The Diary of Audrey Malone Frayer

By Jason Medina

When four friends get together to use a mystical Ouija board, they are astonished when they come into contact with the restless spirit of a teenage girl from New Jersey, who lived her life during the 1970s.

They soon find themselves wandering through the woods at night in search of her diary. However, once they begin to read it they are treated to an unexpected tale filled with unspeakable acts and heinous brutal crimes.

It becomes apparent that the restless soul of young Audrey Malone Frayer has unfinished business, which she needs tending to and it appears shes chosen them to help her.

In this second novel by Jason Medina, author of No Hope for the Hopeless at Kings Park, we are treated to a special story that ties an adolescent girls troubled times of the 1970s with the lives of four young people in the present, particularly the character named Jay, who feels especially attached to Audreys spirit. Somehow he forms a bond with her, while reading her diary, which takes control of him making him obsessed with trying to help her take care of her unfinished business. He feels like there is a connection between them that he cannot ignore, although the meaning of that connection remains a mystery to him. It begins to haunt him almost immediately from the moment he first made contact with her spirit.

Will he be able to figure out the connections between the past and the present in time, before it is too late? Someones life may very well depend upon it and it could be his own!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493169696

Jason Medina

Jason was born in April of 1971and raised in the Bronx, New York. He lived with his parents on the second floor of a three family house surrounded by family both upstairs and downstairs from him. Ever since he was a small child Jason always had an interest in telling stories. He wrote his very first comic book-style story at the age of five in his parents bedroom, while he watched television. It was the first of an ongoing science fiction story based on short hairy fictional creatures from another world. They were caught up in an intergalactic war against humans from Earth and another race of beings. Jason went on to do over ten comic stories based on these characters, drawing the pictures to go along with the story. He even won first prize in a book-making contest, while in the third grade.

Book preview

THE DIARY OF

AUDREY MALONE FRAYER

JASON MEDINA

Copyright © 2014 by Jason Medina.

ISBN:                     Softcover                           978-1-4931-6970-2

                               eBook                                978-1-4931-6969-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Originally handwritten from September 20, 1990-January 12, 1991. Re-written and typed in April of 2003 and revised from August 2008-October 2009, December 5-12, 2010, and on September 2, 2011 by Jason Medina of Tribal Publications, Inc., Yonkers, New York. Re-editing began on June 5, 2013 and ended by January 24, 2014.

Published by Xlibris.

TRIBE.

Rev. date: 03/06/2014

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

551073

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CHAPTER ONE   IT’S NOT A GAME

CHAPTER TWO   THE SEARCH FOR AUDREY’S DIARY

CHAPTER THREE   DINNER AT THE DINER

CHAPTER FOUR   AUDREY’S INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER FIVE   NEW YORK

CHAPTER SIX   THE SHACK

CHAPTER SEVEN   WITCHBOARD

CHAPTER EIGHT   A GIRL NAMED MARY

CHAPTER NINE   BROTHERLY LOVE

CHAPTER TEN   BACK TO SCHOOL

CHAPTER ELEVEN   CELIA

CHAPTER TWELVE   BETRAYED

CHAPTER THIRTEEN   GOODBYE, CELIA

CHAPTER FOURTEEN   HAUNTED

CHAPTER FIFTEEN   SISSY AND SALLY

CHAPTER SIXTEEN   YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN   MY CHRISTMAS VACATION

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN   THE END IS NEAR

CHAPTER NINETEEN   THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK

CHAPTER TWENTY   CLOSING REACTIONS

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE   A FINAL DILEMMA

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO   FINDING SISSY

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE   INCIDENT AT THE DINER

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR   DESTINY

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE   THE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX   ALL GOOD THINGS

ODE TO AUDREY

IN THE MIND OF A MADMAN

GRUESOME GRAVEYARD DISCOVERED IN WEST PATERSON!

DECADES OLD DEAD BODIES DISCOVERED NEAR RIVER!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

FOREWORD

Have you ever felt the uncontrollable urge to secretly read someone’s diary and learn all of his or her deepest and darkest secrets? Do you wonder what it would be like to know the innermost personal thoughts of a person’s mind? What are their fears? What are their desires? What motivates them to do the things they do?

