Sitting in a protective circle

When I was a young girl I discovered my Grandmother was a witch. Not a witch in the sense of being crabby or rude, but a witch in the sense of intuition and all things dark and scary. I was digging around in her attic on a hot summer day, this was around the age of 12 or so... too old to believe that witches existed and too young to believe they didnt. On this day many many years ago, I found an old Ouiji board. It was dusty and old and immediately I was drawn to it, it really knowing what it was. I brought it downstairs and placed it on the table in front of my Grandmother. She looked at it and there appeared on her face an expression I had never seen before. She looked a little evil. She was a normal Grandma, one with thick glasses and gray hair and shewore all that polyester shit you know that neon stuff that looked like it would go up in flames if you threw a lit match her way. Until that moment I have always seen her as someone with a kind heart, lots of wisdom and advice and she made the best damn pound cake you ever tasted(she loaded it up with rum god it was tasty)but at this moment she looked different, dark scary and a little devilish.

She said "That's what I use to talk to all of our dead relatives." Holy shit I thought this woman is insane... here I am all alone with her in the house and this is a house out on a lake in the middle of the forest in Minnesota.. I didnt know a soul around and Grandpa was out on the boat fishing gone for hours. This put a whole new spin on things as I was there staying with them far far away from my home in California for Summer vacation. I said meekly "How does it work?" A strange smile came over her face kind of like I had opened the original pandora's box. She stood up and crosed the room and open a cupboard door on this black antique enameled case, reached in and took out a beautiful red satin jeweled case. She slowly opened it up and gently took out an object so foreign and odd. It was a little carved wooden triangle thing with tiny little carved feet on it. It was weird and I was strangely attracted to it. I reached to pick it up and she said "NOOO! dont touch it until it is ready to be touched." OMG this is too much. I sat there and watched her as she closed her eyes and placed both hands over this thing just hovering her hands over it about an inch above. She started humming this weird little tune and I got the feeling that even though her eyes were completely closed, she could still see me.

Shivers running down my spine I got up and left to get some water in the kitchen. When I came back she was sitting back at the table in front of the Ouiji Board (and I was only gone for a second so that woman flew over to the table like time had stood still)this time that thing that didnt want to be touched was right on top of the Ouiji Board resting right in the middle of it.

She looked up and said "Lets sit in a protected circle and talk to your Great Uncle Ernie and my Aunt Sadie." I sat next to her and as she instructed I placed my fingers lightly on the triangle thing just for a moment then drew my hands back on my lap(evidentally she said now it was ready to be touched)She placed her fingers lightly on the other side. She kept her eyes closed and told me to watch the board and say whatever the triangle thing spelled out. She kept her eyes closed and said "Ernie are you there, this is Thelma, please come to me" This thing started to move! I looked at ther and her eyes where closed and her fingertips were bearly touching this thing. It seemed to be moving on its own. I couldnt believe it. It slowly spelled out: H-E-L-L-O-S-I-S-T-E-R-R-O-S-E. I stopped and stood up. She opened her eyes and I said she said who is rose? A tightening in my chest and dizzy feeling crazy that all this was happening.. my dolls at home I called Sister Rose and Brother Thorn. I left them at home and never told her about this. How could she know that? I never told anyone that. She smiled a deep wicked smile and said "Now you will believe" that is all she said. She carefully put away the board and triangle and told me never to mention that again. She then seemed to return to her normal state of Grandmotherness.

It was years later after she died and Grandpa was long gone that we came across several boxes with my name on them. Mostly, they were filled with old painted china, old weathered pictures and a couple of tiffany lamps. I was in my own home now and had inherited all this stuff so I just put it in my attic.

This weekend is my big garage sale. I have to get ready for this whole big college thing so I went up to the attic and grabbed all the old boxes carefully opening and pricing all the old stuff I didnt want. There is one box I dont want to open and I know what is inside. I know it with all of my heart. I put it back up in the attic untouched unopened. I will leave it there ... maybe forever... maybe someday for my Grandaughter (just kidding)...and it still makes me feel like I am twelve. And yes I still believe....