“What the fuck?” Claire screamed. Tabby was knocked back out of her chair. She landed with a rattling thump.
A long, black arm reached out of the gash in the board.
“MARIAAAAA!” a ghostly voice croaked.
The arm swiped at Claire. Sherlock came into the dining room, barking wildly at the black arm—which Claire realized was not a human arm at all, but a spider leg.
“Close it! Close it!” Tabby was yelling. She was back on her feet, holding the overturned chair out in front of her like a shield.
The leg still slapped at the table. A napkin dispenser fell over with a crash. Salt and pepper shakers rolled off the table. Claire lunged forward, her mouth silently screaming—or maybe screaming, she couldn’t hear much of anything over Sherlock’s barking.
“MARIAAAAA APPPLEEEE!”
The arm swiped, and Claire dodged it. She snagged the board and closed it in half. The spider leg stuck out from between the folded halves, but Claire pressed harder, trying to ignore its screaming. She could feel the dark energy resisting her. Tabby grabbed the box and held it open. Claire slammed the board into it, and Tabby put the top on. It bucked in her hands for a moment.
Then it stopped.
Sherlock kept barking, but Tabby and Claire hardly noticed. They just stared at each other.
“See, I told you,” Claire finally said.
“How was I supposed to know that a giant spider leg would pop out and try to strangle us?” Tabby said, defending herself.
“At Maria’s house, anything is possible.”
Their eyes both focused on the old Ouija board box.
“I say we burn it,” Tabby said.
“Or we put it in that warehouse they put the Ark of the Covenant in, Indiana Jones style,” Claire answered.
“You’re so lame.”
“At least I’m brave. Otherwise we would’ve been spider food.”
“I’m never using a Ouija board again,” Tabby said.
“Well let’s go put this back.”
Tabby thrust the box out to Claire. Claire took it apprehensively.
“I’m not going up there alone,” Claire said.
“Sherlock will go, won’t you, boy?”
Sherlock shook his head. Apparently, Bloodhounds were not immune to ghostly spider legs, either.
“We all go up together. How about that?” Claire suggested.
“Fine.”
They went upstairs and put the box back in the chest with the other board games piled on top of it. After they shut the chest, Claire said it would probably be a good idea to lock it up, or at least set the dresser on it for good measure, but they weren’t strong enough for that, nor did they have a padlock—much less one that would protect them from ghosts. So they just closed Ignatius’s door tightly behind them and vowed to never visit the labyrinth of craziness again.
Once downstairs, they turned the TV back on, and Passions filled the screen. They watched it and waited for Maria, not talking, trying to make everything seem like it was back to normal, even though it was far from it.
Two episodes later, they heard a car pull into the driveway. Tabby got up and looked out the window. Sherlock was already barking, which meant that he knew who it was.
“Come here!” Tabby hissed.
Claire did.
Tabby had cracked the curtains enough for them to be able to peek out and spy on Maria and Joe. Maria wore a big smile on her face. Joe was laughing, his head thrown back, one hand on the steering wheel, the other around Maria’s headrest.
“Oh, my God!” they both squee-ed.
“Wait, wait,” Claire said, “Shh, they’re getting out.”
Sure enough, Joe got out and went around to the passenger’s side. He opened Maria’s door and helped her out by holding her hand.
“Aw,” Tabby whispered. “Look at them.”
“Quick, get down!” Claire whispered back. They were coming up the walkway, their shadows thrown against the window by the light post in the front yard.
“I’m not missing this for anything.” Tabby leaned out farther. She was obviously visible to Joe and Maria, but they were too busy goggling each other’s eyes to notice.
Muffled, Claire heard Maria say, “I had a really good time tonight.”
“So did I,” Joe answered.
“We should do it again.”
“Really? So I didn’t screw it up?” Joe said, loud enough to be heard clearly.
“Oh, no, my dahling,” Maria answered, a goofy smile on her face.
Claire and Tabby exchanged a confused look, and Tabby stuck a finger in her mouth, faking a gag. Claire had to slap her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing loud enough for Joe and Maria to hear her.
“Milady, how does tomorrow night sound?”
‘Milady’? Tabby mouthed to Claire.
All Claire could do was shrug in return.
The two on the front porch laughed hard together. Maria put her hand on Joe’s shoulder, and with his opposite hand, he took hers. They stared longingly into each other’s eyes for a moment.
Claire and Tabby watched in anticipation. It was like witnessing a real live version of the soap opera playing on the TV behind them.
“Tomorrow sounds great,” Maria answered. Then she stammered as she turned her head and looked out at the front lawn. “Well, maybe.”
“Whenever you can.”
“What if you’re not free? I know you work a lot at the mall.”
“Unfortunately, yeah, but I can have Mikey cover for me. Besides, he owes me one.” Joe winked.
“Bet it’s hard to make dates when you have to work around fighting giant spiders and saving ghosts and whatnot,” Claire whispered.
“Shush,” Tabby demanded.
“Geez, just speaking the truth.”
As Tabby and Claire bickered back and forth, Sherlock pushed his way between them. Using the ledge for support, he put his front paws on the painted wood and looked out through the curtain. He was much less covert. Maria spied him from the front porch, and shook her head softly so Joe wouldn’t notice. But Sherlock wasn’t going anywhere. Maria is my master, and if that guy puts his hands on my master—
Suddenly, as if reading Sherlock’s mind, Joe did just that. He leaned in awkwardly, wrapping an arm around the small of Maria’s back. Though he stood about a head taller than Maria—who