Well, this is your chance to violate the privacy of an adolescent New Jersey girl from West Paterson named Audrey Malone Frayer. Did that grab your attention? I thought it would. Audrey’s life is not the life of the average ordinary teenage girl. No. It is something completely different from what you might expect. In fact, if you have high moral values you might want to put this book down and read the bible, instead. I’ll give you a fair warning now. This is a tale that will make your stomach turn. Keep in mind it is only fictional.

Audrey’s story takes place back in the mid-1970s, which in essence is a time not so long ago, but at the same time it was another era entirely from the way we live today. It was a time in Audrey’s life when her older brother, Jerry, was raising her.

She began her adolescence as an apparently normal girl. She went to school, had good grades, and even studied music. On the outside everything seemed fine, especially to an outside observer. However, certain events in her life caused her to change. She soon chose a path in life that no person should ever walk. What she didn’t realize is there would be consequences.

I invite you to see the world through her young naive jaded eyes and to feel her pain, as four curious young friends recover her hidden diary, after using their Ouija board to contact her spirit from beyond the grave. The dark secrets they soon discover will most certainly shock you.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I would like to thank my lovely young cousin, Tiffany Martinez, for her likeness in portraying Audrey Malone Frayer on the cover photo and in the sketch towards the end of this book. It was her likeness that I based Audrey’s appearance on throughout the story, although they are absolutely different people in every other way. Thanks, cuz. I love you.

Next, I’d like to give a special thanks to my other cousins, Jonathan Morales, Natasha Brockington, and Olivia Brockington, for those times we used the Ouija board together and also for allowing me to create characters based on them. Enjoy!

I must give thanks to my nephew, Chris Gonzalez, as well. We actually created the essence of the story together a long time ago. Of course, it has evolved greatly since that night back in September 20, 1990.

And last I want to thank my fiancée, Jo-Ann Santos, my parents, Waldemar and Mildred, and my friend, Dawn Legrow, for their input throughout the writing process. Thanks for always being there to assist me and for showing your support. I can never thank you guys enough.

Thanks to the staff at Xlibris for being patient with this second book and for making it a reality.

Jay’s living room grew intensely brighter, as the early morning daylight burst into the room’s three windows. It certainly made it a lot easier for him to read the diary. The mere light coming from the lamp on the small end table had become insignificant. He could see fine without it, so off it went.

His audience, Johnny and Natalie, both sat on opposite ends of the loveseat, listening to him read aloud from the diary. Many hours had passed and they were all exhausted, but still determined to hear the rest of Audrey’s diary. Sleep could wait until later, regardless of how long they had to wait, although they were relieved to know it wouldn’t be much longer.

Natalie’s younger sister, Liv, didn’t feel the same. She had fallen asleep for the hundredth time. Every so often she’d awaken long enough to catch up on what she missed, and then as if satisfied with her recap she would fall asleep, again. It seemed the story would have to go on without her.

Jay cleared his throat, which was dry from the constant reading. He longed for another glass of water, but didn’t wish to waste the time it would take to get it.

It had been such a very long unusual night. He thought about the events leading up to his reading of the diary. It began when his cousin, Johnny, came over in the afternoon. They picked up the girls, after it got dark and headed out to Woodland Park in search of the diary. Their trek through the dark woods was a small adventure for them. Once they finally found the old shack and gained entry, it was all too easy from then on.

He recalled the feeling of excitement he felt from holding the diary in his hands for the first time. It was almost like finding a buried treasure. It was a truly magical moment for him. He could hardly believe the spirit of a dead girl was responsible for guiding him there, but it was true. After using the Ouija board that’s pretty much what happened.

Now here he was reading her diary. Mind you, it was nothing like what he had expected it to be. That’s for sure! It seemed more like reading the confessions of a serial killer. There were so many murders committed. The things that took place in that house were unthinkable. What made matters worse was the fact that these events were being told by a young girl. It broke his heart.

He hoped somehow there would be a happy ending for Audrey, but knew that was impossible. She was dead. Who knew how the diary would end? Maybe he’d never know the true ending. The thought of not knowing what happened to Audrey perplexed him. He had to know.

He began to read the next entry.

CHAPTER ONE

IT’S NOT A GAME

I told you! I don’t want to play with that damned board anymore! You keep on acting like it’s a game, but one of these days you’ll be sorry! You’re going to conjure up some kind of demon or something and when you do, I don’t want to be around, said Liv angrily, as she sat at the dimly lit rectangular dining room table of her friend’s house.

