short stories <33

Entrapment

Robin and Evalyn had been fans of the occult for as long as they had been friends. Horror movies, cryptid stories, you name it. Their most recent interest however, was ghosts. All of their interests came with stories and claims, but none had sound evidence. Ghosts were the closest anyone had gotten to solid claims, with all of the ‘ghost hunters’ and ‘mediums’, and media where people communed with the dead, but it was impossible to tell what had been faked for the purpose of entertainment, so the girls decided to take matters into their own hands. They needed proof, from someone they could trust. But what do you do when you can’t trust anyone? Simple, you do it yourself.
Getting the ouija board was easy. Finding a time and place to use it uninterrupted? Not so much. The little black box sat under Robin's bed for nearly a month before finally, Evalyns parents were away for the weekend, and offered for Robin to stay over and keep her company. It was the perfect option. Evalyn was an only child, and everyone in town knew that a girl their age had died in the very room Evalyn slept in. It was printed in every paper for weeks; “fifteen year old found stabbed to death in her home.” Tragedy never struck in small towns like theirs, where everyone knew everyone, so it was hard to believe that someone could do such a cruel thing. The murderer was never caught, and the girl was the only one to die. The case went cold, and the town moved on. Ghosts are more likely to show themselves if they have some unfulfilled purpose in the world, and even more so if their death was gruesome. This made Kylee Casey the perfect ghost for the two young and eager paranormal fans.
The candles were lit, the board was laid out on the wooden end table, and Robin sat on a pillow in front of it. Evalyn, who was sitting across from her, was starting to have doubts.
“I dunno Robin. I looked it up. People say some really messed up things have happened when they used these. I don’t want you to get hurt. There's gotta be something safer we can do, right?”
Evalyn looked anxiously around the room, but Robin stared, transfixed, at the planchette.
“Oh please Lyn, what’s gonna happen? For all we know there’s nothing even here. Besides, this is all we've got, when are we gonna get another chance like this?”
Robin put her hands on the planchette, laughing at Evalyn as she freaked out.
“If there is a spirit here, move to yes.”
The planchette drifted to the top of the board, stopping on yes.
“Okay Robin, that's not funny.”
Robin looked up, a mix of fear and curiosity on her face.
“Lyn, that wasn’t me.”
She tried to pick her hands up, but couldn't move them. They seemed to be stuck to the planchette, which also wouldn’t move.
“What is your name spirit?”
The planchette started to move over the letters, spelling out ‘Kylee’.
The girls had found their ghost, and now that she had a voice she was not letting go.
Evalyn reached out to pull Robin's hand away, but Robin shook her head.
“I think if you touch it she'll be able to control you too.”
The planchette started moving again, dragging Robin's hand with it. It spelt out ‘it hurts’, slowly picking up speed with every letter.
The ghost continued to spell out, repeating over and over asking for help. The candles started flickering. Evalyn tried to turn the lights on, but the power had been cut.
The flickering got more violent, and then the candles suddenly went out. The whole house was pitch black. There was a high pitched, inhuman screech. The lights came back on the second the scream stopped, and Robin was standing away from the ouija board with a grin on her face.
“Oh how wonderful freedom is. It feels like I’ve been trapped in this place for ages.”
Evalyn looked at her, confused.
“It's only been a few minutes. I know it was freaky but ages?”
Robin's smile grew wider, almost unnaturally.
“It's been years. I do appreciate the help. Being trapped in this house was exhausting. All I needed was a body to do my dirty work. I watched you grow up. I never would have imagined you'd hand me everything I need on a silver platter.”
It was obvious Robin was no longer there, and if she was, she was trapped.
“Thank you Evalyn. Now, if you don’t want to be a casualty, step out of the way.”
Evalyn stepped away, watching as Robin, or Kylee now, walked out the door.
Months later, Robin was caught and charged with first degree murder of a man in his 30s, who she swore was the murderer of Kylee Casey. She was declared clinically insane by a psychiatrist, but Evalyn knew the truth. Despite this knowledge, she could never say it. Who would ever believe her?