The family sat in the dining room again, the two girls snuffling while their parents looked confused. Kimberly brought the planchette to the table. “I found this last night under Faith’s bed. It burned me.” She turned her hand over to reveal her angry red palm.
Ruth jumped to her feet. “Are you okay? How did that thing cause a burn—” She turned to look at the girls. “That looks like Faith’s burn. Rebecca! You told us it was from a curling iron.”
Rebecca buried her face in her hands.
Daniel gave the planchette a hard stare. “What exactly is that?”
Kimberly took a deep breath. “This is a planchette. It’s used in conjunction with a Ouija board.”
Ruth gaped. “You girls used a Ouija board?”
Still weepy and sniffling, the sisters nodded.
“You had one of those in our house?” Daniel asked, his voice low.
When the girls didn’t reply beyond frightened sobs, Kimberly spoke. “Apparently a friend brought it to Faith’s birthday party.”
“You girls know better than that,” Ruth said, her voice rising, eyes wild. “I just can’t believe—”
“I didn’t know she had it!” Faith cried. “It was in her bag! I didn’t know until she—”
Daniel interrupted. “And everything we’ve ever taught you about standing strong in the face of temptation went out the window?”
Rebecca spoke up. “Faith tried to say no. She knew it was a bad idea. She told everyone not to play. It was my fault. I pushed her. I was curious and thought it would be fun.”
Daniel’s dark countenance grew sterner, his eyes stormy with anger. “You actually played with this thing?”
The girls sobbed and nodded.
Sterling shifted in his seat. “If I could say something.”
Kimberly’s heart broke for the stricken girls, and she didn’t know how to help them. She nodded encouragement at Sterling and gestured for him to continue.
“We’re talking about cardboard and plastic. I don’t understand why everyone is so grim. This is like finding the spinner from the Game of Life under her bed or a hotel from Monopoly.”
“Sorry, no,” Daniel said. “A Ouija board is designed to channel spirits. Dabbling in the occult is dangerous. And you girls know better. We will discuss your punishment later.”
The girls seemed unable to form any response other than more tears.
Sterling shook his head. “Seriously? It’s a game. You’re going to punish them for playing a board game?”
“They will be punished for breaking the rules. This is a God-fearing house, and we don’t allow anything related to the occult in it.”
Sterling seemed unable to let it go. “Come on. Surely you can’t—”
Kimberly could see his approach would get them nowhere. “Thank you, Sterling. Let’s pause here and ask the girls to explain what happened that night.”
Rebecca and Faith stared at their folded hands, contrite and silent.
She used her most reassuring smile and tried again. “Girls, can you tell us what happened that night?”
Faith shook her head and gulped a breath. Rebecca shook her head.
She looked to Sterling.
He shrugged. “They’re terrified. They’ve been told they broke rules and sinned by playing a game.”
Daniel shifted his gaze. “Please don’t question how I run my household.”
Sterling tightened his lips, as if struggling not to say something. But then seemed to lose the battle. “You strike me as a smart man. I can’t see how—”
“I’m also a God-fearing man. I don’t expect an atheist like you to understand.”
“Atheist? I’m Catholic!”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “A Christian who doesn’t believe in spirits and demons?”
“I don’t believe in paranormal activity or the occult. And I don’t believe something from beyond the grave is making your daughter sick.”
“No offense, but I don’t see how you’re any help to us then.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m your best chance of help because I’m looking for real causes of illness rather than nonsense.”
“Religion isn’t nonsense,” Daniel insisted.
“I’m not saying it is! I’m saying I don’t think a ghost is making her sick.”
Negative energy levels bubbled higher, raising the psychic temperature in the room until Kimberly sweated as though fully clothed in a sauna. She raised her hands to calm them, flooding the space with soothing energy, but Michael shook his head slightly. He spun his hand at TJ and Stan to indicate they keep rolling. Only she realized the impact the arguing was making on the space around them. Exciting footage or not, she had to do something.
She continued to send positive energy into the room hoping to stem this heightened emotion and cool their tempers before it resulted in a meltdown. “Everyone, please calm down. The hostile presence feeds on this type of—”
Daniel jumped to his feet. “I’m sorry. I guess I missed the part about you being a medical doctor, Sterling. Where did you get your degree?”
A cabinet door slammed, but no one took notice. She spun toward the kitchen. No one was there. She caught TJ’s eye and motioned for him to shift to the other room.
“I received my doctorate in physics,” Sterling said. “From Stanford. What about you?”
“Physics? You do magic tricks.” Contempt dripped from Daniel’s words.
“You’re the one hoping for a miracle. You said you had your minister come over to pray. Do you truly believe his magic words will help your daughter?”
“Magic words? You’re the only one who uses magic words, magician.”
“No, I perform illusions that trick the mind. And that’s because I understand how things work. How people can be distracted and fooled into believing what someone wants them to believe.”
