I pulled Gramm’s old Ouija board from the closet. What better time to contact her? Tonight’s Halloween, when the veil between worlds is thinnest.
I convinced my boyfriend to help.
We created ambiance with candles and incense, and sat with the wooden board balanced between us. Our fingers rested expectantly on the heart-shaped plastic planchette.
Heart racing, I summoned Gramm.
The planchette replied, sliding from letter to letter, until horrified, I made sense of them.
I miss you, too, Julie. Join me.
An invisible cold hand clasped my wrist. As the air filled with Gramm’s perfume – Anaïs Anaïs – I screamed.
Since first sending my work out into the world in 2003, I have published well over one hundred fiction and non-fiction stories in a variety of Canadian and American magazines, including WHAT IF?, SUNDAY@SIX, THE CONQUEROR, MYSTERIES MAGAZINE, SPACEPORTS AND SPIDERSILK, HALLOWEENFOREVERMORE, and BEYOND CENTAURI. I am also a contributor to the recent anthologies DEATH AWAITS, IN SHAMBLES, SPOOKY HALLOWEEN DRABBLES 2014, SPECULATIVE VALENTINE DRABBLES 2015, and THE GRAYS. My previous drabble submission, “Guidance,” was recently accepted by THE WERE-TRAVELER. I spend most of my free time reading, writing, and doing research for current projects.
