Preston nudged her with his shoulder. “Thuh...that sounds cool. I...I’d like to see.” His cheeks kind of flushed as he watched her. “Muh...maybe some of it’s va...valuable. Like in Aaa...Antique Roadshow.”
Ashley answered, “It’s just a bunch of junk and tons of dust. Nothing cool about it.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind checking it out.” Henry rose to his feet. “Maybe after we get this pit squared away, okay? Preston’s right. Some of the things those guys find in people’s attics are worth thousands of dollars. Who knows? You could be thousand-aires.”
The screen door opened and Claire stood in the opening leaning out. “Anyone want a soda? Did you guys call home to let your parents know you’re staying for dinner?”
Maya looked at both guys and hissed, “Don’t tell Aunt Claire we were in the attic, okay?”
Henry looked puzzled for a moment before he shouted over to Claire, “If you have coke that would be great! I’m going to call home right now. Thanks for reminding me.”
“Yuh...yeah. A coke pluh...please.” Preston grabbed his shirt from the lawn where he’d dropped it. He took his cell phone out and then turned his back to make the call home.
When Claire went back inside to get their drinks, Henry spun on Maya. “Why don’t you want your aunt to know about the attic? What’s up with that?”
Maya scowled at her sister and then blurted it out, “We found a Ouija board. We’re going to try it later but Leah thinks Aunt Claire will be pissed if we do.”
Henry’s head tipped. “Why? From what I know about those things, they don’t work, so what’s the big deal?”
Leah had heard enough. “Says who? My mom must believe in them because she had a shit fit when I wanted to buy one.”
Maya joined in, “Look, we want to try it to see if we can connect to my parents, okay?”
Henry pulled back and his mouth snapped shut, while Preston turned around to join in, “Whu...what are you gu...guys talking about?”
“It’s a secret.” But it was clear that Maya wanted to tell him. “You can’t tell anyone...especially your mother.”
Ashley looked over at Leah. She looked like she was ready to throttle Maya.
“I wuh...won’t tell. What is it?” His gaze flitted from Henry to Maya.
“We found a Ouija board and we’re going to try it later tonight. But you can’t tell anyone, k?” Maya leaned into him.
“Shu...sure.” His eyes were puzzled when he looked over at Leah. “Thu...that’s weird that o...old man Salter had a Ouija buh...board.”
She shrugged. “Maybe his kids owned it. I mean the attic has lots of their toys.”
Henry spoke to Maya, “So how are we going to manage this without your aunt coming in and catching us?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she’ll be busy talking to Carol. We can pretend we’re playing cards or Monopoly maybe. We’ll figure something out, and if not, you guys will just have to wait and hear about it tomorrow.” Maya peered at Leah and Ashley. “The three of us can do it when Aunt Claire goes to bed.”
Ashley folded her arms across her chest. “That was the original plan, Maya. You’re the one who blabbed to everyone.” She still wasn’t sure about any of this but if Preston said anything, there would be hell to pay at Leah’s house. Maybe her mother wouldn’t be so keen on Leah coming out to visit if she knew.
Leah stepped closer to her brother and scowled at him, “If you do this with us, you can’t tell Mom or else you’re telling on yourself too.”
Ashley nodded. Leah had a point. She turned to Maya and the boys. “Can you guys handle finishing the fire pit? Leah and I are going in to get changed.”
As they walked across the lawn, Carol’s jeep pulled into the driveway behind their aunt’s car. She got out, carrying groceries and wine, yelling over a friendly, “hi.”
Ashley waved before turning to whisper to Leah, “I think we’ll be able to do the silly Ouija board with your brother and Henry. I think Aunt Claire and Carol are going to have a few drinks and catch up. She said earlier that she was looking forward to a girls’ night.”
Leah nodded. “Actually, it might work better with more people. Even Preston will be a help and then he can’t rat us out.” She laughed and held the door for Ashley.
When they went inside, Carol was getting the tour of the kitchen while Claire described all the changes she had planned.
