Hide & Seek 2: The Return of Mr. Harmon

Chapter 3: Ouija Board

Carmen is staring at the book in my hand. I put it behind my back. "I have to go," I say. Swiftly, I start to walk away from her.

"Hey!" she tells. She runs toward me, pacing along with my speed. "What is going on!?" She stops me from walking any further and turns me to face her. "Emily! Talk to me."

Again. Her eyes are screaming at me to tell her what's going on. I take a deep breath and we start walking in the opposite direction, back toward her house. "You'll never believe me," I say while we're walking.

She smiles. "Try me."

If I knew going to her place would start all of what would happen next I wouldn't go. I would have ran far away. Trust me.

***

After I tell her the story, she looks at me with this blank stare on her face. Her mouth is half way open, and she's completely speechless. Not once did she ask a question.

Not once!

"Carmen?" I ask.

She snaps out of it and finally blinks a million times. "Wow! That is one heck of a story," she says.

"You believe me?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "No. I need proof. I never believe anything without proof." She looks at the book that's on my lap.

I slap my hands down on it. "No!" I know what she's thinking. She totally wants to check it out.

She laughs. "Okay. Not the evil book," she mocks. "I have a better idea."

"What?"

She walks inside of her closet and pulls out this huge black box with the word OUIJA printed on it.

"An Ouija board? That's so cliché," I say.

"So is your story," she says.

I don't say anything back. I just let her set up the board in front of us. She takes the book out of my hand and places it beneath the Ouija board. "What are you doing?" I ask.

"Contacting Mr. Harmon," she says.

"Carmen, no! We're not going to do this." I say.

"Yes, we are. Put your hands on the board," she says.

I do as she says. I don't think the Ouija board will work. Even if it does, nothing will really happen, right? The wooden triangle will move, and then what?

Carmen and I look at each other. "Ready?" she asks me.

I shrug. "Go ahead."

She takes a deep breath and smiles. Our eyes are now focused on the Ouija board.

"Wait!" She runs and turns off the light then runs into the bathroom for a candle to light. When she comes back, she sets the candle next to us on a table. Our faces are orange from the candle light. She sits back on the bed and places her hand on the table. She pulls out a pen and notebook that looks like it could be her diary.

"Is anyone there?" Carmen asks.

We wait a few seconds. A few seconds turn into a minute. "Is Mr. Harmon there?" she asks

No reply.

"Is...Abby? Is that her name? Is Abby there?" she asks.

Nothing. We take our hands off of the triangle. "It won't work," I tell her.

"You have to talk to it then. The book flew into your hands." She puts her hands back on the board and looks at me. The fact that the book did fly into my hands should be enough evidence for her.

I roll my eyes and place my hands on the triangle. "Dad. It's me, Emily. Are you there?"

We don't have to wait more than three seconds before we get a response. The triangle slides across the board and as I read, my hands tremble more and more. The answer makes my heart stop. Carmen jolts back after she reads what she wrote down. She looks at me with tears swelling in her eyes. "I didn't really think it would work." She shows me the paper.

It's Daddy. It's Daddy. We are cold. So cold.

At this point, I want to stop. I really do but I can't. "Why are you so cold?" I ask then wait for an answer.

Can't see anything. So cold. So much darkness.

More tears fill my eyes and spill onto my cheeks. "Why?"

Before we can get an answer, the Ouija board hovers over the book and then quickly slams into the wall. The candle goes out. By now, the room is freezing. Carmen and I want to run but our bodies don't move. In the inky darkness came the sound of a match being struck, and sure enough, a small flame appeared, illuminating a black face darker than charcoal. It moves out a long skinny black leg from the bed onto the floor. The other one soon follows, but this time, we hear bones cracking. The legs move one place to another without any visible propulsion. There's a pause between every moment then a sudden, fast movement as it strikes the floor with its foot or hand. The thing is going out through the door but stops right in front of it. It turns slides its hand up to the light switch, turning it on.

It turns its body to face us and the both of us are staring at a black body that is almost as black as charcoal. There are moving hand prints marking its black skin... but from the inside. It's moaning, but the sounds aren't coming from its throat. No. It's coming from a part of its body beyond comprehension to human beings. The thing lifts up both its hands, each bone cracking and trembling with every move. Then, all of sudden, it runs at us, with speed unknown to mankind, into the book.

The book shakes for a few seconds before it stops moving. I can't move. My mind won't process what just happened. I look at Carmen, feeling sorry for her. She's pissed her pants, and sits trembling, gripping the  blankets. She's beyond traumatized. 

Me? I'm not traumatized. I want to know what we almost let loose.

Now