The Planchette

Planchette

The day was beautiful as usual, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, calling their mates for a serious discussion, and much more. The squirrels ran out on the road teasing the dogs to catch them if they could while they were leashed by their significant family. There was a slight breeze to cool down our bodies. I was enjoying the very spring I was begging for after the long winter. My brother Karan, went to the mall with his friends, Mama was cooking snacks, and she was making a full-course desi meal. She was making pakore, kheer, and chutney. Dad was cleaning out the garage and soon the driveway and my older brother, Many was being a vampire, he was inside the house doing god knows what. I mean look at the weather. It was beautiful.

I was enjoying my afternoon, when I heard a noise and Max ran to the side door of the garage and started crying. "What's wrong Max" I got up and opened the side door to check out the noise, but I saw no one, Dad was nowhere to be seen, Probably talking to the neighbors, Max, restless, kicked the door, spilling the tools on the floor and barged inside to see the noise. "Max" I yelled, "Look what you have done!" I pushed Max outside the door, leading to the backyard, and picked up the spilled items, until a board caught my eye. It was not some ordinary game board, it was an Ouija Board. How the hell did this get in the garage? My first guess would be my little brother Karan. This type of shit would spark a 15-year-old interest. I mean why in the world would they mess with this? It's calling for trouble and I don't want any ghosts haunting the house. I picked up the board and threw it in the black garbage bag with all the other useless stuff Dad threw away while cleaning. I walked back to pick up the rest of the stuff when I saw the Planchette. I picked it up to throw it away until a thought crossed my mind, I mean it's not real and nothing will happen. Without a second thought, I raised the planchette and looked through the glass, at first I didn't see anything. I mean nothing, I knew this was fake. I looked all around the place and raised it to my neighbor's porch until I saw a figure standing. It looked like a girl, just staring out the porch, no wait she's staring at me. I waved at her, no response. She's probably shy, I called out to her "Hey", I guess she was the niece visiting. I called out to her again, "Hey, I have some old teddy bears, do you want them? She just looked at me. I saw a woman walking by from my peripheral vision staring at me weirdly. I ignored her and called out again. Until I heard my mom, "Shona, come on, food is ready, eat." "Alright I will be right there"

"What is that thing you are holding against your eye, throw that away and wash your hands"

"Mama, pass me those teddy bears, I am going to give them to the niece standing on the porch"

"What niece? there's no girl on the porch" What, I looked back and realized there was no one. Just then, Ramesh, our neighbor came out, I called out to him, "Hey, I just saw your niece, I have some teddy bears. They are in a good condition, does she want them?" Ramesh looked at me confusedly,

"I don't have any nieces, only nephews."

"But I just saw a girl standing on your porch"

Ramesh looked at me crazily, "Are you okay, there was no girl on the porch, if there was someone, I would've known."

Mama called out, "Come on Shona, and stop bothering the neighbor, Hello Ramesh." She waved at him and he waved back. I walked back and threw the planchette in the garbage bag. Washed my hands and walked out into the backyard, all this time, only one thought crossed my mind and it was the little girl.