Chapter 7 of Tears For The Wicked

Chapter Seven

 

It was midnight by the time we decided to set up for the séance. We had all had a drink beforehand to relax a bit as we were a little nervous. Well, I know I was.

“Think it will be best to do it on the kitchen table,” Mum said as she started to clear it of glasses and ashtrays.

I stood by the door holding my tablet tightly as I searched online for instructions on how to do a séance safely. There’s so much crap online these days though that it took me a while to find something suitable. The website I eventually found belonged to a white witch by the name of Modestaja. She often dealt with hauntings by the looks of it and had photographs and recordings of ghostly activity on her web page. I found some info on séances and began to read it.

“It says here that the table should be round and wooden so yes mum, the dining table’s perfect,” I looked over at my husband, “Did you get the candles jack?”

Jack nodded; he was half way through taking a sip of his Amaretto.

“Three Jack? It says here, “I pointed at the tablet, “that we need three.”

Jack rolled his eyes and sighed, “Yes darling.”

Yvette stood in the corner by the cockatiel cage and the back door. She was checking her Facebook updates on her phone. I shook my head slowly; Yvette was always glued to her phone screen.

Jack covered over the cockatiel with a floral blanket, much to the bird’s annoyance and placed the three candles in the centre of the newly cleaned table. One large candle flanked on both sides by a much smaller one.

“It says here to place a food offering on the table,” I said.

Jack went to one of the beech wood cupboards lining the one wall and opened the door. He pulled out a little cake.

“This’ll do,” He placed it in front of the large candle.

Mum watched him, her hands on her slender hips,

“Unbelievable!” She shook her head, “If I come back as a ghost, I’ll be really teed off if all you offer me is a bloody fairy cake!”

Everyone laughed.

The four of us sat around the table. The candles were lit and the lights were turned off.

The séance had started.

We all held the hand of the person sitting next to us on either side. Yvette looked a little miffed off because I had snatched her phone from her hand, placed it in the cutlery drawer and told her that she was banned from even glancing at it all night. She hadn’t really spoken to me since but we all needed to concentrate and could do without any distractions.

Now, by the light of the candles, I began speaking the words that I had memorised from the online instructions.

“I am calling the Angels; please protect us all from harm during this séance. Protect us from evil as we seek to converse with those who have passed before us.” I thanked the angels, and then turned to face the group.

“We all now have to say the Lord’s Prayer.”

“Why?” Jack asked.

“Well, because that is what that Modestaja says on her website.”

“You don’t see them saying it in the films.”

“Well, maybe people have their own way of doing it.”

Jack sighed, he didn’t have a lot of patience but he did it anyway joining in with the rest of our group.

Our Father who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in Heaven,

Give us this day,

Our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil,

For thine is the kingdom,

The power and the glory,

For ever and ever,

Amen.

I spoke again, “Is there anybody there?”

The other three at the table exchanged glances with each other.

“We are calling to any spirits who would like to talk with us; we welcome all benevolent spirits into our home.”

“Don’t think the ghost likes us.” Jack joked.

I shushed him, “and don’t call them ghosts. Apparently it is insulting to them, you must call them spirits.”

Jack rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that evening.

Suddenly the flame from the large white candle flickered madly and doubled in height, then flickered once more.

“Bloody hell!” Whispered mum and Yvette in unison. Those two spent too much time together.

Jack sighed, “It’s just a draught from somewhere, chill out ladies.”

The flame rose higher and straighter looking like a thin blow torch. It wasn’t natural at all.

Jack stared at it, eyes wide, “Okay I take that back.”

I looked around the table at the frightened faces; I think someone’s he-re.” I sang at them trying to look as spooky as possible.

I addressed the spirit: “Hello, er, thanks for joining us, do you have a name?”

The candle flickered furiously back and forth.

“I don’t think it can quite answer that you dummy,” Teased Jack.

Argh! Men! They are always quick to show you up.

“Okay then, I’ll try again.” I said between gritted teeth, giving Jack a dirty look. “For all yes answers could you please make the flame higher and for a negative answer could you lower the flame?”

The flame grew larger, reflecting an eerie glow onto the faces of all in the group. Mum gasped loudly, Yvette shuffled in her seat.

“I take that as a yes,” She squeaked.

“Thank you,” I told the spirit, or…. whatever it was, “Now, are you male?”

The flame dipped low as if it was trying to hide, sending the room into pitch dark.

