The girls often spent time together in the evenings, after school.
On this occasion they decided to have another go on the Ouija board. Previous attempts to call up people from the other side had been a waste of time. They only played with it this time because they were at a loose end. They set it up on the bedroom floor with each of them sitting cross-legged at either end. They each placed their fingertips lightly on the heart-shaped planchette and sat asking each other what they should search for when the thing began to move. It made its way gradually across the board and stopped at the letter B. They just sat staring at one another for a while, not quite believing what had happened.
“Did you do that?” said the girl.
“No, I swear, “said her friend.
“Thought not, shall we keep going?”
The moment her friend nodded they both felt the thing tugging at their fingers. It moved the short distance and came to rest on the E.
“B, E”, her friend whispered. “Be something or someone, maybe?”
It began moving again, this time it made its way to the V.
Her friend again, “Be valuable?’ Don’t think so.”
The other girl giggled nervously. “Probably not. Let’s just keep going, OK?”
“OK,” came the reply, and once more the planchette quivered then moved back to the A. It began to move immediately this time and the girl trying to scribble the letters down each time said, “Can we just pause at the next letter, I’m noting these down?”
“Sure, if it’ll let us. Look! It stopped at the L. It could be, Be valuable or something like it.”
“OK,” said the other, “I’ve made a note so far. That’s B, E, V, A, L. Beval? No, that’s the wrong spelling. Anyway, I’ve noticed something else.”
“What?”
“This thing stops when you take your fingers off.”
“Really? Good to know. Let’s keep going. I’ve seen the time. I have to go soon.”
“Right,” said the other and watched as four more letters were indicated, then, to their surprise, the thing sped quickly to the bottom of the board where it said, GOOD BYE.
They both sat back, feeling exhausted.
“Wow!” said the girl holding the paper. Reading it, she said, “B, E, V, A, L, D, E, R and S. That’s bevalders, and that doesn’t make sense.”
They both shrugged.
Her friend said, “I really must go,” and stood up, saying, “That was fun. Spooky, but fun.”
As they left the room the front doorbell sounded. The girl called to her mother, “My friend’s leaving now, mum. I’ll get it.”
A faint, “OK, dear,” came from the sitting room.
When they opened the door they found a young woman standing there. She was pale and terribly thin and wearing some sort of old fashioned pinafore.
“Hello,” she said. “I’m Beverly Alders, I believe you summoned me.”