Recess Beckons

Everything was ready for the ritual. Kylie smashed up three slugs and Daniel stirred them together with the weird looking mushroom he found behind the tetherball court. The book also called for salt, worms of the earth and the blood of the enemy. Kylie and Daniel argued that we should use Jimmy Penley’s blood, because he skinned his knee at recess sliding into first base.

“He pulls Kylie’s hair everyday,” Daniel said. 

“And he blamed that stinker in math yesterday on Daniel,” Kylie said.

“You’re thinking too small,” I argued. “Maria made everyone at your playdate run away screaming from you.” Kylie’s cheeks darkened.

“And she told everyone that you pee the bed.”

“It was just that one time,” Daniel muttered. 

“If anyone’s our enemy she is,” I said.

“But she hasn’t done anything to you,” Kylie said.

“Well, unlike you two, I’m well-liked around here,” I said, grabbing the mixing spoon from Daniel. “I don’t have enemies.”

“I guess you’re kinda popular,” Kylie said. Daniel looked at the ground, punching at the dirt with his feet. 

“How do we get blood from Maria then?” he asked. 

“We’re gonna have to do it fast. The spell book clearly says we can only do the ritual one day before Halloween,” I said. 

“There’s only 20 minutes left of recess,” Kylie said, checking her glittery cat watch.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” I pulled Kylie and Daniel closer into a huddle. 

Minutes later Kylie and I walked arm in arm toward the swing set. Daniel walked behind us, his pockets filled with toilet paper.

“All you have to do is stand by the swings. Act like we’re just hanging out. I’ll do the actual pushing,” I said.

“Are you sure about this Brittany? She could get really hurt,” Kylie said.

“Come on! Don’t back out now. She can handle a little fall.”

“I don’t want to get in trouble,” Kylie said.

“Hey Maria!” I called out. “Here, let me give you a push.”

“No way are you pushing me. You’re too good for that. Here, get on this open one,” Maria said, pointing to an open swing on her left. “You can swing with me and Kylie can push both of us. Right Kylie?”

“Me?” Kylie asked.

“Ugh, duh I said Kylie right?” Maria said.

“Yeah, Kylie, give Maria a push,” I said.

“I don’t know ‒”

“Do it!” I yelled. Kylie could be such a goody two-shoes. 

Kylie walked behind Maria, dodging out of her way when the swing came back wildly. 

“Well I bet I can get higher than you,” I said, tossing my legs out in front of me, building my swing speed. I started going higher and higher. A cool wind raced all over my face. 

“See!” I yelled.

Maria huffed, pumping her legs forward and back; she couldn’t seem to get the height I could. “Kylie push me!”

“I’m trying,” Kylie flinched as Maria’s swing came back, almost knocking her over. 

“Come on!” I yelled, taunting Maria. “I’m so much higher than you!”

“Kylie!” Maria screamed. 

Kylie found her position and managed to touch Maria’s back on the next swing.

“You barely touched me!” Maria said.

Maria’s body came barreling back, and this time Kylie gave a mighty push sending Maria’s body high into the air. 

“Woo!” Maria screamed. “Again!”

Kylie gave a second powerful push. Maria started to laugh but the sound turned quickly into a scream. Her arms tangled in the swing’s chains and she flipped, falling hard from the seat and landing on the wood chips below. She immediately began to cry. Kylie ran toward her. “Are you okay?” she asked. 

I slowed my swing, using my feet to guide me down. “Oh my goodness! Maria, are you okay?” I turned to see Daniel close by and I beckoned him over.

“Wipe some of that blood up with the tissue,” I told him. 

“She looks really hurt,” He whispered. 

“Just do it!” My friends were turning into absolute babies. Had it not been Daniel who picked that spell book off the shelf in the library? And was it not Kylie who upon finding the chant to open the gates of hell had said we should give it a try? 

Mrs. Leary was running over to the swings. “Oh Maria, sweetie are you okay?”

Maria was crying, holding out her hands. They were bloody and speckled with dirt. It looked like a splinter or two may have punctured her skin from the wood chips.

“Quickly, before Mrs. Leary sees,” I pushed Daniel toward Maria. Daniel crouched down near Maria. He stood up a moment later, stuffing toilet paper into his pocket. Mrs. Leary fawned over Maria. She helped her up by her armpits and walked her off in the direction of the classrooms.

I grabbed Kylie’s watch and checked the time. 

“We still have five minutes. Let’s do this.” I walked away from the swing set and back toward our potion near the tetherball court. Kylie and Daniel walked slowly behind me. 

“I don’t think we should have done that,” Kylie said, her face streaked with tears.

“Come on Kylie. Maria deserves it. Think of everything she did to you.”

“Violence is never the answer,” Daniel added.

“Oh my God, violence Daniel really? All Kylie did was push her a little too hard on the swingset.”

