It's a blustery night, with just a peek of a full moon behind thick, fast moving clouds.
Fatou has her sage and candles (you have enough time to gather your supplies so you don't need to spend a point for them) and Steve has his purloined Ouija board.
You sit down on the ground, directly above an untold number of animal bones. The wooden planchette resting lightly beneath your fingers.
What do you ask?
Is there anything else you want to look up in the library before you go to Mr. Eads' house?
Fatou looks at Steve expectantly. "Well? You are the one who says he's seen a ghost. Call out to him. Ask him a question. Focus too. If you are not careful, you will manifest one of your nightmares instead. I will make sure we follow the rules and close whatever doors we open- and I won't move the pointer."
"Wait, we're talking to the ghost boy I saw?" Steve asks, stifling a shiver, so as not to show his fear. "I thought it was just gonna be any old spirit. Or maybe the spirit of the dead guy. What would the ghost boy know about the fire anyway? Maybe some other ghost knows who killed Mr. Wilkins."
"I don't get it. Maybe this was the father, or uncle, of the boy we've seen, but why the clothes? Oh, I hope Mr. Eads can shed some light. Ready to go?"
Fatou shakes her head. "It is very dangerous to reach out to 'any old spirit'. If you do not call them to your mind specifically, who knows what your mind will call up instead. Maybe your deepest fears, non? You can call for Mr. Wilkins, if you prefer, but this boy has been appearing to you, so I think he would be eager to answer."
In truth, Fatou does not believe in spirits, only that Steve believed he saw one. She hopes whatever psychological trauma caused this delusion will come to light if she prompts Steve to give it a voice through the board.
Mr. George Eads lives not too far from the library and it’s only dusk by the time you arrive. He lives alone in a small split-level in a quiet neighborhood. He has a well manecured lawn and a picket fence. His door seems a bit out of place from the rest of his rather unassuming home. It’s solid metal and has several locks.
Looks like he's afraid of something? Holly says You wanna knock, or shall I?
"Umm... you read the instructions, right?" Steve says.
After much hesitation and reassurance, Steve finally plucks up the courage to place his hand on the planchette. "Are you here, boy?"
He shakes slightly while awaiting a response.
The pointer moves sharply, almost on its own.
"I'll do it."
Putting on her cutest smile and swallowing her own fear, Maggie knocks at the teacher's sturdy door.
"Mister Eads? Are you at home? It's Taylor and Elton!"
The door knocks louder than you’d expect it to. The door practically rings like a gong.
After a few moments Mr. Eads unlocks the multiple bolts but leaves the chain. He looks very different from how he looked when he taught science. His formerly trim mustache has been replaced by a bushy beard. He looks tired, deep bags under his bloodshot eyes. Through the crack in the door allowed by the chain, you can see he’s wearing a partially buttoned dress shirt, as though you interrupted him getting ready.
Yes? What is it?
"He's talking!" Steve says, startled. "Think of something else to ask him," he whispers to Fatou.
Meanwhile, he thinks quickly what he should ask the boy. He settles on asking him, "Why were you crying?"
We want to know about Calvin Kipp. Holly says And the circus, and Mr. Wilkins
He seems surprised. You could have been asking a lot of questions...but he clearly didn’t expect those specific ones.
Who? What circus? What about Thomas? He was my friend and what happened to him was a tragedy.
The pointer Moves again
You can just barely make out the faint image of the boy as he moves the pointer.
Playing along, Fatou chooses what should be a simple question. "What is your name?"
The planchette nearly leaps from your hand
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"Jesus, Holly, not so blunt."
"Sir, I'm sure you've heard about the fire at Mr. Wilkins', well, we thought it was no accident: since the circus came into town, we've seen a boy that was weird, like he was made of mist! And then, at the circus, we saw a map, with our driveway circled in red, just where Mr. Wilkins' home caught fire- or was burned down! Holly then found photos of that Kipp kid from several years ago, and he looked very similar to that mist boy. Ah, also I found cigarettes in Mister Wilkins' yard, but he didn't smoke, did he? Sir, are you in danger?"
Eads seems even more unsettled, but after a moment of consideration he unlatches the chain and lets you in, looking around as you enter.
You’d better come in and tell me what you know...
We know you were friends with Thomas Wilkins and Calvin Kipp She holds up the photo We know that Calvin mysteriously disappeared on , just after the circus came to town, and we were at the circus last night, and got curious, and we saw something that I think incriminates the circus in Mr. Wilkins' house burning down. Holly says
Mr. Eads, I think you might be the only person in town who knows anything about all this. And we need to know too.
Eads leads you both inside, locking the bolts behind you and directs you to his living room. His house is very dark, deep red carpet everywhere. The chairs in his living room are old and uncomfortable and he has a bowl of nuts in their shell on his table. His house smells weird in the way that all unfamiliar houses smell.
The planchette nearly leaps from your hand
Holly takes a seat, and her drawing pad, ready to take notes.
What do you know about all this, Mr Eads?
"See? I told you he was real," Steve whispers to Fatou triumphantly. "What else do we need to ask Marty?"
He gives Fatou an opportunity to think while he asks, "Why were you at the circus?"
Mr. Eads sighs. Its a...strange story. It feels almost crazy to say. Why don’t you tell me what you know first and I’ll fill in the blanks.
