Return to Séance

Cold, damp, musty. A windowless trap of moldy bricks, held together by mortar made from ground human bones. That’s the kind of place Serenity expected a séance to take place. Instead, the sun filtered through sheer golden drapes like motes of fairy dust onto the plush green rug of Dr. Windsor’s office. The rug took up most of the small room, bordered by mismatched chairs with busy throw pillows, and the whole place hugged Serenity like a hand-sewn quilt.

There were two other women in the room besides the doctor and herself, who looked to be much worse off than Serenity. One had a pinched face and matted hair that reeked of neglect, and the other had a round face with weepy doe eyes. They all sat in a circle on the carpet, around a golden dish of water. Serenity frowned.

“Alright ladies.” Dr. Windsor quietly shut the door behind Serenity and returned to the circle. “Let’s get started.”

The woman with doe eyes sniffed, rubbed her wet cheeks, and asked, “Doctor, can I have a tissue?”

“Of course, Daisy. They’re on the desk.” Dr. Windsor indicated a desk opposite the door, next to the window. Daisy excused herself to blow her nose loudly behind Serenity.

“Dr. Windsor?” The woman with matted hair scratched her head, sniffed her fingers, and hid her hand behind her back. “How long will this take?”

Dr. Windsor was the epitome of peace. She calmly answered, “Great question, Maud. Each session runs about two hours. Today we’ll start with rules and protocol, then attempt a connection. Not everyone will succeed the first time but, if someone does, we might go a bit longer. Do you have time constraints?”

Maud’s elevens never left the space between her eyebrows. “I just need to be out by exactly five.”

Understanding settled over Dr. Windsor’s expression. “No problem, if you don’t mind being the first to start. Would that be okay?” Maud nodded. Serenity yawned.

Dr. Windsor waited for Daisy to get seated before beginning. The room was quiet other than the slow crinkle of the trash bag under Daisy’s tissue.

“Beneath this rug, I’ve drawn an array—a sort of shield to keep us safe. Until I say otherwise, please remain seated with hands on knees. Nod if you understand.” Everyone nodded. Serenity chewed her lip. This was the kind of warning her bladder wanted to test. You’re fine, she scolded it.

“You’ve all shared with me your stories,” Dr. Windsor looked at each of them as she spoke, “but this may not unfold the way you expect. Stay open-minded. I promise, your time here won’t be wasted.” Daisy sniffled and Maud scratched her head. Serenity bit back another yawn.

“I’d like to remind you all that intentions must remain pure and grounded in your current reality. We can ask, but we cannot demand. We can learn, but we cannot dictate. We can hope, but we cannot change that which has passed. To avoid backlash, we must not disrupt the planar equilibrium. I am your guide, here to aid your connections.”

“Planar… equilibrium?” Daisy’s eyes widened, her dark irises eclipsed by the reflection of the bright square window. Serenity was quietly glad she asked.

“Planar—” Dr. Windsor explained, “the planes of reality on which we exist. The folds in time, events, and perceptions. The onion that is reality within realities. Equilibrium: the balance that comes from their separation.”

She looked down at the golden dish. It sat on a glass coaster, the water undisturbed. She touched the surface lightly with her index finger, sending a small ripple across it, then ran her finger along the edge of the dish until a low hum sounded. Serenity watched, mouth slack, as the water rippled in reverse.

“Listen.” Dr. Windsor’s hands returned to her knees. Her legs were folded. Eyes closed.

The hum of the dish reverberated around them, bouncing off an invisible dome that encapsulated the sound of their breathing. Their heartbeats. Serenity’s palms began to sweat against her knees, and she heard Maud sniffing the air. She sniffed too, but all she could smell was—

“The water!” Daisy pointed, one hand covering her mouth.

The water in the dish was opaque. No reflection of the ceiling fan. No golden bottom. White as a cloud, and still as the dead.

Dr. Windsor opened her eyes. “We’ve reached the other side. Good.” She smiled at them. “Maud,” her gaze settled on the unkempt woman, “Who are we asking for?”

Maud’s eyes gleamed, her lips lifted from a pucker to a snarl. “Abigail. Abby. McLeod. I want to—I need to ask her something.” Dr. Windsor’s expression, usually placid, darkened. “Now, wait a second, Maud. Remember what I said about intention—”

Maud wasn’t listening. Her hands went from her knees to the edges of the dish, and she loomed over the bowl, mumbling feverishly. “Abby McLeod! Abby McLeod! SPEAK TO ME, ABBY!” Her fingers brushed the water and the hum went up in pitch, like static. Like tinnitus. A painful ring. “Where is Dan? WHERE IS HE, ABBY?”

