You've come this far

You take a deep breath and shrug at Matt before walking into the dark house. When your eyes slowly adjust to the shadowy interior you see that it's not as strange as you'd been expecting. The hallway you're in seems completely normal, a thick rug lies over wooden floorboards in front of you and at one side a staircase leads upwards into shadow. Despite the gloomy exterior the inside is a lot brighter, the walls are warm pastels and the wooden doors, floors and bannister make the whole place feel cozy, like a grandmothers cottage. Of the wooden doors only one is open, at the far end of the hall on the left, light and voices spilling out of it.

With Matt behind, a little too close behind as he's still nervous, you walk towards the light, the floorboards creaking slightly beneath your feet. Walking through the door you find yourself in a similarly normal kitchen, with a large oak table in the middle surrounded by chairs. Against one wall is a large old fashioned metal stove, atop which a kettle is whistling incessantly. The wall next to that is lined with cupboards with a sink in the middle below an open window, through which the morning sun floods the room. Sarah is leaning casually against the tabletop, chatting with the woman like she's been here a thousand times before. While they chatter the woman readies cups and saucers and takes the kettle off the heat to pour.

"Well come on then, don't just darken the doorway, sit down." She suddenly calls out to you and Matt, making you both jump again. Quickly you both take up seats at the table, jumping to action like you'd been ordered by a headmistress. Lazily Sarah sits down next to you, her leg brushing slightly against yours under the table. Once you're all seated the woman serves you all with a cup and saucer of tea and although you never drink the stuff her manner makes it clear that this is an offer that cannot be refused. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." The woman purrs at you and Mattas she takes her own seat at the head of the table. "I'm sure we have something important to discuss but first, please drink." When she says this she takes a sip of her own and Sarah brings her cup to her lips, complete with a stuck out pinky.

Despite having no taste for tea you don't want to be rude to such an accommodating host so you take a small sip yourself. You don't know enough about tastings or tea to describe its flavors in terms of fruits or spices but you know one thing. It's good. After you initial small sip you take another larger one, enjoying the warmth as it flows over your tongue and through your body. With a satisfied sigh you put your cup down again, almost in unison with everyone else. "Lovely as always Madame." Sarah tells the woman, putting her cup down. "Yeah it's great." "Really nice." You and Matt add, eager to say compliments of your own.

"Thank you." The woman replies, bowing her head slightly with a small look of pride on her face. "If I had known you were coming I would have prepared more than just a cup of tea but I am afraid that I wasn't expecting visitors." When she says this her eyes flick to Sarah for a moment, as if looking for an answer but you reply first. "I'm sorry miss..." You trail off, you still don't know this woman's name. "You can address me as Madame." She states matter-of-factly despite the absurdity of the request. You try not to show your confusion but the twitching of your eyebrow gives it away. "Yes, I am serious." She replies with a twinkle in her eye, like she simply read your mind. "Names have power, young man."

There's a moment of quiet as those words hang in the air and you suddenly realize with an unfamiliar worry that Sarah gave this woman your name. "She just doesn't want you to google her." Sarah whispers loudly, breaking the tension and making Madame smirk. "There are a few reasons." She laughs, giving permission for you and Matt to both laugh. "I'm sorry Madame." You say, starting up where you left off. "But it's kind of an emergency, we were playing with a Ouija board and..." The moment you say Ouija board Madame sighs loudly and turns to Sarah, her smile fading instantly.

"What did I teach you about playing with the dead?" She asks sternly. "How. You taught me how." Sarah replies, her eyes locked on her cup of tea. "I also taught you not to use anything stamped with a toy company label to do it." She spits, sounding almost exactly like a mother scolding her daughter. "Okay. I get it." Sarah snaps coldly, her lip quivering a little as she still refuses to look up. "I fucked up, it's all my fault. But you can lecture me later, we have a problem right now. My friend she..." Sarahs voice trails off and she looks like she might cry. Despite her earlier rebuke Madame still reaches out a hand and rests it on Sarahs shoulder, as if apologizing for her rash harshness.

Sarah is too upset to continue and, though you put an arm round her shoulders to comfort her, it may be a while before she's able to explain without her voice breaking. Although you're loathe to relive the nights events again you might have to speak instead.