Kimberly sweltered in the oppressive heat generated by the anger the two men felt toward one another. She grasped her quartz and opened her sixth sense wide, releasing as much calming influence as she could generate.
The crowd outside grew louder, presumably agitated by something. The yelling took on a hostile edge.
She raised her voice. “Please, could we allow the girls to continue?”
Ruth joined her. “Yes, Daniel, please let Ms. Wantland talk with the girls. Rebecca, Faith, go ahead. We’re not going to punish you. We need to know what happened.”
Rebecca glanced at her father. Daniel scowled and took his seat.
“Dakota brought it,” Faith began.
“Big surprise.” Daniel rolled his eyes. “Do her parents even go to church?”
“Shush!” Ruth scowled at him. “Go on, Faith.”
“Parminder and Yumeko wanted to play too. I was scared but they all thought it was just a silly game.”
“Which it is,” Sterling said.
“Shush,” Kimberly admonished. If he wasn’t careful, he would work up Daniel again.
Rebecca finally spoke. “I mean, like Mr. Wakefield says, it’s just a game. The girls were, like, telling me it told Faith happy birthday, but, like, they all knew it was her birthday. I assumed they were pushing it.”
Sterling nodded. “Correct. That is how they work. The people playing subconsciously shift the pointer where they want it to go and answer the questions themselves.”
Rebecca shook her head frantically. “No. No, that’s not what happened. I thought so too, but it told us things no one in the room knew.”
Sterling gave her a gentle smile. “I know it feels real. But it’s a proven phenomenon. Known as the ‘ideomotor effect.’ People using a Ouija board truly don’t know they’re moving it. That’s why they think it’s caused by a spirit.”
“You don’t understand,” Rebecca told him. “I had one of Faith’s friends draw something on a piece of paper and hide it. No one else in the room knew what she drew. And the board spelled out star. Over and over again.”
Faith shuddered. “It’s true. The board would only talk to Rebecca and after it told us Parminder drew a star, it kept spelling Rebecca’s name. And then said he . . . wanted her.”
Daniel formed a fist and brought it down on the table. “I’ve heard enough of this.”
“He didn’t finish spelling that. We don’t know what he was going to spell.” Rebecca’s rebuttal sounded like she didn’t believe it herself.
“Dakota got upset when Rebecca let go of the planchette. She said operating the board by yourself releases the spirit into our world again.”
“Think about that, though,” Sterling said. “If you believe a spirit was moving it, wouldn’t the spirit have to be in our world to operate the board?”
“No,” Daniel answered. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. It was reaching across from the spirit realm, unable to do anything on its own without the assistance of a host inviting it to communicate. But if a spirit is released, if it crosses over to this world again, then it can act on its own. As we have witnessed. And this one has been molesting my wife and daughters.”
“That is the most ridiculous—”
She hastened to intervene. “Then what happened, Faith?”
The girl took a deep breath. “We all freaked out when it spelled out ‘star’ and didn’t want to play it anymore. But it started moving without anyone touching it. He spelled Rebecca’s name again and again and wouldn’t stop. Kept saying he wanted her. No one was touching it! I yelled at it to stop but it kept going. I didn’t know what to do so I grabbed the planchette to make it stop. But it kept going and my hands were stuck to it. I couldn’t let go.” She buried her face in her hands.
“What happened next?” Kimberly prompted. “It must have stopped.”
“It did finally,” Faith said. “The planchette sort of jumped out of my hands when I yelled at him to go away. I didn’t know where it went. And my hand hurt so badly we kinda forgot about it.”
“You keep saying he spoke to you. Why do you think the spirit was male?”
“He told us his name,” Rebecca whispered.
“Can you tell me?” Kimberly asked. “If we can figure out who he is, I might have a better chance of connecting with him and figuring out what he wants.”
“Don’t speak his name!” Daniel said. “Isn’t it clear what he wants? He told them. He wants my daughter. Not only Faith, the one he’s hurting, but also Rebecca, whom he seems to have perverse designs on.”
“But I need to know. It can help my investigation. If I can help resolve his unfinished business, I might be able to assist him in crossing over.”
“He doesn’t want to cross over, does he? He made a point of coming back.”
“Sometimes spirits are confused following their death. He may not realize he’s dead. Or he may know but have no idea what to do about it. Please. This is important.”
“Come on,” Sterling said. “What difference does it make if they say his name? Who cares?”
Daniel crossed his arms. “Speaking the name can give him power.”
“No, speaking his name will give Kimberly power over him. At least, that’s what she says and why not believe her theory?”
“Fine.” Daniel waved his hands in defeat. “Tell her, girls.”
Rebecca gulped. “He said his name is George.”
Ruth clutched her chest. “George? No. Oh, no. He’s real.”