Let Sleeping Mums Lie

The candle flickered to life, flame dancing like a drunk uncle at a wedding.

Ellie Thompson inhaled the smoke. She didn’t know whether candles were necessary, but they were always there in the movies. She lit the others, grabbed the wine from the fridge, and set a single glass on the table before killing the lights.

The room dimmed, lit only by fire, which reflected in the wine glass.

She sat, poured herself a drink, ignoring the slight shake of her hands. She took a sip – more of a gulp – then opened the carrier bag on the table.

Out slid the Ouija board, the box still wrapped in plastic.

Ellie had thought it would be an ancient wooden thing covered in dents and scratches. When she opened it up, the smell of a century’s worth of mystical incense would waft out. But no, she’d got this thing at a game shop.

A logo on the side read HASBRO.

Ellie peeled the cellophane off and opened the contents onto the table.

Instead of incense, there was the ever-pleasing aroma of a new board game. Inside were the board, a triangle-shaped planchette, and a booklet.

Ellie eyed the booklet for a moment. If this didn’t work, it wouldn’t be because she failed to follow the instructions. She doubted ghosts were that strict. Ellie shoved it back into the box and then unfolded the board.

The sun in one corner – ‘YES’ – and the moon in the other – ‘NO’. Two curved rows of letters, A to M, and beneath N to Z. Numbers 1 to 9, with 0 at the end. And beneath everything, an ominous ‘GOOD BYE’, split into two words, the old-fashioned way.

Ellie finished her glass and refilled it, her head buzzing already. Feeling a bit dumb, she placed her fingers on the piece that would spell things out. ‘If there are any spirits present, let yourselves be known.’

The candles wavered, sending shadows flickering around the room. In the background, the refrigerator hummed.

She took a swig of wine with her free hand. ‘Hello? Mum, are you there? Or are you ‘gone’ gone? I—’ She cleared her throat. ‘I miss you. I know our last conversation wasn’t great, but I—’

The planchette twitched beneath her fingers.

She gasped. Had that been a nervous twitch? Or had something moved the piece of plastic, like some Monopoly player from beyond the grave? She placed both hands on the piece. ‘Hello?’

The planchette lurched forward a millimetre, sideways a centimetre, then backwards an inch.

She couldn’t breathe. The séance was actually working. Ellie had reached out and someone – something? – had answered. ‘W-Who’s there?’

The planchette stirred, like a field mouse drunk on fermented summer fruits. It crawled to one letter. Then another. It picked up speed. Its jerky movements smoothed, and it became more confident.

MUM YOU IDIOT YOU CALLED ME WHY CALL THEN ASK WHO IS IT YOU WERE NEVER A SMART CHILD YOU TAKE AFTER YOUR FATHER

She gasped. Her heart spasmed. Having her hand used like this felt like being on a roller coaster. Albeit, one for only her upper limbs. ‘Mum? Is it really you?’

Ellie’s arms lurched this way and that as the letters spelt themselves out.

YES IM JUST AS SURPRISED AS YOU

YOU NEVER CALL

I SUPPOSED YOURE ASHAMED OF YOUR DEAR OLD MOTHER AFTER EVERYTHING I DID FOR YOU WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR IT DOESNT SUIT YOUR FACE YOU USED TO BE SO PRETTY

She frowned. Yes, that was her. Had dying and learning all the secrets of the afterlife not softened her? She fiddled with her bangs. ‘I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to— I mean, I had no idea this would actually work.’

ITS FINE DONT WORRY ABOUT YOUR DEAR OLD MOTHER IM FINE

She paused and licked her lips. She had a question she wanted answered. ‘Mum… where exactly are you?’

THIS CANT BE HEAVEN

BECAUSE YOUR AUNT LISA IS HERE

SHE WAS ALWAYS SUCH A GOSSIP

BUT IT CANT BE HELL

BECAUSE ITS BLOODY FREEZING ARE THEY AFRAID TO TURN THE HEATING ON BECAUSE OF THE PRICE STINGY BUGGERS

Huh. ‘So does that mean—’

The planchette scraped across the board before she could continue.

HOWS THAT BOYFRIEND OF YOURS I NEVER DID LIKE HIM MUMBLED A LOT

Stephen? She’d dated him for two weeks. Hardly a boyfriend. The last long-term relationship she’d had ended years ago. Mum knew that. ‘Oh, we – ah – broke up. Different interests.’

I SAW IT COMING

PROBABLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO PUTS A LITTLE EFFORT INTO THEIR APPEARANCE

HAVE YOU STARTED USING NIGHT CREAM YET

A small whine escaped her throat. Ouch. Ellie feared she was starting to look older. But she didn’t want to hear it coming out of her mother’s— Well, from her mum. ‘I moisturise after I shower,’ she said, feeling like a little girl again, on the back foot, always on the defensive.

WELL ITS NEVER TOO LATE TO START TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF IS THAT WINE JUST FOR YOU I ONLY SEE ONE GLASS HOW SHAMEFUL JUST LIKE YOUR GRAN GOD REST HER SOUL SHE HAD A PROBLEM TOO OF COURSE SHE HAD AN ACTUAL REASON GROWING UP BARELY MAKING ENDS MEET YOU GREW UP SPOILED I BLAME YOUR FATHER

‘No, I jus— I thought this whole Ouija board thing would work better if I— I mean if I was a little— I didn’t really believe—’

The planchette slithered around before she could finish.

AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING

MESSING AROUND WITH THIS VOODOO NONSENSE ANYWAY

I ALWAYS KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU

EVEN AS A BABY

A MOTHER CAN TELL

Her mouth opened in offence. Two minutes with her mum’s ghost and her heart rate was already skyrocketing. ‘There’s nothing wrong with me! And if it hadn’t been for this thing we wouldn’t even be talking!’

DONT TALK BACK TO ME

IM ONLY TRYING TO HELP YOU

ALWAYS WERE RUDE

YOU WERE EASIER WHEN YOU WERE QUIET

WHAT YOU NEED IS A MAN

AND A BABY

TOO MANY WOMEN THESE DAYS DONT HAVE BABIES

AND THEYRE ALL DEPRESSED

I DO WORRY ABOUT YOU

ITS A MOTHERS JOB TO WORRY

That bit beneath her left eye started to twitch. It hadn’t done that since—

Well, since Mum was alive.

Some things never changed. Including that tightness in Ellie’s chest and that pain below her ribs. She sighed. ‘Oh no, Mum, looks like the signal’s getting bad.’

WHAT SIGNAL

She blew out a candle. ‘Yeah, you’re getting hard to read.’

I HEAR YOU FINE PERHAPS YOU NEED READING GLASSES I ALWAYS TOLD YOUR FATHER HE NEEDED READING GLASSES BUT HE NEVER LISTENED UNTIL ONE DAY HE WENT TO THE OPTICI

She extinguished another candle. ‘No, it’s really getting tough.’

WHATS GOING O

She doused the final candle and sighed.

The planchette skidded to a stop.

She pulled her hands away, pinched the bridge of her nose, and closed her eyes, counting to ten. She opened her eyes and squinted at the planchette.

It remained still.

She nodded and downed her glass of wine in one go.

In life as in death, contact had been a mistake.