Board Game Night

Connie placed the board game on the dining room table as Rosa and Darlene stared at it, their mouths dropping slightly. Connie smiled; she knew they would react. David Letterman droned on in the living room as her parents watched from the mustard-yellow sofa. She pulled the lid off the lower half of the box and pulled the Ouija board and planchette out. 
They were crouched over the metal dining seats, elbows on the Formica table, under the dull light of the Tiffany-style lamp; the rest of the house was shrouded in shadows. The shadows mutated the family pictures on the wallpapered wall, causing them to appear as if the people were grimacing. 
“This is not a board game,” Rosa said, her bronze face lightened as if she was going to pass out. “My mom won’t let me play this ‘cause she thinks it’s a way to contact the devil.”
“It’s just a game. All the kids in school are playing it,” Connie said.
“My dad probably wouldn’t want me to play with it either,” Darlene said as she played with the sleeves of her PJs.
“Please! It’ll be fun, and we can go back to school on Monday and tell everybody that we played with the Ouija board. They’ll think we’re cool.” Connie said.
“I don’t care about being cool,” Darlene said.
“Yes, you do! You’re always talking about wanting to be the President of the 5th-grade society and being part of Rebecca’s clique,” Rosa said.
Connie placed the planchette on the board and said, “Look, nothing will happen. No one’s ever died from playing with this thing.”
She noticed Rosa and Darlene exchange glances.
“They’ve been playing with this toy for the past 100 years, and no one’s died,” Connie said.
“A hundred years?” Rosa said.
“Yeah, my dad told me its history. Since, you know, he’s a history professor, he has a thing for strange historical objects.” 
Darlene sighed. “Alright.”
“Ok, we all have to put our fingertips on this thing; it’s called a planchette,” Connie explained.
The girls slowly placed their fingers on the wooden heart-shaped pointer. Darlene and Rosa looked at Connie for more instructions.
“Now— “ Connie was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. The girls jumped.
“Whoa, whoa! It’s just me, your dad,” Connie’s father said.
“Dad! You nearly scared us half to death,” Connie said.
“Maybe you all should play a different board game, like Candyland?” Connie’s mother suggested.
“No, we’re fourteen; why would we play with that?” Connie said.
Her father yawned. “We’re going to bed. Don’t stay up too late, and don’t let the evil spirits get you,” he said, smirking.
Her mother gently slapped him on the shoulder. “Connie, I agree with your father. Don’t stay up too late.” She said, placing a kiss on Connie’s forehead.
Connie heard their footsteps ascending the staircase. A wind pushed up against the dining room bay windows. She couldn’t see the night’s appearance since the curtains were drawn. The dining room’s perimeter was cast in even darker shadows without the TV’s background noise and glare. 
“It’s not too late to switch to Candyland,” Darlene suggested.
“It’s fine. My parents are just trying to scare us,” Connie said, repositioning the planchette over the Ouija board. “I promise nothing is going to happen.” Connie tried to make a pouty face.
“Alright, as long we don’t have to see that face again,” Rosa said.
“Oh, come on! It worked on Derek,” Connie said, giggling.
“If you meant to make him run off, then it did work,” Darlene said and laughed.
Connie shushed them, and the other girls clasped at their mouths. 
Slowly, the girls placed their delicate fingers onto the planchette. They glanced at each other, their eyes wide like a cat skittering along an alleyway.
“What’s next?” Darlene asked.
“We ask if the spirits are around now,” Connie said.
“What?” Rosa said and she genuflected.
Connie began, “Spirits hear me now. Are you here with us?”
The wind continued to gust gently, and the shadows continued to shift. The smell of week’s old fried eggs and meatloaf wafted from the kitchen in doses. 
“Is something supposed to happen?” Darlene said.
A spark of annoyance prickled in Connie. “Yes, the spirits are supposed to use the Ouija board to talk to us. We need to concentrate harder.”
Connie closed her eyes. “Spirits, please answer us. Are you with us?”
Again, the girls were left alone. Rosa began lifting her fingers away.
“Rosa! No, you have to leave them there,” Connie said.
“My arms are getting tired,” Rosa said, reluctantly placing them back.
“I think maybe we have to be specific,” Connie said.
“Maybe we can ask if your grandma is here,” Darlene said.
Connie nodded, wishing she had thought of it. She glanced back at the picture of her and her grandmother sitting on the front porch, a big Hershey’s bar on her grandmother’s lap. Her grandmother had a sweet tooth, which her mother always chastised her about. 
“Grammie Jo, are you here?” Connie asked, and she peeked at Rosa and Darlene and was satisfied to see that their eyes were closed. 
Closing her eyes once more, Connie felt a light tug on the planchette. All three girls peered at it as if it were a roach.     “Are you doing that?” Darlene said, staring at Connie wide-eyed.
“No!”
“It’s not me,” Rosa said.     
The planchette moved slowly across the board and landed on the word Yes. The girls pulled their hands back as they watched the planchette linger on the word. As Connie stared at the word, she realized she missed her grandmother and had a chance to talk to her. She looked at Rosa and Darlene; she was convinced that they weren’t playing a prank on her since they had a look of pure shock. 
“It ok, it’s Grammie Jo. You both know her. Don’t you remember she used to take us to the mall and point out all the cute boys?” Connie said.
Rosa and Darlene nodded.
“Let’s ask her questions,” Connie suggested.
The girls gradually placed their fingers back on the planchette.
Connie thought of a question. “Grammie Jo how are you doing?”
