40. Ouija Board

"Where did you even get it from?" Hannah said standing up.

"You know I grab whatever is near me when I'm scared or afraid! I know it's a weird habit but it is what it is." John looked down at his shoes. It was true. Ever since he was in kindergarten he would grab something - anything near him if he was scared and held onto it. Once in seventh grade, when they had their science project exhibition, one kid in John's class built the classic electricity from potato experiment but he accidentally overpowered the bulb causing more than enough electricity to flow. Since this kid had his table next to John, due to the overpowering, the potatoes exploded and the circuit sparked close to his arm and caused a fire. John got so terrified of this - who wouldn't be if something like this - exploding potatoes, short-circuiting, and a fire - would have happened just a few inches away from anyone's skin, they were bound to get terrified. Everyone ran towards the exit - John was running with a beaker in his hands - spilling the content of it everywhere - which Hannah thought was a part of his science experiment. It was a completely chaotic scene.

When John was checking in the pile, he found an unusual looking box. When he was about to open it to inspect, the bouncing ball and the sobbing sound made him frightened due to which John grabbed the nearest thing that he could find - the box and ran. It was surely an old unusual looking box on which two words were written which made Hannah cringe with fear.

'Ouija Board'

Out of all the things from that pile, why did he take this? And why in the world did Nick has this thing in his attic?

Hannah took a deep breath, "It's alright. Just put it anywhere here 'cause we ain't going back up there in the attic and let's leave this place." Hannah walked a few steps when she realized that John wasn't behind her. She turned and saw that John was standing - standing like a statue - and looking at the box still in his hands.

"John, Let's go!"

But John kept standing there - lost.

"John!"

No movement.

Hannah went near him and shook his shoulders gently, "John, what's wrong? Let's go before anything happens. I know why we came here and I know I told you that we shouldn't leave until we find something, but this place is far too weird and dangerous. I had promised dad that I won't let anything happen to you or me. I cannot risk losing you."

After a brief moment of pause, John said quietly, "You're right but I have a feeling that what we're looking for is somewhere here. I know we didn't find anything but I think that we might."

By looking at John's face which was still staring at the box, Hannah knew for sure what was in his brother's mind. "No way we're doing it!"

"But Hannah, -"

"NO! Haven't you seen in movies that it always ends horribly? No, John, leave it, and let's go."

"What would we do if we go back!?" There was a rebellious tone in John's voice that started to come to the surface. "I know you're worried about us. I know you don't want anything to happen to us. I get that! Don't you think I'm worried too? I don't want either of us to die! But what good or positive would we do if we go back? Nothing. It would be like back to square one. Let's pretend for a second that we went back. Then what? We don't know where the third stone is. We don't know how to stop Diana. We don't know whom Diana would kill next and do you think that Diana would stop doing her evil deeds just like that? There's so much on the line and we don't know anything how to stop it! There's so much to risk and if we just go back, there are no loose ends or any clues to follow. We'd go back to being helpless if we turn back. I know something's in this house. I know we'll find something here. This was the place of Diana's victim. Something has to be here."

Hannah couldn't help but see a sense of responsibility in his brother's eyes. The same responsibility which she always sees when he would get in his imaginary 'Super John' costume with his imaginary cape. But this time around it was different. He wasn't that 'Super John' who would find the lost items or help the neighbors with moving furniture or solving mysteries. He wasn't that kid anymore who depends on others even to make the breakfast, or who puts blame on Tom when he'd break anything. The John that stood in front of her was totally different and somehow she was proud of her little brother who wasn't little anymore.

"And, how would this thing help us anyway?" Hannah couldn't fight the fire in John's eyes that reflected in the flashlight.

"When we cannot find the answers in the living world, we'll get what we need in the dead," John said opening the box.

Even though messing with the Ouija board and opening a portal to the dead world was way beyond dangerous, there wasn't anything else - any other path or way. Whichever road they choose to walk on, they all were dangerous. It was the same. But they cannot go back without any lead.

They set up the board on the dining table. With the help of that same vase that was supposed to be broken, they rested their phones so that they could see in the flashlight.

"For the last time, John, do you think there's no other way than this?" Hannah folded her arms and rested them on the table as she looked at her brother.

John shook his head as he took out the board and placed the planchette over it. It was a circular wooden Ouija board that was divided concentrically into three parts. In the outer circle, curved shaped alphabets were written in italics font. In the middle circle, on the upper half numbers from 0 to 9 and on the bottom half 'goodbye' was written. In the center, there were a tiny 'y' and 'n' which Hannah and John thought stood for yes and no. Along with the two alphabets, there was a picture in the background which was a blur to figure out what it was. The planchette was heart-shaped which had a star engraved on it and a rather scratched out lens on the pointy side.

Both of them took a deep breath and placed their index and middle fingers on the planchette.

"Are there any spirits who would like to contact us?" Both said in unison moving it three times in clockwise direction.

A few seconds passed by but the planchette didn't move.

"I should've known," Hannah began looking up from the board where the planchette rested like a statue. "Maybe it's fake. Maybe it's just a game after all."

Hannah could see that John's expression turned into a state where he was doubting whatever he said earlier. He was beginning to doubt his whole idea of staying and trying the spirit board when a few minutes passed by but the planchette didn't even move an inch. Maybe I should have listened to Hannah. Maybe we should have gotten out of the house. But I was so sure that this thing would work. This was our last hope. Now, where will we find - Suddenly his eyes bulged, "Don't mess around, Hannah. It's not a time for any jokes." The planchette was moving slowly a few centimeters to the center of the board.

"I swear, I'm barely even touching it! Are you moving this thing?" Her eyes were glued to the movement of the planchette. Just like her brother, she had almost given up the hope but then she saw it move.

John shook his head and gulped a knot of panic.

The planchette slowly moved to the center of the board and Hannah craned over to read on which letter the lens was upon, "Y... means Yes." She looked over at John in fright. "Now, what?"

John looked up. "Ask anything you want." And then looked back at the board.

Hannah wetted her dried lips with her tongue and then said in a rather uncertain but careful tone, "Who are we talking to?"

They watched the planchette as it moved from the 'y' in the inner circle to the outer circle where the alphabets were. Hannah read out loud as the lens hovered over and stopped momentarily over some selected alphabets, "G-E-O-R-G-E, George?" She looked at John. "Do you know anyone named that?"

John shook his head and asked the entity, "Do you used to live here?"

The planchette moved to 'y'.

"Do you want to harm anyone of us?" Hannah crossed her toe fingers. But to her and John's relief, it moved to 'n'. "Oh, good," Hannah released her breath which she was holding in due to either fear or anxiety or both. "That means you're a good spirit. Right?"

But the planchette didn't move a bit.

"Hannah, let's ask important questions. We don't have much time."

Oh, so, knowing whether this entity that we're talking to want to harm us or was it a good or an evil spirit is not important?

"Do you know what happened in the room in the far end?"

The planchette moved to 'y'.