Let's Make a Trade

Through the Looking Veil - namelessxauthor's Contest Entry

As soon as Marty heard what Alyson told him, he reluctantly went back to his previous spot. Seated between Jillian and Veronica.

"Now, the rules are pretty simple there are only three." Alyson started to say, "Number one you read the instructions carefully and make sure you memorize it well. Number two you pass it on to whoever it is in the next turn after you. Lastly number three, you do whatever the instruction says without any questions or hesitations." She smiled a sickly sweet kind of smile and looked around the room while looking at each and everyone of us dead straight in our eyes -as if to prove her point that this is a serious matter and she wasn't messing around with us.

Alyson rummaged through her messenger bag and pulled out an old looking brownish paper, in the room lit only by yellow candles it appeared as if the writing on the paper was written in dark red ink, that's pretty close to the shade of blood. "Now, since there are six of you and the equal number between genders," she said, "I'm going to pair you up to accelerate the process. Marty you're with Lilian over here, Jillian you're with Adam and Veronica you'll be working with Matthew."

None of the teens moved a muscle, none of them knew what to do. It's not like they're left with a lot of choices anyway. Alyson made it pretty clear when she told Marty earlier. So they either pull through with whatever it is Alyson had planned or they'll probably end up dead with or witout Marie. Alyson glared at them and gestured for them to pair up.

"Marty, since you're the one who's so willing to leave this place really soon, I'll say you and Lillian go first. How about that?" Marty's face paled a little at that, but he won't let Alyson get to him. He put on a brave face, scowled and snatched the parchment from Aly's hand.

He started reading it, together with Lillian. The parchment reads as follows:

Through the Looking Veil

One shall brought back Loved Ones from the Otherside

Nothing comes for free, there's always a price to pay

An eye for an eye, a hand for a hand, or in this case

A soul for a soul

The Trader, the one who wants to bring back their Loved Ones

Shall find another willing soul that's more or less

Has the same value as the one they're coming for

The Looking Veil will then determines whether it's worth The Trade

The Offer, the soul that's going to be traded for another soul from the Otherside

Will then proceeded to say out loud in front of The Looking Veil

As follows

"I [the offer's name] hereby declared my willingness to trade places with [the soul from the otherside's name] without any enforcement from anyone. May [the soul from the otherside's name] come forth and step into this world while I took his/her place on the otherside."

And then The Offer shall chant the soul's name repeatedly as many as three times

While turning around after done mentioning the soul's name each time until they've mentioned it three times

Chances will be better if the number of offers stands at three or any numbers that could be divided by three

The best number would be six, because there are 

Six points on a Star of David

Six orders of the Mishnah

Six symbolic foods placed on the Passover Seder Plate

May the force be with you

After Marty and Lillian were finished with the parchment. Both of them definitely looked so close to resembling the parchment in their hands if only it were white in color. "So, are you done with the instructions?" Inquired Alyson, both teens definitely wished right there and then -that they didn't get invited to this "party" had they known what Alyson had planned. No matter how popular Alyson might've been at school.

Both teens nodded solemnly and passed on the parchment to the next pair of teens in line, Matthew and Veronica. After all of them are done reading it, most of them had the same expression on their faces and the same uneasiness radiating off of them. Of course none would be willing to be an offering, especially after reading that parchment. It's obvious that this could count as an enforcement from a third party. But none of them were offered any other options. Either do this or join Marie on the other side.

"Now that each and everyone of you are done reading the instructions," Alyson cheered and clapped excitedly in the poorly lit room. Making it both creepier and more nerve-wracking given the circumstances. For a moment her face looked really close to the ones you're used to seeing in a horror flick, almost demonic. "Let the game begin!" She proclaimed a little too cheerful considering the "game" that's about to take place.

Marty and Lillian were up first, but after they've done exactly as the instructions say there's no sign whatsoever of an apparition. It means they're not worth the trade, the colors came rushing back to their faces immediately. Next up is Matthew and Veronica, Matthew went first but the same thing happened to Matthew. When it's Veronica's turn at her second chant, there's a glimpse of a ghastly looking orb. And on her last turn there's a figure of a girl taking form behind the looking veil.

Veronica almost passed out right there and then, but slowly the figure who the teens assume was Marie reached out her bloody hands towards Veronica and pulled her closer towards the looking veil until Veronica's almost touching the veil and the next thing the teens knew was that Veronica is no longer Veronica because the Veronica who isn't Veronica said, "My sweet, sweet baby sister Alyson. Oh how I've missed you so. It seems like I haven't seen you in ages." And smiled towards Alyson.