Dear diary,

Today was the last day of school, and unlike the previous year, I wasn't enjoying myself at the party. Although a lively ambiance was created from the decor and the music, I was in no mood to party with the others. Someone was missing from the crowd.

"Let's call Danny tonight!” The words were written in red ink on the note Kristie has just passed to me in class. I glanced back to the second row on my left where she was sitting. “Are you serious?” I mouthed with raised eyebrows, pointing to the note. She winked at me and gave me a mischievous smile. I knew what she was up to. For the rest of the period, I could not get myself to focus in class. All I could think of was the call we will make tonight. When the bell rang, Kristie pulled me up from my seat and hurried me to our lockers. “Come on, Liz is waiting for us", she said. I stopped in my tracks. Why were Kristie and Liz so anxious to get out of school? Kristie had planned for Liz and me to sleep over at her house this Friday because her parents would be away on a business trip and would not be back until Sunday. She had said that it would be like a slumber party, a gathering, nothing special. “Okay, we've planned the call without telling you before hand, but I know you're gonna go against it. Aren't you interested in finding out the answers. You know you can't get out of this. Liz has agreed to do it, too.", Kristie insisted. When we reached our lockers, Liz was no where to be seen. While we were waiting for Liz by our lockers, Kristie convinced me to play it one last time and listed out the questions she had wanted to ask Danny. We were so immersed in our conversation that we did not notice Sarah standing next to us.

Sarah was a transferred student who got into our school in the middle of the semester. She was a very shy girl and she never participated much in any class activity except when teachers called on her. Most of the time, I would see her eating by herself at the cafeteria or sitting alone in the library. Our school counselor had once said that she was recovering from a trauma that happened to her several months ago and asked us to befriend with her.

During our conversation, she peeped nervously at us from time to time and was startled when Kristie demanded what it was that she wanted from us. “I heard that you're trying to contact someone. I...umm...just be careful.", she mumbled. Both of us did not say a word, but we kept our eyes on her as she quickly put her books away in her locker and left. Kristie broke the silence by a laugh. “What does she know.", she concluded. “But Kristie, maybe...just maybe, she's right. We have to be...", I was interrupted by Liz who started talking about this cute dude in her class.

That conversation was left as that and we went to the mall and rented a movie before going to Kristie’s house. By the time we got home, it was nearly seven. We decided to order pizza and for the next three hours, we ate, watched a movie and gossiped about the latest events at school. It was not till later in the night that Kristie brought out a piece of paper, a pen and some candles. Silence surrounded us at this time of the night. Her neighbors had already gone to bed, so the only light remaining outside was the street lamp. It was the best time to play ouija board.

Kristie wrote the word“HOME" in the center of the page and enclosed it in a circle. She wrote the words“HELLO",“YES”and“TRUE" on the left and “GOODBYE",“NO”and“RIGHT" on the right. Numbers spanned across the top of the page and letters in alphabetical order at the bottom. When we saw some of our classmates playing ouija board at school, Kristie dragged us into it. I had to admit that I was quite intrigued by it at first, but after hearing the stories from school, I was hesitant to join her this time. "Mel, we'd played it so many times. Nothing had happened. You won't be possessed by the spirit if you keep your hand to the pen.", Kristie reassured me with exaggerated gesture. Kristie was a very persuasive person and after some nagging, we gathered around the table. Kristie switched off the light and lit the candles around us to add to the eerie mood. We held the pen with the tip of our fingers and placed it in the center of the paper where the word“HOME”was written. “Anatama, Anatama, Anatama", we said in unison and knocked on the table three times. “If you are Danny, please go to hello", we kept on chanting until the pen slowly moved to the word“HELLO". His response was fast this time. When one became friend with the spirit or had some connection with the other side, it was often easier to contact the spirit. He circled the word“HELLO”over and over again until we asked the next question. Although we had played it several times before, we were still amazed by the paranormal power. All of our eyes were glued to the pen. Its movement was free flowing and not jerky like someone was deliberately pushing the pen.

