Florin knocked at the door before him. Minutes later,it opened and an old woman stood before him. She was tall and had her grey hair styled in a loose bun. A pair of wide spectacles shielded her grey eyes. She looked down at him and smiled.
"Well, hello there," she said. "You're quite a beautiful one."
Florin shifted the weight on one foot to another and he turned pink. He glanced to the side to avoid her gaze. The old woman's statement was direct and pleasant, if not soothing, but he felt uncomfortable with her using the word, beautiful.
"Good day ma'am, I'm looking for Kiba." He slowly looked up.
"Well, this is quite the surprise." The old lady raised an eyebrow, her smile widening." My Kiba has never had someone come to see her."
She glanced to her left and right, as if looking for an eavesdropper. Then she stared at him and winked.
"Much less a beauty like yourself."
"Nana!" Kiba's voice was heard from behind.
Florin looked behind the old woman and saw Kiba standing by the stairs with her arms folded. She had obviously heard the last of the woman's sentence.
"Kiba, this young man is here to see you." The old woman's eyes twinkled.
"Yes, he is." Kiba strolled casually towards the duo. "For a very important reason."
"Well, come on in." The old woman beckoned to Florin. He obliged and she closed the door.
"I'll be in the kitchen, in case you need me." She made her way to the kitchen.
Kiba sighed and looked at a flustered Florin. She didn't know how else to diffuse the obviously akward situation he was placed in. A moment of silence passed between the kids. Kiba then cleared her throat.
"You'll have to forgive my Nana," she said. "She can be quite a character."
"It's no problem." Florin stuck his hands into his pockets.
"Okay,follow me." Kiba made her way up the stairs. Straight to the point. Florin followed shortly.
The two arrived at the top where Florin noticed a narrow hallway with three rooms. They walked to the one on the last and Kiba looked cautiously around.
"Is something the matter?" Florin asked.
"I'm not really supposed to be in this room," she replied. "Nana would have a fit if she found out."
He tilted his head sideways. If that was the case, there was no point of bringing him there.
"But that doesn't mean I can't break the rules." She winked at him,her grey eyes twinkling with mischief from behind her glasses.
She opened the door slowly and the two kids entered. Inside was a dusty with tables and shelves filled with books.
"Was your Nana a bookworm?" Florin asked.
Kiba nodded. "And a marvellous one at that. There is something you should know. Some of the books are rather-"
She paused and looked at him straight in the eye.
"Spiritual," she said.
The way she said the word brought a chill to Florin. He swallowed a lump that formed in his throat.
She reached into the drawer and pulled out a large board. Florin recognised it immediately.
"Is that what I think it is?" he asked.
"Yes," Kiba replied. "An ouija board."
Stunned, he watched as she picked out a planchette from the drawer.
"My Nana used it in the past to communicate with my late grandfather." she said. "She missed him and couldn't get over his passing. After a long time, she stopped. She believed it was time to stop tampering with the spirit world. Nature just had to take it's course."
Florin stared at the object that he had only seen in movies. Movies that gave him nightmares for days. It looked so ordinary and harmless in reality. But he knew better.
"Are you sure it's safe?" he asked.
She stared at him plainly. He saw the bravery and confidence reflect in her eyes.
"Okay," he said. "I trust you."
His mind must have been playing tricks but he was sure he caught pink dust on her cheeks.
She placed the board between them and handed the planchette to him.
"Focus on your mind and bring your vision of the spirit here," she said.
"That's how it would work."
"Well, this must be a special kind of board." Florin replied.
He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. The vision of the terrifying face was hard to forget. His heart sped up and he shivered as the image flashed before his eyes.
There was a strong wind in the room.
"I think you've made a connection." Kiba said.
Florin opened his eyes.
"Hello," he said, scanning the room. "Are you here?"
The wind intensified and the planchette moved to the word,YES.
"Did I offend you?" Florin asked.
It shifted to the word, NO.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
It moved to the word, NO.
Florin stared at Kiba, helpless.
"Don't break the connection," she said.
"I'm sorry I stepped into your home," Florin said, shutting his eyes. "I didn't mean to do so. I heard about your story and I wanted to know what happened."
There was silence.
"Who are you?" Florin asked.
A longer silence. Florin stared at Kiba again. Her determined eyes told him to be patient.
The intensity of the wind dropped. The temperature of the room suddenly became lower, making the kids shiver a bit. The planchette began to move again and the kids stared in utter surprise at the response that was spelt.
MOTHER.
YOU ARE READING
I SEE YOU
Horor'Some dark secrets never stay hidden forever.' When Florin Meyer, a reserved kid, moves into a new home in a new neighbourhood, he struggles to adapt to his new surroundings and is further isolated when his parents barely have time for him. His only...