Liv was a short slender pretty seventeen-year-old girl with long straight dark-colored hair and big brown eyes. She always had a curiosity for the supernatural despite how scared it sometimes made her feel. There was just something about it that attracted her to those kinds of things. However, this time around she had a bad feeling in her gut and needed to make it known before things went too far.

She and her older sister, Natalie, had arrived at the house a couple of hours earlier. The house belonged to their close friend, Jay. They often enjoyed spending time with him and his younger cousin, Johnny, since they had so many things in common with each other.

Sometimes they’d go out to the movie theater to see the latest horror movies. Other times they’d just sit around at Jay’s house and watch DVDs or play board games and video games. Watching horror movies together was by far their favorite activity, especially ghost stories.

Of course, they were not against watching a good comedy every once in a while, especially when the films starred their favorite comedic actors.

Liv definitely loved to laugh. That’s another reason why she enjoyed spending time with the boys. They were both funny guys, although it was mostly when they didn’t mean to be. True, Johnny liked to tell jokes every now and then, but they weren’t always funny. What was funny is when he or his cousin would do something so stupid that it would result in a funny situation, and it happened often.

That’s when Liv would crack up laughing.

One of the best times would have to be when they drove down to Six Flags Great Adventure for a day of fun and excitement. Instead, it turned out to be a disaster. First, Johnny lost his cellphone on one of the roller coasters. Getting it back was a big hassle, but watching Johnny’s frustration build up for about an hour was entertaining. He did a lot of stomping around and cursing.

Once he got his phone back the next thing that happened was even funnier. They took a break to eat, and then made the mistake of getting on the rides too soon. Johnny’s burger and nachos came back out of his mouth almost as fast as he swallowed them. He turned a nice shade of green and yellow, which made for some nice blackmail photos to remember the day.

At some point the girls got split up from the guys and were in a dead zone, so they couldn’t call each other. You’d think Liv and Natalie were lost in the jungles of Peru with the way Jay searched for them. It was sweet to know he cared so much.

By the end of the day, when they were heading back to the car, they got a big scare when Jay couldn’t find his car keys. He checked the ignition on the car right away thinking maybe he’d left them in the car, but they were not there. That’s when he began to freak out because he thought he’d lost them on one of the rides or while searching for the girls. Everyone panicked because throughout the course of the day they had gone all over the park and it was already dark out, which would make looking for them an extremely difficult task.

Luckily, by some miracle it wasn’t as bad as they originally thought. Natalie took another peek into the car using the light from her cellphone and noticed the keys had somehow fallen inside of the car, probably right before Jay got out of it. He had been distracted when they arrived earlier in the day because Liv and Natalie both had to use the bathroom desperately.

When Natalie informed him of her discovery, Jay jumped up and down cheering like a madman, until he eventually realized the keys were still locked in the car. Naturally, he blamed the girls for the next few minutes. In order to shut him up, Natalie went and found someone from the park staff, who was able to assist.

Liv had a good laugh about the whole incident, once the car door was finally opened. In fact, they all laughed about it on the way back home. Well, except for maybe Johnny, who still felt ill and wanted to get home fast, so he could use the bathroom. All in all, it was a fun day for the girls, despite the misfortunes of the guys.

Hanging out with her sister, Jay, and Johnny was unquestionably one of Liv’s favorite past times. However, this time around she was beginning to wish she were somewhere else because on this particular August summer evening they chose to play a very special board game.

It was a Friday night and rather cool outside. A game seemed more pleasing than doing anything else at the time. They had already eaten a large pizza pie with extra cheese, so they thought by playing a board game it would be a nice way to relax, while they digested their meal.

They were sorely mistaken because the game they chose to play was just a little too much for Liv to take, especially after her last experience with it. She was beginning to feel frightened.

Oh, come on, Liv! complained Johnny, who teased her. Stop being such a big baby! Why are you acting so touchy? Is it that time of the month or something?

The comment prompted a wicked look from Liv, but she chose not to reply to him, thus avoiding an argument. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

Johnny often had a way of getting on her nerves. He always knew the wrong things to say to her at the wrong times. In all of the ten years she’d known him he never ceased to disappoint her in this manner. Despite his good looks, athletic physique, and funny sense of humor, he simply had a knack for putting his foot in his mouth. This time was no different, but Liv’s sister quickly came to her defense.

