The movie ended at around 10:30. Larry’s Mother ushered the four of us into the basement. She told us to get some sleep with a smile and a wink. She was well aware that the shenanigans of this sleepover would continue well after she went up the stairs, but didn’t seem to care. She was such a nice woman.
After about twenty minutes or so of aimless banter, we decided we would tell each other some ghost stories to liven things up. I had a really good one, but before I could speak, Ray exclaimed, “Oooh! I KNOW! Let’s do Bloody Mary!”
We were all in agreement except Larry. He objected but was quickly vetoed by the rest of us. We slowly slinked up the stairs and silently crept into the first floor bathroom.
“Are you sure you want to do this guys?” Larry asked sheepishly. “We could get in a lot of trouble if my Mom comes down.”
“Shut up. You know damn well she doesn’t care. Stop being a pussy,” Ray said with gusto.
“Don’t worry about it Larry. Shit isn’t going to work anyway,” I said confidently in an attempt to reassure him.
We turned off the lights and on the count of three spoke in concert.
“Bloody Mary!”
“Bloody Mary!”
“Bloody Mary!”
I stared intently into the mirror and didn’t see anything. Ray whispered, “oh my God. Do you see it?” His voice began to shake. “Right there. Don’t you see it?” I looked at where he was pointing. For a moment I thought I saw a figure begin to swirl in the reflection.
Suddenly an arm clasped onto my shoulder. Before I could react, I heard something resembling a whimper escape Larry’s lips as he fell to the floor. Ray laughed hysterically. I turned on the lights. Larry did not look the least bit amused.
“What the fuck, man?”
“Stop whining. Thomas didn’t freak out, and I grabbed his shoulder too. You’ve got to knock this shit off. Not having a father in your life has turned you into such a goddamn pussy.”
Ray had gone too far with that comment. Larry and I were extremely close, and since the divorce, our friendship had only grown stronger. I know that Ray was just being a hard ass, but I had grown very protective of Larry over the course of that year.
“Ray! Shut the fuck up! Now!” I inched towards him, and he wisely closed his mouth.
After everyone settled down, we retreated to the basement.
Jason was the first to speak.
“Have you guys heard about Agatha White?”
We all shook our heads no. He launched into the tale as if possessed no doubt repeating it verbatim from whatever source he had gleaned it.
“Agatha White started out life as a saint. They say her last name wasn’t given to her at birth but earned through her many good deeds. However, there is one thing that she would have traded her reputation and all of her Earthly possessions for. You see, all of her children died in childbirth. More than anything in the World, she wanted to be a Mother. This made her extremely jealous of every parent in the village. This hate festered over the years and followed her into her old age, driving her insane with rage and jealousy. Since God had not answered her prayers and left her barren, she aligned herself with Satan and became one of the most powerful witches ever. She was transformed by the dark forces she employed. Over time, she became more demon than human. Her face grew hideous. Her eyes shined with the light of Lucifer himself. It was said that one look at them was enough to drive a person mad. She called upon the Devil nightly to curse all of the parents of the village. When they approached her hovel in the woods to burn her at the stake, she had already hanged herself. When they found her body swaying in the breeze, mercifully her eyes were closed, but her gnarled, green toenails scratched upon the floorboards of her dilapidated house. Reports of the scratching sound continued throughout the village coupled with sightings of her ghost. This was followed by the suicide of every parent in the village, proving that the grave was not enough to contain an evil such as hers.”
