It was dark. It was a starless night. Tonight, Rosemary and her daughter would play their game with the spirits and ghosts. The game was their Ouija Board. They would ask the board a question, and by means of an indicator that moves across the board with your fingers on the edge of it, a spirit will reply by moving the indicator on the board to spell out the answer.
The first question was asked by Rosemary, as usual, because her daughter Sylvia was intensely superstitious. She believed that if she asked the first question she would be taunted with bad luck by the spirit. But, tonight Rosemary would change her daughter's mind about being second. She offered to take her for ice cream cone the following day if she volunteered to go first. For a seven year old, she had a creative imagination about everything, including the Board. She accepted. Her question was: "Will I have bad luck?" The pointer moved to the 25th letter in the alphabet, then it moved to the 5th letter and the word ended on 19th letter. Sylvia read the letters and realized what the spirit had written. The answer was: YES! Sylvia just sat there, as white as a ghost.
It was her mother's turn. Her question was: "Will I get the job at the school?" The pointer moved slowly to the 14th letter in the alphabet and then it moved to the 15th letter in the alphabet. After Rosemary read what spirit spelled out, she didn't want to play anymore. She put the board away in the cupboard as quick as you could bat an eye.
It was bedtime, and they made their way up the rickety stairs. Sylvia felt that something would happen. It would happen during the night. She was right. Soon, Sylvia heard the floor creaking in the hallway. It almost sounded like foot steps. Sylvia's imagination began to run wild. She was frightened. She imagined that the noise was a ghost that came from the world beyond to taunt her. She made herself stop. She was just hearing things. A visit to the bathroom to wash her face would fix everything. As soon as she turned on the light, she saw a man in the mirror. He was as black as death itself. She screamed a horrifying scream. Her mother came running to see what had happened. When Sylvia calmed down and could talk, she told her mother that she saw a man in the mirror. Her mother reassured her that there wasn't a haunting apparition in the mirror, or in her washroom.
The next morning she kept on seeing a man in a mirror wherever she went. Every time she had this vision, something would happen. Vases would fall off the table, or the pictures would fall off the walls.
One night Sylvia's mother had to go out to a meeting and she couldn't get a baby sitter for her. Sylvia felt she was old enough, and decided to stay by herself. Sylvia went up to her room. She tried to not look at the mirror, but a supernatural power commanded her to look. There she saw a dreadful face of a Ghost. He spoke to her. He said, "I will get you." Suddenly she let out a scream that could be heard from miles away.
The neighbours phoned 911. When the police arrived, they found Sylvia in her room on the floor, almost unconscious. They escorted Sylvia into the ambulance. Inside the ambulance, there was a mirror. She looked at it and let out another scream that sounded like someone had just been shot. The ambulance crew drove quickly to the emergency department.
In the hospital, there were many mirrors. Every time Sylvia saw a mirror, she kept screaming. Her mother arrived at the hospital soon after and talked to the head doctor. The doctor recommended an institute for children who have delusions. The next morning Sylvia was moved to the Alastans Institute. With therapy, she was cured in a short time. One dark starless night the dreaded ghost walked right out of the mirror, and out of Sylvia's life forever.
C.P., Grade Six
Upper Canada College Preparatory School
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