Get off her back, Johnny! said Natalie, as she gave him a soft playful slap on the arm to scold him for teasing Liv. I should have expected her to act this way, especially after what happened the last time we used the board.

Liv glared at Natalie and shook her head, as if she were hinting at her not to tell the story she seemed ready to go into.

Natalie smirked and silently nodded in compliance to appease her sister.

In many ways Natalie resembled Liv, although her hair was shorter and darker. Her skin tone was also slightly darker than her sister’s. She was just as pretty, but not as petite. Her body was more shapely and voluptuous. She was also quite flirtatious, especially when it came to Johnny, and while they weren’t a couple, it was obvious they had romantic feelings for one another.

Johnny felt curious and asked, What’s the big deal? What happened the last time to get her panties in a bunch like this?

Johnny! Natalie exclaimed. Don’t be a jerk, she said, after slapping his arm, again.

He smiled charmingly and explained in a quiet perfectly calm voice, Come on, Nat. You know I can’t help myself sometimes. It’s in the genes. He shrugged helplessly at her.

Liv had turned her attention back towards Johnny and stared at him intensely with a mixed look of annoyance and concern. She rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth before standing up and storming away from the dining room table, where they all sat. She walked towards the darkened window, which faced the side of the house and stared outside into the darkness. She tried pointlessly to forget how upset she felt.

There was nothing to look at outside, except for an old oak tree and the typical white picket fence, which surrounded the yard and the sides of the house. It was nighttime and the darkness caused most of the background scenery of the neighborhood to fade into the shadows. The stars were scattered randomly across the partly cloudy sky and the moonlight caused a brilliantly chilling silhouette around the oak tree, giving Liv a slight shiver.

Johnny and Natalie gave each other impatient glances. They were both the same age, eighteen years old. While they always got along well with one another, they both knew there was very little hope getting through to Liv. She was just too stubborn to pay them any mind. Instead, they looked towards the other end of the table at Johnny’s older cousin, Jay, and watched for his reaction to her complaints. They hoped he could settle things, as he usually did.

Besides, it was his house and they were his guests. That made him responsible for keeping order in his home, while keeping his guests happy. At least, that’s how he saw it.

Jay was twenty-five years old, which made him the elder of the group. Ironically, he was often mistaken for being a few years younger than his actual age. It didn’t really bother him, since he wanted to be young forever. After all, who wants to get old?

He was tall with short jet-black hair, sideburns that would make Elvis Presley proud, and hazel colored eyes. He had a medium build and reasonably good looks, although at the moment he was in need of a shave as his facial hair gave him a look that went far beyond the common five o’clock shadow.

He worked at the local Barnes and Noble on Route 46, but was enjoying a well-needed two-week vacation, after his fairly recent break-up with his now ex-girlfriend, Nicole. He sometimes brought home books regarding the supernatural, which partly contributed to their break up. Nicole made it no secret how much she hated the subject, due to a strict religious upbringing. Therefore, arguments always seemed to erupt whenever the subject arose. Those arguments had eventually taken their toll on the relationship a month earlier, during the Fourth of July weekend.

They had originally made plans to go away together for his vacation, but instead Jay was at home spending it with his cousin and friends, Natalie and Liv. He didn’t mind. He enjoyed having them over his house, especially since they all shared an interest in the occult like him.

Incidentally, they never liked his girlfriend anyway and found her to be a bit of a bitch, although they never actually told him so.

Jay’s house was a two-story five-bedroom home situated in the suburbs of Little Falls in northern New Jersey. It had two full-sized bathrooms, a basement, an attic, a one-car garage, and a backyard. The living room was complete with a brick fireplace and three large windows, which faced the front lawn in a semi-circle shape. It was connected to the dining room, where everyone currently sat. The dining room led into the kitchen, which was at the rear of the house and had a door that led out to the backyard.

Two bedrooms were located on the first floor, although one had been converted into an office for Jay. Another two on the second floor were used as guest rooms. The master bedroom was also on the second floor along with one of the bathrooms, a walk-in closet, and a ladder leading up to the attic.

