The Slumber Party Chronicles

Introduction
As a girl, I personally spent a lot of my young life, especially my early teens, at my friends’ houses for sleepovers. I had a lot of fun times. I made great food, messes, and I scared the hell out of my friends with some ghost stories, but a few other things happened, too. A few strange things happened and I couldn’t really explain them easily, but since you’re here, I’ll share those experiences with you.

Amy
You hear so many stories about how dangerous Ouija boards are. I always used to make jokes about how Parker Brothers are masters of voodoo, but I fail to see the humor in such jokes anymore, at least after what happened at a sleepover I attended when I was fourteen years old.

Britney waited until midnight to begin our little game and the four of us, Sarah, Jessica, Britney and me, started to ask all kinds of silly questions.

The board looked strange. It was covered with letters and symbols. There was a plastic pointer that was supposed to move across the board at the behest of the spirits. The instruction booklet called it a planchette. Honestly, we just joked around with it for a while, making it spell out curse words sometimes and picking at each other for crushes, but then, something strange happened. Around 1:30 AM, the pointer suddenly froze in Britney’s hand. At first, we all thought she was kidding around and trying to scare us, but the rest of us couldn’t make it move either.

Britney’s blue eyes grew wide as she shifted her gaze to me. “I’m not doing it,” she said, drawing her hands away from the planchette. I took matters into my own hands and tried to push it as well, but it absolutely refused to move.

Suddenly, it felt as if electricity was jolted through my fingers. I gasped in surprise and tried to take my hands off the pointer, but they just wouldn’t come off. Britney and Sarah tried to get my fingers away from it, but to no result. My hands wouldn’t budge. It was as if I had no control over them anymore. Wide-eyed stares were locked on me all around and the planchette began to move, as if by its own will, beneath my paralyzed fingers.

“Help.” The planchette spelled out. “Help me. Help me.”

It kept spelling that four letter word over and over. We were all awestruck until Sarah managed to bravely shout forth, “Who are you?”

The answer was quick. “Amy.” The planchette then paused. “My name is Amy and I’m seven years old.”

“What’s wrong?” Britney asked. Her face had drained of all of its color. Her freckles stood out outlandishly against her pale skin.

“Water. Danger. Help. Scared.” Those words frantically were spelled out across the board. My hands had never moved that quickly in my lifetime and they haven’t since.

“Call 9-1-1!” Britney shouted. “Quick! Amy is in trouble!”

Jessica sprung up and dialed the phone, sounding almost hysterical once it was answered. A dial tone was heard. She was hung up on. A few tears tumbled down her cheeks. “They d-didn’t believe me,” she stammered, looking thoroughly defeated. I then realized I could remove my hand from the plastic piece.

“She’s gone…” I murmured.

“See if you can contact her again,” Britney cried, gripping my shoulder tightly. “We need to know if she’s alright!”

I nodded and placed my fingers back on the planchette. “Amy, are you there?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. I was nervous about what would happen next.

<p class="MsoNormal">After a long and awkward silence, it moved slowly across the board and spelled out words that I’ll never be able to forget. It said: “Too late.” Jessica let out a loud sob. The pointer started to move once more and spelled out a series of five words.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Water. Flood. Drowned. Mobile. Alabama.” After that, the planchette stopped moving.

<p class="MsoNormal">I knew that Amy had died. We all fell silent and hurriedly packed the board, planchette, and instruction booklet back in its box.

<p class="MsoNormal">None of us slept soundly that night. In the morning, we rushed through breakfast and me, out of curiosity, got on my laptop and read the news on a website about Alabama. None of us were too surprised about the flash floods the night before. A list of names and ages of those who died in the flood was posted, and on that list was one that was far too familiar...

<p class="MsoNormal">Amy Davis, age seven.