Ashley passed them as they were coming out. “We’re going to get changed. Maya and the guys are making some headway with the fire pit.” She smiled at Carol. “Did you bring your bathing suit? The water’s great!”
Carol’s hand rose like a traffic cop’s. “I’m not a big fan of swimming in lakes. Give me a pool at the Four Seasons and I’m good! Girl, I need to see my toes, not get them nibbled on by some fish.” She flashed a grin with brilliant white teeth against her smooth coffee-toned skin. Her dark eyes were lit with fun so it was impossible not to grin right back.
Aunt Claire laughed. “After you’ve have some wine, you may change your mind, Carol. I might go in again too. That’s the plus of being here. Might as well enjoy it.”
“Speaking of which...if the upstairs is off-limits with the girls changing, we might as well christen the house with some wine. C’mon Claire. You’ve been working all day.” Carol grabbed Claire’s arm and tugged her back into the kitchen.
Claire chuckled. “So have you! How much money did the casino make today? You really should skim a little cream off, go on that vacation you’ve always wanted. You do the books, so they’d never know.”
“Yeah right! And my new home would be prison. No thanks.”
Ashley turned to Leah. “You take the bathroom and I’ll change in my room. Just don’t take hours, okay? Mason may not even get out of his truck when he picks up Henry.”
Leah raced ahead. “I’m not taking any chances.” She turned and smiled at Ashley. “Just don’t hate me when he asks me out.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “What if he asks me out?”
“I will definitely hate you.” She laughed and continued up the stairs.
SEVEN
THE SUN WAS A FIERY BALL on the horizon, streaking the sky above the lake with ribbons of orange, red, and pink by the time that Ashley and Leah joined the gang at the fire pit.
Carol looked up from her place next to the crackling fire and grinned at Ashley. “Ooo eee! Something smells really nice! Is that Dior or Faberge?”
Ashley could feel her cheeks warm when every set of eyes were focused on her. “Neither. It’s just body wash.”
Leah plopped down in an empty lawn chair. “Japanese Cherry Blossom. It’s nice, isn’t it. I’ve got to get Mom to buy me some. I love it.” She looked over at Preston, “You should get changed out of that damp swimsuit. Did you bring a change of clothes?”
Maya stood up, “You two were hogging the upstairs, so no one got a chance. We’re all dry now anyway. But I’m done with swimming, so I’m putting on my sweats.” She turned to Henry. “If you and Preston want to change, I’ll show you where the bathroom is. Actually, you haven’t seen the house at all.”
Henry threw one last branch from the bundle next to the fire and then got up. “Sure.” He turned to Preston, “Let’s go, bud.”
Preston wasted no time racing over to where they’d dumped their bikes, grabbing both knapsacks. “Wuh...wait for me.” He hurried over to the back door and followed them in.
Aunt Claire looked over at Carol, “I suppose we should bring the food out. I need another top up of wine anyway.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” She rose and then directed her next words at the girls, “How about you get a table and bring it out for the food? That is, if you can take a chance on not wrecking your manicure. I’ve got to see this guy that’s got you two all dolled up. Maybe I’ll make a play for him myself.”
Ashley primped her hair with her hand, doing her best vamp. “This old thing? We always look good, and Mason is way too young for you, Caro
l.”
Carol let out a whoop. “Ever hear the term cougar, girls?” She laughed, following Claire into the house.
“Cougar? Oh my God.” Leah snickered as she rose, “We’d better give them a hand. Seriously, do we look that obvious?”
“Probably.” Ashley nodded to the side signaling to go, “I think there’s an old card table we can use. It’s in the laundry room. I saw it when I put our bathing suits in the dryer.”
When they went inside, Claire was loading a tray with wieners, buns, and condiments while Carol topped up their glasses with fresh wine. Ashley halted before going down the hallway to the laundry room. “You’re staying the night aren’t you, Carol?”
Carol nodded and her face was serious looking over. “Of course, Ashley. My sleeping bag’s in the jeep. I knew we’d be drinking and gossiping till all hours. Especially since I don’t work tomorrow.”
