said Dina, his wife. She was a tall, blonde woman with a slight Russian accent. She had a necklace with a charm made out of a ten-sided die. "If you have any questions about the games in the library, please let us know."

  "We've played all of them. We can also hook you up with a one-shot role-playing game if you want."

  "Oh, I might do that," Leah said.

  "You're such a nerd," Nora sighed, crossing her arms.

  "Hey, we all are," Dina said brightly. She suddenly snapped out something in Russian, and then two children sullenly walked into the front office. They looked to be about eleven years old and were in that skinny phase that portended a growth spurt.

  "What is it, Mom?" the girl whined.

  "This is that internet band you like, Carrie, Nevermore and the Ravens," she said.

  The girl pushed her glasses up her nose and stared at them skeptically. "Are you sure?"

  "Do you want us to break out in song right here?" Leah asked.

  "Yes," she answered defiantly.

  Nora rolled her eyes.