Will you look at this? he thought to himself. He’d always wanted to try a Ouija board but had never had the chance. He moved closer.
In the dim light, Sam recognized one of those in the group as Dana, their hostess. That wasn’t surprising. Sam knew she practiced such things as spirit-trances, fortune telling, palm reading, and what she described as communication with the dead; all a result of having a Romanian gypsy for a mother, she’d say.
While he watched, Dana began speaking.
'The spirits are everywhere, they see and know everything. They are always around us; in the air we breathe, in the smoke from the candles, in the light of the flames, forever present but cut off from us due to our skepticism in their existence. One must overcome this if a message is to be received.'
Sam realized suddenly that Jake had sat down on the outskirts of the circle and moved to join him. The others noted their presence but did not speak to them. No one wanted to interrupt Dana.
'In order for us to contact someone on the other side, we must all wipe our minds clean of doubt. The spirits are constantly trying to communicate with us on this plane, with our help, they will be able to. If you can’t believe but wish to stay and witness their presence among us, you must wipe your mind of all negative thoughts. Think only positive thoughts. It doesn’t matter what they are, just as long as they are happy thoughts. The spirits will use the energy you produce to help them break through the barrier to our side.'
'Whom should we talk to?' asked a dark-haired man.
Dana asked, 'Are there any particular requests?'
A number of names were called out: John F. Kennedy, Jim Morrison, Ben Franklin, Adolf Hitler, Ted Bundy. Dana held up her hands for silence, and when she got it, looked over at Sam. 'Choose someone,' she said.
Sam was at a sudden loss. Who did he want to talk to?
Jake spoke up. 'What about that Jesuit who supposedly haunts the library on the Benton University campus, Father Castelli?'
Sam agreed. He was as good as anyone else.
'Okay. Father Castelli it is.' Dana turned her attention to Jake. 'Why don’t you come over here and help me work the board?' she asked.
Jake was about to decline when Sam elbowed him sharply. 'He’d love to,' Sam replied for him.
Jake got up and crossed the room, sitting Indian-style in front of Dana with the Ouija board between them.
'Have you ever done this before?' she asked.
Jake shook his head. Sam could see he was doing his best to stifle a grin.
'Okay, then. Rest your fingers on the planchette. No, that’s too heavy. Do it lightly, so that you’re just barely touching it.' As Jake complied, Dana said, 'Good. That’s much better.' She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Sam glanced around and saw everyone else staring intently at the board. He exchanged a humor-filled glance with Jake and was about to follow the others’ lead when Dana said, 'Sam, why don’t you come over here and take my place? I don’t have to be using the board in order to provide a spirit channel for them to work through. I know you and your friend are most likely skeptics. This way neither of you can claim I was moving the planchette myself.'
Sam enthusiastically agreed.
'Do I have your word that neither of you will consciously move the planchette?'
'Sure,' said Jake.
Sam nodded as well.
'Okay. Everyone close your eyes. Clear your minds of all extraneous thoughts; let the outside world wash away. Pretend your mind is a television set and the only thing you are receiving is static. When you feel you’ve reached the proper state of awareness, you can open your eyes again. Casey, why don’t you read out the letters as the planchette lands on them?'
The woman seated to Sam’s left agreed.
Sam let his eyes slide shut and tried to follow Dana’s instructions, a little thrill of excitement growing in his stomach. Imagine if we really manage to contact someone, he thought to himself. Wouldn’t that be something?
Someone gave a small gasp, and Sam opened his eyes to find Jake and everyone else in the room staring in Dana’s direction.
Sam followed suit.
Dana’s eyes had rolled back in their sockets, so all that was visible were the whites of her eyeballs.
Neat trick, Sam thought, a bit disappointed at the theatrics.
Voices murmured somewhere on the edge of the room.
'Silence,' Dana hissed, and quiet instantly returned. In a soft voice that was oddly lilting, she began speaking. 'Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?'
Sam started to close his eyes again. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall and noted in the back of his mind that it was one minute to twelve.
'Is anyone out there? We are trying to reach Father Castelli. Can you hear me, Father?'
Suddenly Sam felt two things happen at once. Across from him, Jake stiffened, and the planchette twitched beneath their fingers. Sam glanced up at Jake, but his head was lowered and he wouldn’t meet his gaze. Did Jake move this thing?
'Is anyone out…' Dana paused, and in a whisper spoke to the group. 'I can feel the spirits. They are all around us, clamoring to speak to us. I sense a great urgency among them. Everyone concentrate on reaching out to Father Castelli. Let him know we wish to speak to him. Casey, would you please read the letters off the board once contact is made?'
'Can you hear me, Father?' she continued.
Beneath his fingers, Sam felt the planchette move again. He eased up on the pressure, until his fingers were barely touching it. He wanted to make sure that he wasn’t causing it to move. He saw the rest of the group leaning forward eagerly to watch the proceedings and this time he kept his eyes open like the rest of them.
'Father? Are you there, Father Castelli?'
The planchette began making slow lazy circles around the board and Sam felt a slight tingle in his fingertips, as if a mild current was passing through his flesh. The planchette began to move quicker and then abruptly slid across the board to the top left hand side, centering itself over the word 'YES'.
The group gasped collectively.
'Who are you?' Dana asked aloud.
The planchette swirled aimlessly for a moment and then dropped to the double row of letters in the center of the board.
'M,' read Casey, and then 'A…T…T…H…E…W.' The planchette paused and so did Casey. After a moment, as if to signal the start of a new word, it continued. 'C…A…S…T…E…L…L…I.'
'This is Father Castelli?' Dana asked, just to be certain.
The planchette immediately moved back to the YES.
Dana said, 'The contact is strengthening now. The spirits have broken through the barrier and their message will be clearer to us.'
Before Dana could ask her next question, however, the planchette began spinning aimlessly around the board for a moment before moving on to spell another new word.
'B…E…W…A…R' Casey called out in response, her voice shaking slightly.
Stupid spirit can’t even spell, Sam thought to himself.
As if she’d heard him, Dana said, 'Often a spirit will misspell something, it’s a pretty common occurrence, especially if the subject has been dead a long time.'
'Is that your message?' she asked the board. 'Beware?'
YES.
'Beware of what?' she asked.
A cool, whispery chill ran lightly up Sam’s spine.
The planchette was moving faster, as if guided by an unseen hand filled with urgency. Casey called out the letters in a voice filled with excitement. 'E..V..I..L.-.E..V..I..L.-.E..V..I..L.. It’s repeating the word 'evil' over and over again.'