“Maud! Maud, calm down!” Dr. Windsor scrambled to pull her back. Somehow, the dish remained rooted.

“WHERE IS MY HUSBAND, ABBY?” Maud screamed.

The water in the dish bubbled. No—boiled. Steam rolled off its surface.

Serenity looked to the window, still bright with daylight, as the room around them dimmed. A chill ran up her spine. Daisy whimpered.

Maud began to giggle hysterically, succumbing to Dr. Windsor’s grasp. She wailed, “You stole him from me! Give him back!” Sweat beaded her forehead, rolling down her sallow cheeks. Serenity’s own face dripped. It was getting hot.

The water turned red.

“Daisy, Serenity,” Dr. Windsor looked at the two of them sharply, “I need you to hold hands. Right now.” Daisy’s expression reflected the terror that Serenity felt, and she offered a clammy palm that Serenity grasped with some difficulty.

Maud’s eyes rolled back and she slumped, but Dr. Windsor wrapped an arm around her, pressing fingers to the pulsing vein on her neck. She reached out her other hand to Daisy. “We have to physically close the circle. The array isn’t strong enough for this amount of resentment.” Daisy took her hand without further explanation.

Dr. Windsor met Serenity’s eyes and Serenity swallowed, grimacing as she reached for Maud’s limp hand, creeping with deep blue veins. It was cold. Dry. Refreshing, in a cryogenic, bone-chilling sort of way.

Dr. Windsor closed her eyes and took a slow breath. She exhaled through rounded lips, pushing the steam from the surface of the red, roiling liquid. She did this until the ringing slowed, pulsed, and decreased a few decibels. Then she spoke: “Abby McLeod, let her go. Let Maud go. We will listen without judgement.”

Someone cackled, but Maud was unconscious. Daisy was frozen in fear.

“Hold tight everyone. Don’t let go. Keep your backs straight.” Dr. Windsor sounded winded, like she was walking uphill. Serenity’s bitten lips stung with blood.

Then, Maud gasped. Her breath rattled. Through her now-blue lips, a voice hissed:

“Judgement Day. It’s Judgement Day!

Hidden and shackled. Sequestered in fear.

Let him suffer! Let him pray!

He’ll pay for his sins on Judgement Day!”

Maud’s body jerked. Blue veins popped from her neck, spiderwebbing across her face. Her voice sounded strangled, forced from her throat, “You didn’t listen. Didn’t believe. Blind to blasphemy, you blamed it on me!”

The red water from the dish sprayed outward, splattering over all of them. Serenity watched that red water run down Maud’s face from her hairline, looking like a weeping head wound, and felt instantly nauseous. Daisy screamed, “Blood! It’s blood!” but Dr. Windsor tightened her grip, pulling Daisy forward, “It’s not. Daisy, it’s not blood. Calm yourself.” She flashed a stern look at Daisy before meeting Serenity’s eyes. “I am the guide. Trust me.”

Daisy gulped. Serenity wondered if it was also nausea she was choking down.

Dr. Windsor’s jaw was clenched, the muscles protruding, but her voice was calm and even. “The sins of another, redeemed by his lover. Revenge against one brought vengeance from the other. Abby McLeod, your grudge isn’t against Maud, but her husband. Her grief can’t shield her from this truth any longer. Another wrong won’t make this right. Let her go. Let her seek true justice. For both of you.”

Her words hung in the air, the word “you” turning to a whisper, dissipating with the tension in the room. The red water slowly started to clear.

Serenity felt Maud’s hand warm slightly in hers, and the blue veins that had crept across Maud’s skin began to fade. Maud’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked around, confusion replacing the earlier frenzy. Daisy let out a shaky breath, relief evident in her eyes. Serenity’s own heartbeat began to slow, the room’s oppressive heat easing as the equilibrium was restored.

“Maud,” Dr. Windsor let go of the woman but turned to face her seriously. “I know you need to be somewhere in half an hour. Shall I call a ride?” Maud shook her head, gaze lowered and eyes hollowed. “I can get back on my own.” She got up with difficulty, stretching a little before bidding a quiet goodbye to Dr. Windsor. She never addressed Serenity or Daisy.