The house originally belonged to Jay’s parents, but he inherited it after they retired and moved down to Florida a couple of years back. They thought it would make a great place for him to start a family of his own. The mortgage was all paid up already, so he didn’t have to worry about making any large monthly payments. All he needed to do was a little redecorating, which he did, and then he had to find the right woman to settle down with, but that was easier said than done.

Natalie and Liv both lived on the same block only a few houses down from Jay, while Johnny lived several blocks away. Johnny sometimes stayed over Jay’s house utilizing a second floor guest room, especially during the summer months. It was his home away from home, as he called it.

He knew Natalie from grade school and introduced her and Liv to Jay five years earlier at a local barbecue. Johnny and Natalie met way back in the first grade and were the best of friends ever since. Jay knew the girls for only half the time as Johnny, but both girls got along great with him. They thought of him as a big brother and often went to him for advice.

Jay sat quietly taking notes on a small pad of paper, as if Liv’s actions didn’t even faze him. After he was done writing he looked up at the waiting eyes of his cousin and Natalie. The room was unusually silent. He let out a sigh and looked over at Liv, who stood near the window putting distance between her and the others. It seemed like it was time for him to work his magic.

He could see the worry in Liv’s pouting face, but he knew just how to quell the situation. He was always good at staying focused and maintaining control. It didn’t hurt that Liv looked up to him and valued his opinion immensely.

He said to her in a calm and soothing tone making his words sound as convincing as possible, You know, Liv, if you don’t want to do this anymore, it can’t hurt for you to at least take down the notes from what we get with this thing. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise. He paused, waiting for her to make eye contact with him and added, You won’t even have to touch the board anymore.

She turned away from the window and her pouting subsided. She tilted her head slightly almost like a puppy would do and smirked, as she considered what he said. He never let her down before. Why should this time be any different?

Natalie made a comment in an attempt to reassure her sister, Yeah! That’s a great idea, Liv! All you have to do is write the notes, while we play the game. Is that okay with you? Come on. Sit back down with us. Natalie patted the empty seat beside her and pleaded, "Please?"

Liv’s attitude changed abruptly. She rolled her eyes with a bothered look on her face and returned swiftly to the table with her eyes fixated on her sister. She leaned over the table and replied, "There you go, again… talking about playing a game when this is clearly not a game. This is real, Nat! You know it is!" Liv demanded, as if hinting to her sister about some dark secret only they shared.

You know what happened the last time we used that Ouija board, she said, as Natalie looked back at her guiltily, instantly recalling the incident in question. It was pretty scary. We both couldn’t sleep for a week and mom almost killed us. Not to mention our room stunk like smoke for days! Liv paused for a moment with an obvious look of regret on her face and added sadly and in a much calmer voice, I really liked that rug, before pouting, again.

She couldn’t help but remember the incident vividly. It happened a year ago, but it seemed like only yesterday. She was so scared then. She and her sister sat on the floor of their dark candlelit bedroom late one night using the Ouija board, which was given to them by an aunt for Christmas a year earlier. Their particular Ouija board was an average looking tan wooden board covered with two rows of large black printed letters of the alphabet aligned in an arched fashion. The numbers one through nine, plus zero, are lined up beneath the letters. Below the row of numbers, centered at the bottom of the board, are the words, good bye. In the upper left corner is a sun with a smiling face, while at the upper right corner is a small star and a half moon, which also had a face. The name "Ouija, taken from the word yes in both French and German, appears at the top of the board, centered between the words yes and no." Located at the two bottom corners of the board are shadowy depictions of people, who are using the board with what appears to be spirits hovering closely behind them.

It was Natalie, who asked the first question on that fateful night. Is there anyone out there in the spirit world, who wants to speak to us? Please, move this thing we are touching, she said referring to the white planchette on the board.

Right away her question prompted a swift response, as the planchette moved to the word yes and stopped.

Both girls became excited and perked up instantly.

Liv asked the next question, Who are we speaking to?

The planchette answered by moving from letter to letter at a fairly fast pace. It spelled out the name "R-E-D-F-O-O-T."

Liv crunched her nose and gave a curious stare to her sister, who smiled back at her immediately.

Are you a Native American? Natalie asked anxiously. "Yes," it said.

Natalie and Liv both grinned happily at each other, pleased to be speaking to a Native American spirit.

