Steeplechase by Krissy Kneen Page B

looks at me warily.
    â€˜Will they let you do that?’ the girl asks and I shake my head.
    â€˜Nah, probably not. Shame.’
    â€˜Yeah, it is a shame,’ John says, ‘because that actually would be excellent. Dibs.’ I shake my head, a warning, and he winks.
    There is sharp ringing laughter, which sounds surprisingly like someone is clanging a dinner bell. When we turn to look there is a board spread out on the table. Letters of the alphabet fanning out along the circumference of a circle. The words No,Yes, Maybe and Re-phrase your question , mark the corners of the board outside the circle. It is a ouija board. I have never seen one before but I have read about them. There is a pentacle in the centre of the board and a triangle of what looks like stone but is probably plastic perched in the middle. I feel my neck tightening yet again. I lean over to John.
    â€˜Maybe we should go,’ I whisper and he turns to me with such startled wide-eyed despondency that I settle back down in my seat.
    â€˜We must all hold hands,’ Charles tells us. ‘Clear your minds of all scepticism. You lot will skew the results with your cynical little brains sending out bad magnetism.’
    There are a few nervous titters from the guests and I feel a small clammy palm slip into mine. I turn to see the pretty young pixie smiling shyly at me before giving her concentration over to the master of ceremonies. On the other side John squeezes my hand and I squeeze his back.
    â€˜You know I saw a ghost once.’ This from a young man with severe square glasses and a shaved head.
    â€˜That what happened to your hair, Stan?’
    Some laughter and Stan lets go of his neighbours’ hands briefly before Charles tuts at him and he reconnects the circle.
    â€˜You may laugh, but sometimes you just don’t know what you’re playing with when you call up the demons or what have you.’
    There is some laughter but they are shushed by the pixie girl.
    â€˜I agree,’ says Pixie, ‘although we should totally do this now and everything, but if you get an evil spirit it might be impossible to put him back in his bottle.’
    â€˜That’s a genie, douchebag.’
    â€˜ Paranormal Activity ,’ says someone else and a few people make an appreciative sound.
    â€˜That was so awesome. The first one.’
    â€˜Hideous.’
    â€˜Awesome.’
    â€˜ The Exorcist is pretty frightening still.’
    I shouldn’t have spoken. Three people splutter with laughter and another one shouts ‘Fuck me Jesus!’ and lets his eyes turn upward, revealing a big globe of milky white in each socket.
    â€˜No it’s not,’ John assures me and I know my cheeks are going red. ‘Well, not anymore. It’s interesting, but there are too many references in The Simpsons for us to be scared by it. I think it’s a generational thing.’
    My cheeks are blazing and I put my head down and try to creep my fingers out of John’s hand. He holds them tighter and presses his knee against mine.
    â€˜I didn’t mean anything by that,’ he whispers and I shake my head hoping that he will take the hint and stop talking at all.
    â€˜If you are there. Let us know,’ says Charles. He touches the stone lightly with his finger. Andy has another corner and the third is held by a short boy with a Scottish accent who I haven’t been introduced to.
    â€˜Did you feel anything?’ the Scotsman asks.
    â€˜On the ouija board?’ asks Andy, leering suggestively.
    â€˜Of course.’
    â€˜Ah, well no then, I didn’t feel anything,’ and there is a little laughter, more nervous this time.
    â€˜If you are with us. Give us a sign.’
    Silence now, I feel a tightness in my chest. Something is wrong. I am sick. It is a cramp perhaps, or maybe my heart. What if I were to have a heart attack in front of all of John’s friends? Old lady passes out at dinner