Serenity sighed, feeling exhausted. She’d almost forgotten her own reason for coming here. Her brows furrowed, frustrated. Why was she forced to endure someone else’s unresolved trauma? She was too shaken to be angry, but too displeased to let it go.

Daisy, for her part, seemed to be less of a wilting flower than she seemed. In fact, her eyes were clear and her expression was pensive, not distressed.

“Dr. Windsor,” she addressed the doctor, “I don’t think I need to come next time. I think I understand what I need to do.” She clenched her fist around a new tissue she’d grabbed to dab away the water from earlier.

Dr. Windsor smiled at her, tired but warm. “That’s wonderful Daisy. However,” she turned to include Serenity, “I owe you both an apology for this experience. You both showed incredible strength today in the face of such a harrowing experience, and I am so proud of how you handled yourselves. I’m sorry that someone else’s negligence caused that unruly situation. ”

“Unruly?” Serenity snapped. Her tone made Daisy look over. “Unruly isn’t the half of it! Negligence, you say? I was holding hands with a murderer!”

Even though she didn’t know the full story, Abby was dead and possessed Maud talking about ‘Judgement Day’. Didn’t that mean Maud murdered Abby?

“Abby committed suicide. Before that, she hid the whereabouts of Maud’s husband. You need not worry about the outcome of all that, though I do understand and am sorry for your discomfort.”

Serenity sighed again, sapped of any fight. “So that’s it, then? Am I supposed to pay for a second session so that I can maybe get a chance at my own ‘connection’?” Dr. Windsor gave Serenity a soft look. “No, Serenity. You won’t pay for today.”

She walked over to her desk to pick up a card, then handed it to Serenity. It was identical to the one Serenity had found in one of her pockets yesterday. It was probably in her kitchen trash now, where it belonged. “No thanks. I already have one.”

“I insist. Please take it and call me tomorrow.” Serenity’s lips tightened into a firm line, but she grabbed the card and shoved it into one of her pants pockets. It is a pretty card, she admitted privately. Purple—her favorite color—and shining with stars. Pretty pictures, it seemed, got her into a lot of trouble.

She met Daisy’s gaze before the other woman looked away, as though she felt guilty for getting more out of the event than Serenity did. “It was nice to meet you, Serenity,” Daisy said, looking at the floor. “Thanks for holding my hand.” She looked up and gave Serenity a genuine smile, her eyes sparkling under long lashes.

“You too,” Serenity grumbled. She nodded to the doctor and left, closing the door on what seemed to be a debrief between Daisy and the doctor. Good for her, I guess.

The sun was bright when she stepped outside. “Ugh,” she complained, burdened by the oppressive heat of the afternoon sun. She looked at her phone: 2:00pm. Perfect, she had about an hour before…

She paused in the middle of the sidewalk, the iced latté she’d just bought melting in her hand. An hour before what? Where was I supposed to be?

There was nothing in her calendar, but when she reached in her pocket, there was an odd business card, decorated with holographic stars. When she called the number on the card, she reached the voicemail of someone called Dr. Windsor, offering otherworldly guidance to those who’d recently experienced loss.

Serenity grinned. Like… a séance? How interesting. Maybe she could finally solve the mystery of that hand-drawn treasure map she found when cleaning out her late grandmother’s attic. She smiled. Her grandma was long dead and the map was framed… but how cool would it be to try to contact her and ask about it?

Dr. Windsor returned Serenity’s call in the morning, offering her a spot in a group séance session that afternoon. As her coffee brewed, Serenity switched on the latest True Crime podcast.

“Breaking news!” One of the podcasters chirped excitedly. “This is a wild one, folks. Revenge, suicide, and voluntary institutionalization—!”

Apparently, a man who went missing for days was found naked and chained to a beam in the basement of his office building. He was missing an important appendage and surrounded by pictures of his apparent infidelity. His wife, hospitalized after a mental break due to the sudden suicide of her best friend, later came forward with a suicide note detailing that her friend—his victim, not his lover—tortured him and staged a public reveal before ending her life.

Serves him right, thought Serenity, glad she had never suffered anything worse than heartbreak. She sipped her coffee, thoughts drifting to vengeance, death, and her grandmother’s mysterious treasure map.