Childish Games

Epilogue

Since that day, a lot has happened. Of course, eight years have passed by so I can't expect much more. Evelyn got married just after college to Bret in early December and as we had planned for years, I served as her maid of honor. The scene alone was beautiful, it was indoors but with all glass windows around to show the newly fallen snow that covered the grass, hung off of pine tree branches and the frozen lake in the distance. She looked beautiful in her sleeveless mermaid gown that flailed at the bottom and was all smiles as she walked down the aisle. Evelyn had always said she'd make me her maid of honor but give me the ugliest dress, of course that was a joke. I wore a beautiful, royal blue gown that ended just below my knees. The straps were off the shoulder and the neckline, much like her dress, was a sweetheart. Really the only thing that made it better was knowing Hunter was Bret's best man, he led me down the aisle. Everything about the ceremony was beautiful, the way the flower girl waltzed away and had to be led by the ring bearer, the live string quartet, their vows to one another. We took countless pictures before partying the night away. It wasn't until the following May that Hunter and I got married. Evelyn served as my matron of honor now that she was a married woman, and wore a mint green gown that looked much like the one I wore for her wedding. Hunter and I chose to have an outdoor wedding on Mackinac Island. Believe me, planning it was both a struggle and a fortune all I can say is Hunter's family must adore me as they paid for most of it. The island was just breathtaking, we married just off the coast of Lake Michigan on a warm sunny afternoon. My gown was a princess style, having no sleeves but a sweetheart neckline and fitted bodes while the skirt flared out with the assistance of a petty coat. Makeup and hair took hours and it was over so quickly. Hunter and I had decided on keeping our vows a secret until the big day and his to me were beautiful.

I realize there's something or rather someone I have yet to mention and it's not out of spite or anything like that. Talia has been in a mental health hospital since that day. The doctors say she's sick but none of them know with what. Originally they said it was drugs causing both auditory and visual hallucinations though none of the medications worked so they came to the conclusion that it was psychosis or Schizophrenia, again wrong. Evelyn and I tried, believe me, we did. Evelyn's uncle went a few days after his car accident to see Talia, which he thinks was caused by paranormal forces to this day. Even he had suggested calling a Catholic priest to exorcise the demon from Talia. Evelyn and I had done tons of research since that day. One thing we learned was that time may move differently when using a board, like it had for us. Another key thing we learned was that a broken mirror could be a sign of a powerful entity coming through into our world. We tried everything, Ethan had searched out a priest who knew how to perform an exorcism though it was all for nothing. Talia's doctors took us for being insane ourselves the moment we brought up such ideas. We fought them on it repeatedly but were met with the same answer each time. Talia's parents didn't believe us either. The only people who did aside from those in the house was Brent, Hunter, my family and the parts of the family Evelyn had told. Everyone says the Oujia board is just a game, nothing more than that. That it's kids stuff, a piece of cardboard. My encounter will tell you, they're wrong. It isn't some game, it's playing with fire. I've never been interested in going anywhere near the occult. As far as I know, Talia's as bad as she was that night; however, Evelyn nor I have seen her in nearly a year. Evelyn just had her first child, a baby boy born days after my anniversary to Hunter while I'm pregnant with my first, a boy too due next month. Since we got pregnant around the same time, neither Evelyn nor I wanted to see Talia possibly ever again, we didn't want that demon making some tie to our families. All of us involved, including Brent and Hunter, pray every night that Talia will be okay someday.

"Um, hey hun." Hunter removed one of my earbuds, as I was listening to music while he watched the news. He looked worried, something atypical of him as Hunter was always collected, he was the one who kept me from losing it. The events from that night all those years ago still haunted me, I'd wake up from nightmares or be hit with sudden flashbacks which always invoked panic in me. It was Hunter who helped calm me down or comfort me through the panic attack.

"Is something-" Just as I was asking that my attention was turned to the TV.

"A Miss Talia Parker is being arrested after attacking and clawing a fellow patient at Lake View Behavioral Health Center. Orderlies found her scratching the alphabet into another patients abdomen after rendering him unconscious as well as carving out yes and no at his upper rib cage with her nails. According to hospital staff, when found she began growling and speaking in a voice that didn't appear to be her own and soon after began speaking in an unknown language."

A cold chill ran down my spine, making me shudder as I stared at the television with wide eyes in alarm. Without warning, there was a high pitched ring startling me and nearly causing me to scream but my husband placed a hand on my cheek.

"Hey, it's okay," he gently spoke, nodding at me, "it's just your cell."
"Right," I nodded before moving myself to grab my cell off of the coffee table. My heart was beating like a drum. My breaths were getting caught in my throat. I could feel the world closing in around me mentally as my vision began to increase. There were shadows in my peripheral vision, something I had experienced long before Talia ever used the board. Apparitions hadn't scared me until that night. I'll always remember that night. No matter how much I wanted to forget it, it will always be a stain on the memories of my youth. Like oil polluting the ocean, those memories tarnished my old ones. They ate away at me. There had to be something we could have done to stop Talia. There had to be a way! I felt like I was going to either throw up or drool from all the saliva in my mouth. Letting out a shaky breath, I slid the little phone on my screen to the green circle to answer, not bothering to check the caller ID in the midst of my panic. "H-h-hello?"
"Celest, did you see the news?!" Evelyn questioned, sounding as panicked as I was.
Immediately feeling relief and comfort wash over me as I knew it was only Evelyn, I nodded, "Yeah, I....umm...I did."
"What....what are we going to do?"

**Final notice before playing: Remember, not everything you encounter through the board is necessarily friendly, but always say goodbye and be respectful. Have fun and play safely.**