Chapter Thirteen and a Half

Part Two

The phrase, “curiosity killed the cat” kept prancing in and out of my thoughts while I pondered my next action and I tried my best to not let it unnerve me and must admit that I was losing the battle quickly.  I hurriedly, as if unwillingly, clicked on the name and another page popped up with just the directions to Zenda’s.  At that point, I kept telling myself it was just an advertising gimmick to get people into the shop and that there was nothing to worry about.  That worked to calm me down except for the hairs standing up on the back of my neck and the goose bumps springing up along my arms.

I was about to close the page when this sentence, as if rising out of a cloud, slowly appeared:  “DO NOT HESITATE”.  I glanced down at the bill to see the same words in the message.  Coincidence or mystery?  I had no idea which and no idea what to do because I was beginning to feel this was real and way out of my league.  Yet, for unknown reasons, I felt compelled to do something.

It was still early so I printed out the directions, grabbed my jacket and pocketbook and headed off to Zenda’s; wondering all the way if there was going to be some practical joke awaiting me when I arrived.  Imagine the look on my face when I discovered that the shop was real.  It didn’t occur to me until some time later that when I parked alongside the curb, there was no one else around or, for that matter, any other traffic.  I was so caught up in my thoughts I hadn’t paid attention to my surroundings; a danger in and of itself.

I don’t know what I had expected when I opened the door and entered the shop, but no matter what it would have been, I definitely would not have envisioned it the way it was.  To the left was an old book shelf with one book and an Ouija board on it; in the center was a two-foot long counter and to the right, nothing at all.  The book, of course, was “How To Overcome Mysterious Powers and Improve Your Life”.

As soon as I picked the book up, an older lady came from ………now that I think of it, I’m not sure at all where she came from.  She reached out and lifted the items from my hands and said, “I’ve been expecting you.  That will be $5.00.”

Robotically, I reached into my pocketbook, took out the money and paid her.  As I was leaving the store, I could have sworn I heard her cackling but when I turned, she was gone.  My first reaction was to drop the bag and run to the car in the hopes of getting as far away as I could as fast as I could.  Instead, with great restraint and will power, I calmly walked away and got into my car and drove home.

Back at home, I set the Ouija Board on the coffee table and the book on my kitchen table and made a cup of strong tea.  Part of me still wanted to believe it was some elaborate prank, but somewhere inside, I had the sinking feeling that it was real and true.  Those thoughts didn’t help to quell my nerves any and, as much as I knew I was going to look up the chapter the message had instructed,  I had to give myself more time to muster the courage to do it.

Feeling confident I was ready, I opened the cover on the book and looked at the index. All the chapters appeared normal with the exception of chapter thirteen and a half.  Nothing else was listed on the page.  I found chapter thirteen and a half and proceeded to read the instructions:

“Set the Ouija Board in the middle of the floor and place the planchette (the heart-shaped piece) in the center space.  You will need a pen and paper to record the words you will receive.  Put your two hands together with thumbs overlapped and index fingers touching at the tips; while keeping them no less than six inches above the board move them over the planchette.  If they are positioned correctly, the board will begin to spell out each word, pausing after each word to allow you to write them down.  When the message is complete, the planchette will move to the center and stop.”

At this point, my curiosity was surely piqued and I had to find out what was going to happen if I followed the directions.  I set about moving the coffee table and made sure I had everything out of the way so I could set the board in the middle of the room.  That accomplished, I placed the planchette with the glass eye in the center space and took a deep breath.  The moment of truth had arrived.

In Native American or yoga style fashion, I sat in front of the board and took a deep breath.  Putting my hands together as had been described, I held them approximately six inches over the planchette.  At first, I thought I had them wrong because nothing happened, but then the planchette began to move until it hovered over the “Y”.

   (continued)

   Chelle Munroe©

   June 21, 2015