When we asked the spirit if he was Danny, the pen guided us to the word "YES". Danny remembered us. He even knew how to spell our name, circling each letter one after another. To test his accuracy and reliability, we began asking general questions, like the time and the date of today. Then, Kristie began asking her list of questions: among the three of us here, who is likely to get married first?, Is Justin the one for Liz?, Will I get back with my ex-boyfriend?. Perhaps, she was too eager to find out the answers to her questions, asking one after another without stopping. All of a sudden, the pen started moving in all direction. Lines slashed across the page. As the pen move in increasing speed, we got more and more frantic. He was mad at us because Kristie’s eagerness disrespected him. We looked at one another, without knowing what to do.

“Danny, are you mad at us?", I asked shakily. As I predicted, the pen moved to the word“YES". “We're really sorry. I know it wastes you a lot of energy to give us the answers. Please forgive us.", I pleaded. Liz glared at Kristie just as the pen moved to the word“NO”and then drew lines all over the page again. I kicked Liz's feet from under table to stop her from making a commotion with Kristie. There was no time for this, except to try to find ways to placate Danny. Our hands were already sore from holding up the pen for so long. “How will you forgive us?", I asked. This time when he answered, he did not circle the letters, but he wrote the word“HELP ME”at the bottom of the page. This spirit here wanted us to help him. I looked at Liz and I could see her lips trembling uncontrollably. The color drained from her face. Kristie's eyes were wide open. "Wh...Wh...What...", she stuttered, but before she could finish off her question, he wrote the word“car”next to“HELP ME". We knew he had died in a car accident a few years ago, but how can we help him? We were still thinking of what he meant when a gush of wind, which sent chill down our spine, blew past us. The candlelight flickered and the distorting silhouette of Kristie on the wall made me shudder.“H-o-w?", Liz managed to ask.

The pen circled the letter "S", then "U", and then "B", but before he could finish, Kristie yanked her hand back. Liz and I both gasped just as when the wind blew out the candlelight. Darkness. We could not see each other and had to feel our way around. “Liz, get the...” I stumbled over a chair. Liz got the switch and helped me get up when we heard a loud bang. The front door. We made a dash to the door, but it was already too late. A car screeched as it slid up the pavement and hit the lamppost. Kristie, with her head and limbs placed in a weird angle, laid lifelessly in the middle of the road. Danny had wanted a substitute and he got one now. Liz and I both stood there with our hands over our mouth, leaning to each other for support. It was the first time in my life that I felt helpless, like being in a maze all by myself with no one to turn to help me find my way out. Everything that went on afterwards just flashed by, but I remember neighbors in their pajamas walking out of their house. Someone across the street yelled to call for an ambulance and seconds later, the siren echoed in my ears. I remembered a group of people gathering around the scene. The policemen approached us and we found ourselves in the waiting room of a nearby hospital, shaking with fear.

At the party, Liz sat beside me the whole time. I supposed after what happened, we clung to each other more. I could tell from her swollen eyes that she must have cried the night before. Kristie's death was not an accident. At least, I don't think it is. In a way, the three of us hold some level of responsibility to it. We just never knew it would end up this way.

Sarah came by my classroom today and gave me a note with a quote printed on it. It said, “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life; it goes on.” Yes, we became friends after that night's event made the headline. Sarah told me that she had once played ouija board with her friends at her old school and had lost a friend, too. She had been so traumatized by the experience that she needed to seek psychological help. She had recovered now and life still goes on for her no matter what. So I guessed my life will go on as well, but one thing I'm sure is that memories of Kristie would forever be instilled in my mind. I just wish she could be here instead of up there, watching us from above. For the fifth time today, I flipped through the pages of my yearbook and pictures of us in our school dance, talent show and eighth grade field trip just put a smile on my face.

It's almost twelve now, so I better go to sleep. Maybe I'll see her tonight.

Until next time,
Me