Closed We Make Our Ghosts Speak

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan would never admit it but he was a little scared about what might happen. The plan had fallen into place rather quickly. A little too quickly and he hadn't had much time to mentally prepare. It all started with the ouija board he had gotten over the break and decided to bring to school. There were plenty of visible ghosts around school but he was curious to see if there were ones they couldn't see. Surely there were more in a place this old. But then Weston had seen him fiddling with it in the common room and proposed an idea he couldn't deny. The older boy had seen the eel. The actual eel in the lake. While Ethan had seethed with jealous, his curiosity got the better of him when he mentioned the theory about it eating people. If they could summon a ghost by the lake that had been eaten by the eel, that would be all the proof they needed. And if the eel decided to make an appearance while they were out there, Ethan wouldn't complain. He kicked a few of the larger rocks out of the way before setting down a small blanket for them to set up their tools. Ethan sat down and took a deep breath as he opened the box to the ouija board. "Are you sure about this?" he asked and did the best to keep any worry out of his voice. He was trying to be brave and not seem like a scared second year but he wasn't sure if he was doing a very good job of it.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston was so excited for this. The plan, as far as he was concerned, was absolutely flawless, and he was a little annoyed he hadn't thought of it earlier. What better way to prove that the man-eating eels existed than to summon the ghosts of some of their past victims? Maybe then people would finally believe him when he told them a giant eel had once tried to kill him. Weston only hoped that these ghosts would be talkative. He'd struck up conversations with the normal castle ghosts before, but they usually got touchy when it came to questions about their deaths.

"Yeah, totally," Weston said confidently, taking a seat opposite Ethan. He pulled out all his normal eel-watching tools — his omnioculars, a waterproof notebook, a magical quill — as the other boy started to set up the ouija board. "Think of all the ghosts that must be swimming down there. We'll finally be able to talk to them," he said brightly. After all, it wasn't like they could go down there and talk to them face-to-face. The whole lack of oxygen problem aside, Weston didn't want to risk getting attacked again. "Surely one of them knows about the eels or knows someone who was eaten." He paused and glanced down at the board. "Okay, so how do we do this? I've only ever seen this done in movies."

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan tried to focus on the task at hand and not think too hard about what kind of spirits might want to make their presence known. His stomach did a sickening turn when Weston mentioned ghosts swimming in the lake and he thought about wading into the water and it feeling thick slimy because of all the ghostly ectoplasm and he made a face. He eventually pushed past it and nodded along. Their theory was solid. They just needed to prove it. "Well, I've never really done this before." he admitted when Weston asked him how it worked. But he had read the instructions over and over. He had also read enough ghost stories and seen enough movies to have a good sense of how calling spirits should go. "But first we need to figure out who's going to talk to it and who's going to write stuff down." Ethan explained. They needed to stay focused incase any angry spirits showed up.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston was undeterred by the revelation that Ethan had never done this before. "Oh. Well I'm sure we'll figure it out," he said with a confident smile. "The movies always make it look easy." If movies and TV shows were to be believed, spirits were always jumping at the chance to talk the living, and he didn't see why the ghosts in the lake would be any different. After years of drifting underwater, they were probably lonely and bored. "I can take care of the writing," he said after a moment's hesitation. While Weston wanted to talk to the ghosts himself, he knew Indi would kill him if he failed to take notes on any eel victims' testimonies. It was important that they document everything if they wanted to get credit for proving the eels' existence. He opened his notebook to a blank page and jotted down the time and date in the corner. "Alright, I'm ready," he said, looking at Ethan expectantly, his quill poised above the page.

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan nodded in agreement as Weston said they would figure it out. Sure they would. "Yeah...it can't be that hard." he mumbled. He had seen plenty of movies over the years that involved talking to spirits. They did make it look easy. Although, in those movies something usually went wrong which made them good movies, but he didn't want to be in one of the now. Ethan wasn't sure if he had expected to be the one to take notes since he was younger and it was the less exciting job. But he was momentarily stunned as Weston volunteered for the job. "Right, ok." he choked after being frozen for a few seconds. He could handle this, right? He gave the older boy a curt nod when he said he was ready. He tentatively placed his hand on the planchette and tested it a few times like it might be hot or something. But Ethan took a deep breath and tried to focus. "Hello spirits." he started, his voice wobbly. "Uh, if anyone is here....please make yourself known." he continued, winging it so far but it didn't sound half bad to him at least.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston leaned forward a little as Ethan placed his hand on the planchette, not wanting to miss anything. "Louder," he urged as Ethan's voice wobbled. After all, they needed to be able to reach the ghosts that lurked at the bottom of the lake. His breath caught in his throat as he waited for a spirit to answer Ethan. It had been a fairly sunny day, but at that moment, a cloud passed overhead. Weston wasn't sure if he'd imagined the sudden chill that ran down his spine, but the shadow that the cloud cast over them was definitely not imaginary. "There's someone there!" he whispered excitedly, choosing to believe this was a sign and not a simple change in weather. "Ask them their name! No, ask them how they died!" He wasn't sure if that would be considered rude, but he was too excited to care.

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan paused for a moment and wiped his forehead with the back of one of his hands. He wasn't sure when he started sweating but his heart was racing now. He nodded when Weston told him to start talking louder but it felt like his neck was made of rubber and he couldn't quite control himself. The next thing he knew, he was shivering as a cloud came along and blocked the sun. Ethan jumped when Weston exclaimed that there was a ghost. He hadn't felt the planchet move but he wasn't about to start asking the other boy any questions. His hands were a little full at the moment. But he nodded again and really tried to focus on all of his senses and to their surroundings. "If you're here, give us a sign and tell us how you died." he said clearer now but his slight sense of confidence was just for show. If he was being honest he was kind of freaking out.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston could still clearly remember the awe he'd felt seeing his first Hogwarts ghost. Over the years, the novelty had slowly worn off, but now all the excitement had returned. Maybe it was because they were dealing with a new type of spirit, a potentially invisible one. The ghost could be lurking anywhere. Weston was reluctant to look away from the board, but he chanced a glance away. They were alone, as far as he could tell. "Do you think it's invisible?" he whispered. "Or is it hiding somewhere?" No sooner had he finished his question than he heard a splash. Weston whipped his head around, but all he saw was water rippling across the lake's surface. There was no sign of eel or ghost. "Has the planchet moved?" he asked, turning back to Ethan.