So are we, Natalie stated. Well, partly. Our mother is, so that makes us half Cherokee.

The planchette moved across the board and spelled out, "W-E . . .

A-R-E . . . T-A-P-P-A-N."

"We? Natalie asked, How many of you are here with us? It moved to the number 2."

Liv’s grin faded and she began to feel uneasy, as the conversation went on. One spirit was fine, she thought, but two made her feel very uncomfortable. Plus, her sister was speaking too naturally with the spirits, as if they were her friends. Whenever the spirits replied, the planchette slid too rapidly across the board. It almost felt to her as if her sister were faking it, in order to mess with her mind.

Finally, she said, I don’t believe you’re really here with us. Nothing happened. The planchette did not move.

I believe you’re here. I can feel you, said Natalie, but to satisfy her sister’s doubts she made a simple request, which turned out to be a big mistake. She said, My sister needs proof that you’re really here with us, so can you please give us some kind of a sign.

Liv wasn’t too sure it was a smart idea to ask for a sign, but it was too late to take it back. Now all they could do was wait in anticipation for something to happen. Thirty very long seconds went by without incident and Liv began to relax and breathe easier.

Suddenly, two of the four candles flared up brightly, and then were knocked over without anyone touching them. It started a small fire on their rug. Both girls leapt to their feet in a panic.

Luckily, they were able to put out the fire, before it got out of hand, although it didn’t stop them from screaming their heads off and waking up their parents in the process. A door opened in the hallway and two sets of footsteps could be heard approaching fast.

The girls quickly hid the board under their four-post bed and made up an excuse about the fire being caused when they accidentally kicked over the candles.

Needless to say, their parents were quite displeased with them and they were both grounded for a month. They didn’t use the Ouija board, again, until recently.

I know, Liv, but this is different, explained Natalie interrupting her sister’s memories. The last time we made the mistake of asking for a sign, so that’s exactly what they gave us when they knocked over the candles. We know better now. Besides, Jay and Johnny have been very careful not to say anything they shouldn’t say when using the board and this spirit seems to really like them. I think she’s a friendly one.

Oh, great… Casper the friendly freaking ghost! Liv exclaimed in a sarcastic voice, as she finally sat back down. Fine, I’ll do this, but I don’t like it, she said, as she reluctantly slid the pad away from Jay and moved it in front of her. She picked up the pen and waited impatiently for the next thing to write.

Jay looked at her and smiled warmly. That’s my girl, he said and winked his eye at her. Now, let’s get back to business. Shall we?

Thank you! It’s about time! Johnny cried out feeling relieved to continue. His patience had worn thin about five minutes earlier. He was beginning to get frustrated and was quickly losing the mood to go on.

Jay, Johnny, and Natalie turned their attention back towards the Ouija board in front of them. They each placed their fingertips from their left hands onto the small white triangular planchette that seemed to wait eagerly for their touch atop of the supposedly mystical wooden board.

Now whether or not the Ouija board was to be considered a game was strictly a matter of opinion. Some people believed it to be a talking board for communicating with spirits from beyond the grave. Many who followed this theory thought it only attracted evil spirits, who wanted to possess your body. Of course, there were also those who considered it to be just a simple board game, just as there were those who suspected the planchette was actually being moved by the subconscious mind of those who used the board and perhaps it helped to unlock a person’s inner psychic abilities.

The game has even inspired many movies drawing upon the beliefs surrounding the board. One movie in particular was a low budget horror film called "Witchboard," where the title pretty much says it all. In it a group of people use the board at a party and conjure up an evil spirit that possesses one girl and wreaks havoc in an attempt to walk amongst the living.

Another popular movie was the controversial horror movie, "The Exorcist," which was supposedly based on true events. In this movie a young girl becomes possessed by a demon soon after using the board, while alone in her basement.

Curiously, there were several deaths associated with the production of this film. Was it simply a coincidence or was it bad luck brought about by the subject matter of the film? No one can say for certain.

Both movies spawned a few rather unsuccessful sequels and prequels.

Whatever the case might be and despite all of the crazy stories that followed the so-called game around, it wasn’t enough to discourage Jay, Johnny, and Natalie from using it on this memorable night. It wasn’t their first time using it together, but it was definitely going to be the most significant time, as they would soon learn.