“A lady?”

The flame went higher, bringing light back to the table. Everyone started to relax, getting more comfortable as the séance went on. It seemed quite fun so far.

“Are….sorry were you young when you died?” Asked Jack,

The flame stilled as if unsure how to answer.

“Were you under thirty?” Yvette queried.

The flame grew a good four inches in height.

“Under twenty?” Enquired mum.

The flame dipped low.

I smiled, hoping the spirit could see that I was friendly, “Ok so you were in your twenties when you died?”

The flame grew even taller then went back to usual size.

“Thank you very much. Next question-“

Jack started to stand up at this point but I pulled him back down squeezing his hand so that he couldn’t pull free.

“What are you doing?” I yelled at him, sounding just a little whiny.

“I need a drink.”

“Well it will have to wait; you can’t go breaking the circle!” I sighed as I continued, “Anyway, next question:  how did you die? Was it from natural causes?”

There was no movement at all from the flame this time. Jack squirmed uneasily in his seat.

“Murder?” He asked.

Once again the flame stayed still.

He sat back a little in his chair, “Oh thank God for that.”

Mum spoke up next, “Was it an accident?”

Nothing moved. Everything was silent except for the breath escaping from our mouths and the kitchen clock ticking repeatedly on the wall. The flame stayed still.

Yvette blew her long blonde hair away from her face.

“Suicide?” She asked.

At that the flame rose higher than it had before, higher than their heads, a tower of bright light against the darkness.

We girls jumped, Jack just stared up at the flame, a look of wonder on his face.

All was silent for a moment as they each thought of a next question.

I braved it first.

“Did you die in this house?”

The flame, which had shrunk back, grew a couple of inches.

“In the kitchen?”

It shrunk once again.

“The living room?”

It didn’t move.

“One of the bedrooms?” Mum asked.

The flame stayed tiny and dull.

“Where’s left?”

“What about the stairs?” Yvette chimed in.

The candle flickered a few times.

“The top of the stairs?” Asked Jack.

The candle grew in size once more.

All eyes looked toward the ceiling then at each other; worried expressions were on everyone’s features. I couldn’t see my own but I could guess that my face was a similar sight to all the others.

“I am never sleeping down here on my own again,” Yvette shivered.

“Mum smiled, “You can sleep in my room scaredy cat.”

I managed to laugh a little at that, albeit nervously, “And I’m never going to the bathroom in the middle of the night again, I’ll have to get a potty!”

Jack agreed, the others laughed.

I tried to collect myself up and calm my nerves. I shook my head, “Right okay, back to the séance then. Let’s see about a name.”

I continued speaking but to the spirit this time.

“Does your first name begin with an A?”

No movement from the candle.

“B? C?”

Still nothing.

“D?”

The flame went higher.

“Surname. A?”

Nothing.

“B.”

Nothing.

“C?”

Nothing moved.

“Okay, another D?”

Again the flame doubled in size.

“Okay, D and D?”

The candle flickered excitedly.

“We should call her ‘DD’ for short.” Suggested Yvette.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

I asked the spirit “Is that okay with you?”

The flame grew higher and more frantic.

“I think she likes it!” Mum laughed.

I sneezed suddenly, “Excuse me,” I sniffed, “Ok so we are talking to DD, a lady in her twenties who committed suicide at the top of the stairs in this house, is that correct?”

There was no movement from the flame.

“Hello?”

Everything was still.

“I think she’s gone Ell,” Jack said.

“Okay then, thank you for coming to us DD and thank you to the angels for protecting us during our séance, I am now cl-“

A rush of wind swooped around the table and a roar that sounded almost human, almost a word boomed over our heads. The candles went out. Jack cursed, every other person in the room screamed loudly then everything went quiet for a few minutes until I spoke next.

“Don’t let go of hands yet, I think I still need to end the séance,” I couldn’t make out any of the other’s faces in the pitch black but I continued anyway, “The séance is over, I am now closing the circle. Any spirits remaining, I demand that you leave this space.”

A sudden loud crash from the living room, followed by a sharp yelp from Troy, brought everyone to their feet. We girls waited silently while Jack felt around for the light switch. He found it and turned on the kitchen light. We all rushed through the door into the other room.

Once again the painting of the crying boy was on the floor. Troy, who was very frightened, belly crawled over to me.

I gripped Jack’s arm, Yvette held on to mum.

“I am definitely NOT sleeping down here!” She cried.