The planchette didn’t hesitate. It glided, zig-zagging. The girls spelled out the word fine. Connie smiled as Rosa and Darlene smiled back.
“What is it like, being dead?” Darlene blurted out.
Connie glared; she wanted to be the one to ask all the questions.
The planchette almost flew out of Connie’s fingers as it quickly answered - bad. Connie stared as goosebumps raced along her arms. The planchette moved again and spelled out two words - very bad. 
Rosa removed her arms from the table. “I don’t like this.” She said as she lowered herself to sit properly on the chair. Connie barely heard her as she felt tears sting the inner corners of her eyes. Her parents had told her grandmother was in a better place and that she was happier now that she wasn’t suffering from her illness.
Darlene took hold of Connie’s hand. “Maybe we should put this away and go to bed.”    
Connie wiped her face roughly and nodded. “Grammie Jo, we’ll talk again soon. I’ll have Mom and Dad be around next time.” 
Connie was about to grab the planchette when a hand stretched out from the shadowy darkness and placed it over it. The girls squealed and stumbled off their chairs. The hand curled over the planchette, its skin mottled with small warts and sun spots, wrinkles almost curling over themselves. Connie peered at the place where the hand extended from and saw a figure, a dark shadow upon shadow. The rain had started to pound the roof, and then the lightning began. A strobing flash revealed who was sitting on the chair.
“Grammie Jo?” Connie asked.
Her grandmother chuckled, a dry rasp of a laugh. Connie glanced at Rosa and Darlene, who huddled close to her. Connie gradually returned to the dining table, yet she didn’t sit. She waved at the others to follow. They eventually shuffled over. Connie’s grandmother took her hand back, leaving the planchette behind. Another lightening revealed her grandmother’s body but not her face. Her grandmother wore her favorite flower dress, and Connie could see she was shoving a hand into one of its pockets. 
A fist appeared on the Ouija board, palm up. “Would you like some chocolates?” Connie’s grandmother wheezed.
Connie watched as her grandmother opened her fist to reveal Hershey’s Kisses. She smiled; Kisses were her favorite. Connie glanced at Rosa and Darlene, who watched her; she assumed they were wondering if they should take some. Connie took one and was about to unwrap it when she realized she was holding a large squirming mealworm. Connie shrieked and dropped it. Her grandmother laughed. Connie wiped her hands on her PJs. 
A dreadful feeling smothered Connie. She had immediately believed this person to be her grandmother, yet this could easily be anyone or anything. Grabbing Darlene’s hand, who was holding onto Rosa, Connie backed away. A flash lit the dining room, and Connie could see her grandmother shift. Its body thinned, elongating limbs reaching out onto the table with sharp black nails. Where the head was, horns grew out.
“I apologize, I couldn’t help but have fun with you all,” The thing said.
Darlene and Rosa were crying. Connie continued to guide them backward, afraid to turn her back. 
“Connie, would you like to see your grandmother? We can strike a deal, I can make it happen,” It said, its voice deep and sensual.
“El Diablo, es el Diablo,” Rosa muttered.
“My grandmother is dead; she can’t come back,” Connie said.
“Yes, I know. But I have the power to bring her back for a short while,” it said, and it shifted. “Come closer, let’s make a deal.”
Connie could feel Darlene and Rosa holding her back; their sobs continued. She felt an ache in her chest and recognized it as longing; she missed her grandmother. Days spent sitting at her vanity while she combed Connie’s hair, watching cartoons on Saturday morning, and complaining about her mom and dad while her grandmother gave her advice.
“What kind of deal?” Connie let slip. 
“No, Con, don’t,” Darlene said.
The rain slowed, and Connie could hear the old fridge humming in the background. Nails clicked on the Formica as Connie stepped closer.
“What if I could let you see your grandmother for every year of life that you give to me, each year equating to an hour?” It said. 
Connie imagined talking to her grandmother and catching her up on everything that had happened for the past six years that she’d been gone. She wondered if an hour was enough. To Connie, giving up a few years was worth seeing her Grammie Jo. 
“Connie, you’re not considering this, are you?” Rosa said, wiping her nose. 
Connie watched Rosa and then Darlene, her mind occupied with what she would say first to her grandmother. She looked back at the Devil sitting at the table, his thin, shadowy frame waiting for her. A scrap of paper brought her attention to the table as a scroll unrolled over the Ouija board. 
“All you have to do is sign here, and I’ll take care of the rest,” It said.
Connie was at the table now; she looked at the scroll of paper covered in calligraphy. It was beautiful, yet the font was jagged at the ends of certain letters. Connie began to read. There was a disclaimer that she hadn’t counted on: she had to give up at least three years of her life. She disregarded it; she had thought of giving up much more. Something floated in the air before her; it was a quill with a black feather; it gleamed green under the lamp. 
Her hand raised towards it as Rosa and Darlene whimpered behind her. Fingertips brushed against the smoothness of the quill, like they had when she placed them on the planchette earlier. A click and light flooded the dining room. 
“You ladies are still up?” Her father stood at the corner of the dining room, scratching his stomach as he yawned.
Connie was breathing hard as she peered back at the table; the Devil was gone, along with the scroll and the floating quill. She looked at Rosa and Darlene, who were still clinging to each other. 
“Geez, you all look like you’ve seen a ghost. You know that Ouija board is not real, right?” Connie’s father said as he made his way to the fridge. 
Something tickled at Connie’s foot; she looked down to see the mealworm trying to crawl onto her toes.