Ashley felt her chest loosen. After what she’d been through—her parents killed by a drunk driver—she had zero tolerance for that. “Good. We can make pancakes tomorrow morning. It’ll be fun.”
Leah piped up, “After supper maybe we’ll play some cards or a game with Maya and the guys. We’ll try to stay out of your hair. Just don’t gossip about us, okay?”
Ashley’s eyes met Leah’s. She was setting this up already, time alone with that Ouija board. Part of her felt a little guilty about it, sneaking around but another part had her wondering. It was probably silly but what if...
Aunt Claire took the glass of wine from Carol and had a sip. “That’s really hitting the spot.”
Ashley smiled and followed Leah into the laundry room. Aunt Claire was having a good time with Carol and was fine with their plans. Her voice was low when she spoke, “How long does this take...this Ouija board thing?”
Leah shrugged. “It depends I guess.” When Ashley shot her a puzzled look, she continued, “If there’s any spirit out there who wants to connect it could be fast or maybe it’ll take longer. I don’t know for sure.”
“What time will your mom be expecting Preston home? I mean, how much time do we have for this?”
“You’re really wondering about Mason...whether we’ll be still doing the Ouija board when he arrives and you don’t get to see him. That’s it, isn’t it?” Leah’s eyes glinted. “Don’t worry. I want to see him too.”
They went into the laundry room and Ashley threaded her way through a few boxes to grab the card table.
***
It was just about dark when they finished eating. The campfire had burned low, but Claire and Carol seemed content to just sit gazing into the flames, drinking wine.
Maya stood up. “Who’s up for some cards or a game of Monopoly?”
Aunt Claire looked at her watch. “What time is your brother coming, Henry? You might not have time for Monopoly...or as we used to call it, Monotony. That game goes on for hours.”
Preston stood up to join Maya. “Ye...yeah. How about gi...gin rummy instead?”
Henry looked at Aunt Claire. “He said he’ll be here at nine. Just a bit over an hour. Enough time for me to whup everyone’s butt in a game of gin rummy.”
Getting up as well, Leah chimed in, “You’re looking at the world’s champ in that game, my friend.” She picked up the condiments and piled everything onto the tray. “We’ll get this, Claire. You ladies just enjoy the fire and relax.”
Ashley grabbed the rest of the stuff and followed the others into the house. Maya and the two boys raced ahead of her and Leah, their feet pounding on the stairs like a herd of elephants. They set the things on the counter and weren’t long after them.
Leah entered Maya’s bedroom and got the board out of the bottom drawer. She looked around the room. “We should have the lights low and some candles but this will have to do I guess. What about if your aunt—”
“I’m ahead of you.” Maya held up a deck of playing cards. “If we hear her, we’ll stop and deal the cards.”
“I think she’s pretty comfortable where she is.” Henry laughed and then when Leah squatted down in the middle of the floor setting the board up, he lowered too.
Maya grabbed the bandana that Ashley has used earlier and draped it over her bedside lamp. She stepped over to the doorway and flipped the overhead light off. The room was now dim, lit only by the reddish hue of the bedside light. “How’s that?”
“Good.” Leah looked around at each of them. “The thing is, no matter if Claire’s coming upstairs, we have to close off communication the correct way. We have to move the planchette to “Goodbye”. Got that? It’s super important.”
Each of them nodded, but their eyes were riveted to the board. Even Ashley felt a chill in Leah’s warning. The dimmer lighting in the room helped as well.
Leah put the planchette in the middle of the board. “Everyone put the fingers of your left hand lightly on the reader.” She demonstrated by placing the tips of her fingers there.
Ashley took a deep breath and moved her hand over, barely touching the small wooden object.
When they were all positioned, Leah continued, “Are there any spirits present?”
The planchette remained in the middle of the board. Ashley couldn’t help looking at her sister who was across from her, next to Leah. Maya’s gaze roamed over the room as if searching for some sign.
“We ask again, are there benign spirits here who wish to communicate with us?”
When again nothing happened, Henry piped up, “C’mon. We don’t have all day, here.”
“Shush!” Maya shot a dark look at him.