Bloody Mary
<p class="MsoNormal">Britney invited me and the rest of the gang over since she was going to move away, soon. When darkness fell, I saw mischief twinkling in her blue eyes as a little grin spread over her thin lips. I knew she was up to something. Out of the entire group, she had a reputation for causing trouble.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Damn it…” I mumbled under my breath. Sarah looked at me, lifting an eyebrow. Jessica, as always, remained clueless. I knew Britney was up to something. As if on cue, she spoke up.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So! You guys all know about Bloody Mary, right?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ugh. Not that stupid crap. You KNOW it doesn’t work.” One of the others said. I just stayed quiet, rolling out the dough for sugar cookies.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, if she isn’t REAL, then you wouldn’t mind summoning her, would you?” Britney goaded the two.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’ve gotta be out of your mind, what if she IS real?” Jessica whined.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Do you REALLY think this is a good idea?” I asked, risking my life by taking a bite of raw cookie dough.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Come on, what’s the worst that will happen?” Britney asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">I nonchalantly spoke. “We’ll all have our throats slit and our blood will paint the bathroom floor.” I pressed a cookie cutter into the dough and placed a heart-shaped cutout onto the pan.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica looked a little ill at what I said and Sarah just tried to calm her. “Oh, come on. She’s kidding.” She narrowed her eyes at me. She knew how much of a kick I got out of scaring Jessica out of her wits. After we all snacked on the cookies, Britney managed to taunt us all into doing it, but I had one thing to say.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Isn’t that Jessica’s line?” Britney teased. I swatted at her with my hairbrush and we all piled into the bathroom.

<p class="MsoNormal">The lights were turned off with the switch’s definitive click. Jessica’s fingers were curled so tightly around one of my arms I feared for my hand’s circulation. I did have the reputation of being the brave one.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Okay, now on the count of three!” Britney cheered. “3, 2, 1…”

<p class="MsoNormal">In a monotone chorus, we all spoke in unison. “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary…”

<p class="MsoNormal">We all paused. We saw nothing in the mirror. Sarah gloated for a moment. “I told you it didn’t work.” I didn’t tell anyone that she was gripping the other arm that Jessica wasn’t clinging to.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Whatever. Let’s go watch a movie,” the disappointed “summoner” sighed.

<p class="MsoNormal">I couldn’t help but feel that something wasn’t right, though. A faint chill ran down my spine, but in order to keep the others comfortable, I kept my mouth shut. We all left the bathroom and went towards Britney’s room to pile up on her bed and watch some animated movie that Jessica brought over. Then I noticed the large mirror in Britney’s room.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Shouldn’t we cover that?” I asked, shifting my glance to the mirror.

<p class="MsoNormal">“What, do you think Mary’s gonna getcha?” Britney teased. I just shook my head in negative response. “We all know she’s not real, anyway.”

<p class="MsoNormal">She turned out the lights as the movie started up, the mirror left uncovered. It made me feel uneasy. I kept swearing that someone was watching me, but I decided it was just my imagination. I leaned on Sarah, braiding her hair idly as I occasionally glanced at the screen, only to freeze. The power button of the television was pressing inward. The TV, our only source of light, turned off and the room was flooded with darkness.

<p class="MsoNormal">“That’s not funny, Britney!” Jessica shouted. Everyone else was sure someone pressed the power button on the remote, but none of us had it. Following the darkness was a chill in the air. I shuddered. Everything felt so cold.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I ca-can’t…” Britney stammered. She was known for trying to scare us, but this time, I was thoroughly scared. Jessica, being a very faithful Christian, started to pray. I just spoke up. Sarah was hiding under the covers.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I apologize for my friend’s stupidity. She won’t bother you again.”

<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not sure who made strangeness stop, but the chill left the room. I got up and flipped on the light. I then just looked at Britney, who had a look of wide-eyed terror on her face. A sense of pride filled me and I told her a few words that made me feel so gleefully smug.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I told you so.”

Erica
<p class="MsoNormal">After Britney moved away, Sarah and Jessica were both really bored one weekend, so Sarah decided we should have a sleepover. Bonnie, a newer addition to our little group, invited us over, and since I was interested in occult business since I was a little kid, she asked me if I could hold a séance. To be honest, I had no idea how to do it, but since she wanted to speak to her seventeen year old sister that had died a few months ago for closure, I decided I could try doing her a favor. I’d seen it in movies so many times. It couldn’t be that hard, could it?

<p class="MsoNormal">I remembered reading about some fraudulent psychics, and since I was unsure of my ability to summon a spirit, I took one of their tricks. I put rings on the little toes of both feet so I could tap against the legs of the table. We set candles around the table and all held hands, as seen on TV. We made sure that what was once Erica’s room was liberally scattered with votive, pillar, and tea light candles. I flipped off the light. I felt a little guilty because apparently, all of these girls thought I was fully capable of calling back Erica from the dead.

<p class="MsoNormal">After everyone was done giggling, I put on the most serious face I could.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Everyone, hold hands. We must form a connection to bring forth Erica.” We all grasped each other’s hands. They all were looking at each other, seeming frightened. I could feel the sweat on Bonnie’s palm, and judging by the expression of disgust on Sarah’s face, she felt it, too. So I linked my hand with one of Bonnie’s. Bonnie grasped Sarah’s hand, Sarah took one of Jessica’s, and her other hand linked fingers with mine. A snicker escaped and I shot an icy glare towards the culprit. It didn’t take long for the silence to kick in.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Erica, we call upon you and wish to speak to you. Your untimely death came too soon. Erica, are you with us? Give us a sign!”

