The four girls giggled and squealed as they dragged the cardboard box out from under the bed and began assembling its contents.

“I stole this from my mom’s closet,” Alicia whispered. “She’d freak out if she knew we had this.”

“My mom says using this invites demons into your home. Why do mothers always have to overreact over the stupidest things?” Betty tossed her curls impatiently.

Jenna rolled her eyes dramatically. “Tell me about it. As if this game is a big deal.”

“It’s not a game,” the fourth girl Susan said in a mock spooky voice and they all erupted in another gale of giggles.

Then they lit the candles, turned off the lights, and sat in a circle around the board. A white planchette was placed in the center. They each placed a hand on the planchette and began.

Susan was the first to ask a question. “Is there a spirit present?”

At first the planchette was still. Then Alicia felt a perceptible chill, as if the temperature in the room suddenly dropped a few degrees. The planchette began to move.