Ashley noticed the corners of Henry’s mouth twitch trying to keep from laughing while Preston was staring intently at the little planchette. She was more in line with Henry’s train of thought.
Leah cleared her throat and spoke again, “We wish to communicate with Maya and Ashley’s parents. Robert or Gail, are you here? Your daughters wish to contact you.”
Everything was still for a few minutes. Ashley could hear their breathing, feel a little tremble from their fingers on the leaf-shaped object. But nothing was happening.
“Gail Vincent, Maya would like to talk to you. Please come to us if you can.” Leah wasn’t giving up.
The planchette moved slightly and Ashley looked over at her sister. Maya’s eyes were as big as marbles staring at the planchette. She glanced at Leah only to find her peering at the word “Yes”. Had she moved it in that direction?
“Are you with us, Gail? Please give us a sign that it is you we are communicating with.”
The planchette continued inching slowly across the board to the word “Yes.”
Ashley’s gaze flitted to Leah and Maya. Leah could be making the planchette move for Maya’s sake. The movement had been slow and deliberate like she was forcing it.
Henry sighed. “Who’s pushing this thing? Seriously?” He took his hand away and then folded his arms across his chest. “This is bogus, guys.”
Maya glared at him. “Shut up, Henry.”
Preston added his two cents to his friend’s skepticism, “Ye...yeah Henry. Ju...just because yu...you don’t believe doesn’t mean ih...it’s not wu...working. Be quiet.”
Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Test it then. If you think it’s really Maya’s mother, ask it a question only Maya knows the answer to. We’ll see if it moves then.”
All eyes turned to Maya waiting for her to speak. Finally she did. “What did I call my first teddy bear?”
But Henry wasn’t buying it. “Ashley probably knows the answer to that. Try something only you and your mother shared.”
This time it was even longer waiting for Maya to think of a question. All the while Ashley deliberated whether she should take her hand away, let it play out naturally to see if there might be a grain of truth to the board.
“Okay.” Maya glanced at Ashley. “I don’t think you know this one, but tell me if you do, k? Where did my mother take me after my first trip to the dentist?”
Ashley shook her head. “I was in
school that day. I kind of remember you going but it was just you and Mom. I don’t know.”
Leah looked at Maya. “Go ahead. You ask the question this time.”
Maya shot a look at Ashley and then spoke, “Where did you take me after the dentist my first time?”
The planchette moved in a small circle. Ashley held her breath watching it. Her fingers were barely touching the planchette and she peered at the other three hands for telltale signs they were pushing or pulling on it. But like her, they barely grazed it with their fingertips.
The planchette moved to the letter “M” and then to the “I.” Ashley glanced at Maya. Her sister’s mouth had fallen open watching the board. The planchette jerked to the “N” and then back to the “I.” Mini? It shot back to the “G” and then the “O.” It slid slower to the “L” and then even more slowly, back to the “F.”
Ashley looked over at her sister. “Mini golf? Mom took you to mini golf? She took me to Chuck E. Cheese after my first visit.”
Preston gazed at Maya. “Ih...it’s true?”
Maya’s eyes glistened with tears when she nodded. “Yeah. She offered ice cream but my mouth was sore. We were driving by Mini Putt Place and she just pulled in. She taught me how to play and laughed when I knocked the ball into the clown’s mouth. I can still see her doing that.”
Henry leaned forward looking at the board. “Still...it could have been you, Maya, pushing the planchette. You knew the answer.”
This time it was Preston who came to her defense. “Stop it, He... Henry! She wu...wouldn’t do that. And I would have fe...felt it if she ha...had.”
Ashley could only stare at the board. She’d played on that mini golf course and could picture the clown that Maya was talking about. It was kind of like that horrible clown in the It movie she’d seen just this past year after Leah had pleaded with her to go. The fact that Maya even remembered the small detail of getting the ball in the clown’s mouth resonated with truth.
Could the board really be working? Could their mother’s spirit be there, answering the question?
Leah broke the silence that had descended like a shroud. “Is there anything more you want to ask your mother, Maya?”
A Grave Conjuring Page 4