<p class="MsoNormal">I clunked the ring on one toe on one leg of the table, causing a few astounded gasps to arise from the others. That smug feeling rose up within me again. Apparently, this idea was working. Bonnie’s eyes watered up. That feeling deflated quickly.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Erica, will you go to heaven?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“One means yes, two means no,” I said, as if instructing the “spirit”. I tapped the ring against the table once. I was aware that Erica had committed accidental suicide by drug overdose, but at this point, I just had to comfort her little sister. Bonnie, being a Christian, had a strong belief in heaven and hell.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Erica… I miss you,” tears were starting to streak down Bonnie’s face. That’s when things got a little too strange. The room was overtaken with a strange presence. It grew cold and the air felt thick and heavy. To this day, I think I did manage to bring forth Erica, though I really didn’t mean to. The candles all went out.

<p class="MsoNormal">I felt the circle break apart as Bonnie pulled her hand away from mine. She let out a startled gasp. “Was that you?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“N-no!” I stammered. The candles went out without explanation and the chill of the room increased.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Someone touched me!” Bonnie exclaimed.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sarah, stop it. It isn’t funny!” Jessica accused the girl next to her.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh my god, Jess! It wasn’t me!” Sarah sounded aggravated. By now, none of us were holding hands anymore. I struck a match, about to light one of the candles again, just telling everyone to be quiet. After all, they just might upset Erica. The match blew out, and I highly doubt anyone heard what I did.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Stop…” A single whisper in my ear demanded. I knew Erica for a short time, but I could’ve sworn it sounded like her, or perhaps it was only my guilty conscience. Whichever way, I just bossily spoke to Sarah, who sat across from me.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Turn on the light. The séance is over.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nobody questioned my so-called authority. The lights were turned on and everyone seemed to be relieved. Bonnie looked around the room with all of the blown out candles. “I wish I could’ve said goodbye.”

<p class="MsoNormal">My own eyes watered up and I stared to all of the others, “You probably won’t believe me, but… She told me to stop.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Though the lights were on, we were absolutely sure heard a somewhat muffled, rapping knock from within the closet. Everyone froze. Their eyes all turned to the direction. I stared to the closet.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Okay. Who’s going to open it?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">Bonnie stood up without hesitation. “I’ll do it. She was my sister.” She twisted the knob and let the closet come open. Nothing seemed to be inside. She pulled the string to illuminate it further and hanging from the string was the charm from a necklace that Erica received for Christmas one year. It was a present from Bonnie.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I thought she was buried wearing this…” Bonnie’s brown eyes shifted to me, then the other girls.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hey, we might all be a little spooky, but none of us are grave robbers,” Sarah said, just peeking to me, as if I did something wrong, then giving a suspicious glance to Jessica.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I didn’t do it, either,” Jessica murmured. It was easy to believe that. She was, after all, the most innocent and sheltered in the group.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I don’t even know where she’s buried, so you can’t blame me. And I wouldn’t want to pry jewelry off a dead body, you must be sick!” Sarah’s nose wrinkled some as she made a disgusted face.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, I guess you’re right...” We all looked in Bonnie’s direction to see her plucking the charm off the string.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m going to wear this… In loving memory of my sister, Erica.” Despite how I always tried to act like the tough one, I ended up bawling like a little baby after she said that.

<p class="MsoNormal">That wasn’t the end, though. After I held that séance, there was an occasional cold spot in the house. Things would mysteriously disappear, only to be found elsewhere. Sometimes, a cabinet would open and close, and every now and then, one of Erica’s favorite movies would show up on top of the television. I always expected Bonnie to be mad at me, because I’m starting to think I haunted her house, but she only thanked me.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Thank you for bringing Erica back. I missed her a lot!” There was no hint of sarcasm in her voice at all. Every day after that incident, I never saw Bonnie go anywhere without wearing that necklace.

<p class="MsoNormal">I never told anyone about the rings on my toes. I also never told them that I didn’t MEAN to bring a restless spirit into Bonnie’s house.

End
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s basically all of the strange stuff that happened with my friends and I. That didn’t mean that strange things stopped happening to me, but as I moved away, my friends and I grew apart. I’m sure none of us will ever forget the strange things that happen, no matter how much Jessica wishes she could.

<p class="MsoNormal">