“Hey, you were supposed to do it,” Kylie said. 

“Well the plan didn’t work out like that Kylie. But who cares?” I sat down next to our mixture. “Okay, hand me the blood.”

Daniel took the toilet paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. 

“Blood of the enemy,” I said, placing the tissue paper into the mixture and swirling it around. 

“Okay, now we have to do the chant.”

Kylie and Daniel stood off to the side, looking pointedly away from the pot.

“Come on guys, this is the moment we’ve prepared for.”

“I don’t want to do it anymore,” Kylie sniffed. 

“Me either,” Daniel said. They both crossed their arms and looked away.

“You’re really going to give up on something we’ve used every recess for all week? That’s five recesses guys,” I said. 

“Well I don’t like that you made me push her,” Kylie said. 

“It’s over now,” I said. “She’ll be fine.”

“I’m on Kylie’s side,” Daniel said.

“If you guys don’t do this with me right now, I’ll tell Ms. Leary that Kylie pushed her off the swing on purpose.”

“You wouldn’t!” Kylie said.

“You’re not nice,” Daniel said.

“Come on guys; just get over here already.”

Daniel waited for Kylie to make the decision. She stepped back toward the pot and he followed.

“Thank you,” I said. “Okay do you guys remember how it goes?”

“Yes,” Kylie said.

I opened the book so all of us could see it. “One, two, three,”

“Maaannnfffffaaaaapa, Maaannnfffffaaaaapa,” we chanted. “Bring us to the gate. Bring us to the opening. Maaannnfffffaaaaapa, Maaannnfffffaaaaapa. Bring us inside the gate. Bring us into the opening. One, two, three,” we all screamed and ran away from the pot.

I ran fast. I could hear Kylie screaming wildly. When I finally turned around, I was halfway back toward the classrooms. 

“Come back!” I heard Daniel yell. “Kylie and Brittany come back!” I ran back toward the pot. 

“Nothing happened,” Daniel pointed at the pot. 

“Did you stir the slugs counterclockwise three times?” I said to Daniel.

“Of course,” he scoffed. 

“And what about you? Did you even measure out the salt?”

“Yes,” Kylie said. “I brought the tablespoon from my mom’s kitchen.”

“Well one of you messed up. This was supposed to work.”

“Maybe you messed up,” Kylie was shaking. “Yeah, you added the worms. Did you cut them up into inch-long pieces?”

“Of course,” I rolled my eyes.

“Well I don’t believe you,” Daniel said. 

“You know what, Daniel,” Kylie said. “Maybe it’s not the worms. Maybe it’s the blood of the enemy. Maybe Maria’s not the enemy here.”

“What are you saying?” I asked. 

“I think she’s saying you’re the enemy, Brittany. You’re the one that made Kylie push Maria off the swing. You’re the one that’s been mean and bossy this whole time,” Daniel said.

“I’m the only one that really cared about this. You guys just pretended you wanted to open the gates of hell. The truth is you’re both scaredy cats.

“Let’s see about that,” Kylie said. She lunged toward me, pushing me into the ground.

“Hey!” I yelled. 

Daniel pinned me down. Kylie grabbed a rock and ground it into the delicate skin on my ankle.

“Ow!” I screamed.

“Do it harder,” Daniel said. Kylie hacked the rock deeper into my skin. Pain bloomed around my ankle and  a tear slipped down my cheek. The weight of Kylie’s body disappeared, but I stayed on the ground, not bothering to look at my ankle. I could feel it bleeding.

“Throw the whole rock in,” Daniel said. 

GLUNK 

“Oh my God, did it just get darker?” Kylie asked. 

I sat up. They were standing around the pot. I pressed the sleeve of my arm to my bleeding ankle. “Ouch.”

“Let’s chant again,” Kylie said.

“Maaannnfffffaaaaapa, Maaannnfffffaaaaapa. Bring us to the gate. Bring us to the opening. Maaannnfffffaaaaapa, Maaannnfffffaaaaapa. Bring us inside the gate. Bring us in the opening. One, two, three.”

Kylie and Daniel sprinted back from the pot, leaving me lying in the grass. I heard them screaming with laughter, their voices echoing back to me. 

“Just leave her,” Kylie said. “She left Maria.”

The end of recess bell rang out. I remained lying in the grass by the pot. Finally I stood up, thinking I probably needed a band aid before class. 

I turned to look at the pot once more, but it was gone. Kylie and Daniel must have taken it back with them. I knew they didn’t care about opening the gates of hell anyway. I was always more serious about it. I got up, brushing the grass off my clothes. I walked in the direction of the classes. Maybe I could have my mom schedule a playdate with Maria after school. It was clear Kylie and Daniel were big losers anyway. I trudged away through the grass.

In a stone wall behind the tetherball court, the earth shuddered revealing a gaping hole. In the opening, hell beckoned.