DISCLAIMER: See chapter one.
Chapter Three: The Séance
Nallie drove with the radio blaring out the car windows. The annoying DJ talked a bit after the song was over and introduced the next one he was going to play.
"Hey all you cats out there! Or should I say black cats! That's right, Halloween is only a week away and we're taking requests LIVE for the rest of the week! So call in to me, The Pak-man and tell me your favorite Halllllloween hit!"
Glaring at the radio, Nallie picked up her cell phone. She dialed it carefully. It rung and the DJ picked up.
"You're talking to The Pak-man! What's your name?"
"Natalie Spinott."
"Well, hey-a Natalie! What can I, The Pak-man, play for you?"
"You can shut the hell up! Halloween is a demented holiday so you can shove your stupid crap up YO-"
"Well! She's not a happy camper! Next caller-" Natalie hit the radio in anger. It sputtered and turned off. Anger coursed through her veins. She counted to ten and swerved off onto a side road.
The drive through the woods calmed her a bit. Red maple trees lining the road cast shadows and splotches of sunlight poured through. Before she knew it, the road ended and she pulled off onto another dirt road. Only God knew where she was.
Looking around bewildered, Nallie pulled onto the shoulder of the road. She carefully stepped out of her vehicle. Through the trees Nallie could see a large house off in the distance. She'd be able to find directions there.
After the short trek though the woods, Nallie arrived at the house. It was a large white manor with a large wrought iron gate surrounding it. The sailing ship weather vane atop the house stood eerily still. Off to the side of the house was an unkempt cemetery over-grown with flora. A small part of the cemetery consisted of small tombstones wishing farewells to pets of the past. Sitting on the edge of the roof was a large raven, glaring down at Nallie. She shivered.
Boldly, Nallie walked up to the large front doors. She beat the door knocker with little enthusiasm. The door creaked open with a young women peeking though the crack. She squealed and pulled the door all the way open.
This young woman was wearing a dainty pink and white dress and in her right hand was a pink parasol. Her brown hair was done up in a messy bun. Her pale complexion made her look sick.
"Wait one moment." She dashed out of Nallie's view for a moment, only to return with another young woman the same age. This young woman had black hair and was dressed in a fine red dress. It was this young woman that spoke next.
"Why hello. We were wondering when you'd be arriving."
"I was just…. Wait. Did you say you were expecting me?" Nallie looked back and forth and the ladies in bewilderment. The brown haired women nodded in delight. "But, I just-"
"Yes, yes. Now come in or else we'll be late for the séance." The black haired woman took Nallie's hand and pulled her into the house. A gaunt man strode towards them coming out of a nearby hallway. He had a noose loosely tied around his neck and there was a gleaming ax in his right hand.
"Ladies, we must make it up to Madame Leota in time if we do not want to make her angry." He gave a crooked smile.
"Of course, but see this young lady that we have here? She finally arrived." The gaunt man gave the black haired woman a look. She gave him a look back.
"Well, Madame Leota will be pleased to hear that. Come. We are headed to the séance circle." He beckoned Nallie with his free hand. The black haired women let go of Nallie's hand and the gaunt man took it into his. They led her along dark corridors in the house until they arrived in a lit room.
In the room sat a large round table with a throne-like chair seated at the head. The raven from the roof of the house sat on back of the chair, still glaring at Nallie. Seated around the table were a few others.
A round man in an upscale suit sans the trousers sat in one chair. In another chair sat a stately woman with red hair in an orange dress. A dignified man sat next to her in a suit with a blue bowtie. A portly woman with bright red hair and a bright pink dress took the last seat. This left four empty chairs not including the large chair at the head of the table.
Nallie, the gaunt man, the brown haired woman, and the black haired woman all sat in the empty chairs. Nallie was reluctant but the portly woman smiled happily at her, calming her nerves. These peculiar occupants of the table were making her tense. Just as she was calming down, the lights in the room went out and all the candles lit at once.
The large crystal ball on the center of the table glowed eerily. Nallie gazed at it anxiously waiting for something to happen. A well-built woman swooped into the room slamming the door shut, causing Nallie to jump out of her skin. She assumed the well-built woman was Madame Leota.
Madame Leota was imposing and her bangles clinked together with every move she made. She had every appearance of a medium.
"Who is it that joins the circle uninvited?" She said this out loud, towards the raven perched on her chair. It cawed menacingly. Mme Leota turned towards Nallie with interest.
"It's her Madame Leota." The gaunt man told her. Mme Leota's eyes gleamed slightly before she turned towards her chair. In one swoop, she sat gracefully down. She closed her eyes and started saying her incantations.
"Rap on a table; it's time to respond; Send us a message, from somewhere beyond!" The others at the table promptly closed their eyes and joined hands. Nallie conformed to the group. Mme Leota repeated this over and over. Nallie peeked up for a moment. The gaunt man squeezed her hand as if to tell her not to look. She closed her eyes shut again.
"Rap on a table; it's time to respond; Send us a message, from somewhere beyond! Who is it we shall call on?" Mme Leota directed this question towards the group. The group responded in chorus. Nallie didn't even realize she was talking too.
"Lock," was all they said. Mme Leota started chanting again.
"It's time to respond Lock; our reason is clear; Send us your message, let it appear!" Nallie looked up abruptly at the message Leota just sent. She tried to let go of her partner's hands, but they held on tight. Everyone at the table started chanting.
"It's time to respond Lock; our reason is clear; Send us your message, let it appear!"
Ripping her hands out of the others, Nallie dashed out of the room as quickly as possible. She ran through the house at top speed, making it outside and to her car in what seemed to be seconds. Nallie pulled her car door opened and drove in which ever direction took her away from the manor as fast as possible.
A/N: I can't say that I didn't enjoy writing this chapter. Yes, I know Leota is in the crystal ball, but it made much more sense to Nallie if she had a body.