We know that, 30 years ago, the circus came to town, and afterward, Calvin Kipp went missing. we know that yesterday, the circus came to town,a nd afterwards, Mr. Wilkins' house burned down, with him in it. she says We know that you three were friends. We know that my friends keep seeing a spectral image of Calvin. Holly pauses for breath, and readies
Now what we need is more detail, to know what you know, in case they do other things... in case we're in danger
He sighs. You've seen Calvin? That's wonderful...we thought we were the only ones. You...you're right to suspect the circus. 30 years ago my best friend vanished. Everyone blamed the school groundskeeper, he even took his own life over it. But we knew the truth. We knew that the circus killed him and stole his ghost. They've clearly come back to eliminate the last witnesses. They killed Thomas and Dolores last night, they'll likely come for me before the circus leaves.
He pinches the bridge of his nose. You mentioned having evidence that the circus was involved? What is it? Did you bring it with you? That might be what I need to finally get...justice for Calvin.
Well, we only have ourselves, as witnesses Holly says, We went backstage, and we ran into a security guy who said there had been hurting, and the firebreather was "out sick" Holly uses air quotes But we saw him come back from something away from the circus, and when we got back to our neighborhood, Mr. Wilkins' house was on fire.
she pauses momentarily, then says Wait a minute, stole his ghost? and that security guy told us we shouldn't come back... there's more you're not telling us, isn't there?
He sighs a little. Relief maybe?
Yes...the circus is full of monsters and spirit hunters. They steal ghosts and use it to power their circus. He looks...almost embarrassed to be admitting this to children. The ringmaster is their leader. An evil demon. He feeds on the souls of children. You...you mentioned your other friends saw Calvin? Which friends, where are they now? If they have...the sight...they might be able to help us too. They'll have power against the circus, like you two do.
When it's her turn to ask a question, Fatou hesitates. "You do not have to answer if it is too hard, but how did you die?"
The pointer twitches and moves on its own.
"That's not good," Steve says with widened eyes. "Who choked you?"
Your first answer, why he was at the circus
The pointer waivers and the boy becomes more solid. He’s now as visible as he was when you saw him on the street. He frowns, his brow furrowed with concentration, like he’s using physical effort to remember. He moves the pointer hesitantly and gives an apologetic shrug.
"The mustache man choked him and he needs help? What are we supposed to do about that, Fatto? Hey, here he is right now!" Steve says when he sees the boy's apparition.
Maggie stares, wide-eyed, at the teacher. She'd expected disbelief, and instead he was talking about powers, and a sight?
"Oh, I dunno? Maybe Steve's home. What sort of powers are you speaking of? Who are these circus folks?"
Fatou has gone silent. Before, when he was just a feint image, she could excuse it as an effect of the smoke, the darkness, or being tired. Now he's totally solid, and very much not a symptom of Steve's insanity. What did Steve's parent's do for a living? Fatou shakes her head to dispel what she recognizes as stubborn skepticism verging on paranoia. This image was observable, and while she may not understand how, that and a thousand other questions are irrelevant in the face of what is being spelled out on the board. "Z-zut alors..." She catches herself before she pulls a hand from the planchette to reach out to touch the phantom boy.
There was only one thing for it. Prove the murder, and therefore prove ghosts exist.
Thinking ahead, Fatou ignores Steve and asks her next question. "You were trying to warn us. Thank you for trying so hard. What is easiest for you? To move stuff, flicker lights, make it cold? How will we know you need to tell us something in the future?"
Steve...Steve what? Anyone else? Anyone who has seen Calvin or who you’ve told. We need to get them all together. We can finally destroy that demon. He’s taken three of my friends from. I won’t let him hurt anyone else.
He stands suddenly. I need to go to the funeral now. Can you gather your friends, everyone who knows about Calvin? Meet me at the gorge tonight at midnight. We can finally end this!
He’s telling you everything he can, as well as he can.
He closes his eyes and Fatou’s porch light blinks on and off.
"Cool! A ghost boy's going to follow us around and turn lights on and off for us. I know some people I'd like to freak out like that if you have a chance..."
After a moment of thought, Steve stops daydreaming about pranks and continues, "You said you needed help. What did you mean that you needed?"
"What man? The moustache man? Hurt how- no, sorry, one at a time." Fatou's eyes flick up to Steven, and she mouths another 'sorry'. There was just so much new information she was getting ahead of herself. Marty was a ghost, for lack of a term carrying less contextual baggage, and Fatou had so many questions, an only a crude spirit board to work through. She was already getting frustrated.
He could affect electricity- cause a flicker, at least. She knew a few electronics books she could get her hands on. She wondered if she could find her old Speak and Spell...
The lights blink once about the mustache man question and Marty nods.
"But you didn't answer! Who are these people? What demon are you talking about?"
"Wait, Fatto," Steve says. "We wanted to know who killed Mr. Wilkins. Are we trying to find out how to help the boy or to figure out who burned Mr. Wilkins' house? Or both? I don't know what to ask him."
"The fire-breather killed Mr. Wilkins." Fatou says with sincere conviction. "His opportunity was the circus which he did not attend. His means was his skill at breathing fire. His motive for doing so was to get rid of witnesses to Marty's death. You asked what he wanted, and he said someone was hurting him, and that someone is the same person who killed him and probably told the firebreather to kill Mr. Wilkins. The only question left to us is 'why now'. So... Marty, do you know why they couldn't come get Mr. Wilkins before now?"
Mr. Eads sighs. It’ll be easier if I can explain all at once. Can you get your friends to the gorge tonight? Tell no one but the kids who have seen Calvin. The Ringmaster has ears everywhere!
Mr. Eads sighs. It’ll be easier if I can explain all at once. Can you get your friends to the gorge tonight? Tell no one but the kids who have seen Calvin. The Ringmaster has ears everywhere!
Marty shrugs, helplessly. He doesn’t seem to know the answer to Fatou’s question.