They made contact with the spirit of a young girl named Audrey from West Paterson, New Jersey, which is now known as Woodland Park. There were a few things about Audrey, which intrigued the group. Not only was she from the same state as them, but she also lived only one town over from where they lived in Little Falls. In fact, Woodland Park, or West Paterson, bordered the northern part of Little Falls.

According to their notes so far, they knew Audrey died as a teenager near a lake back in the 1970s. She lived alone with her older brother, Jerry, who inexplicably died the same year as her. They were born and raised in New Jersey and they both had either blonde or light brown hair.

Curious to learn more about the mysterious spirit named Audrey, Jay continued to ask questions hoping to satisfy his hunger for knowledge. He hoped she was still willing to communicate with them after all of the time that had gone by trying to get Liv to sit back down.

"Hello, Audrey. I apologize for the slight delay. We were experiencing technical difficulties. Can you please tell us exactly what street you lived on in West Paterson?"

All waited patiently for a response in the dimly lit room, which was lit only by a single white scented candle that sat upon the very same table as the Ouija board. The scent from the candle was of French vanilla and it filled the room with a rather pleasing aroma.

The planchette began moving leisurely over the letters on the board gradually speeding up as it spelled out the street name "R-I-F-L-E . . . C-A-M-P . . . R-D, shortening the word road."

Jay and Johnny looked up at each other in amazement. They knew exactly where that street was located because they had driven on it only a few months earlier during the spring. They had gone to Garret Mountain Reservation Park with friends to hang out by Barbour Pond. The name of the road had stood out in their minds because it ran along the side of a park by the same name, where a reservoir was located.

Jay wondered if Audrey could have drowned in one of those bodies of water.

No. She said she died near a lake, not in one. Maybe she was in a car accident with her brother? It was definitely a possibility, since she mentioned he died during the same year.

Johnny eagerly asked the next question. Did you live near Garret Mountain Park?

The planchette moved towards the word yes, where it came to a stop. Sweet, said Johnny seemingly pleased with the answer. He looked up to Jay and waited for him to ask the next question.

Jay resumed his questioning by trying to get an exact location of where Audrey lived. He was hoping to narrow it down to someplace specific.

What’s the name of the closest street to where you lived on Rifle Camp Road?

The planchette moved, again. This time it spelled out, "S-O-U-T-H . . . F-R-O-M . . . T-A-Y-L-O-R . . . L-A-N-E."

The questions went on with Audrey answering each one at her own pace. Sometimes she moved the planchette fast and other times it moved so slow that the others would become impatient with her. Still, they did manage to get a lot of information out of her.

Liv tried to keep up with the questions and answers by taking notes from all of the responses. She wrote quickly and abbreviated words half of the time. It wasn’t easy, considering she had only been using the candlelight to see. Every time she wrote something her arm created a shadow on the paper. She tried to move the candle around to a different spot on the table to see if it would help, but it didn’t.

Audrey told them she lived on the three hundreds block located on the eastern side of the street and there was a wooded area behind her house that led into Garret Mountain Park. She lived close to a big lake of the park in a white two-story house with an attic, a basement, and a large fenced-in backyard.

The only subject she didn’t want to discuss was how she died. Whenever they tried to ask her about it, Audrey didn’t respond leaving the others wanting to know more. They knew her death was not a natural one because of her age when she died. The only question was how did she die? Was it of a sickness, by accident, suicide, or was she murdered? She wouldn’t even tell them how Jerry died, which only added to the mystery. Could their deaths have been connected?

Audrey must have sensed their frustration over the matter because she eventually decided to give in to their morbid curiosity. The next thing she told them was completely of her own accord without them asking her anything at all.

After a long pause from their questioning Jay, Johnny, and Natalie kept their fingers upon the planchette, as they thought of something else to ask. All of a sudden the planchette moved! It surprised the others, as it spelled out a single word. The word was "D-I-A-R-Y." When it was done it came to a stop over one of the bottom corner illustrations of people using the Ouija board.

Jay knew they were on to something and followed her cue by immediately asking, Did you have a diary, Audrey?

She instantly answered by saying, yes.

Next Jay asked what happened to her diary, after she died, and Audrey replied by saying it was in an old shack.

Things were really getting interesting. Even Liv wanted to hear more, as she instinctively wrote down everything. She literally waited at the edge of her seat for the next thing to write.

Johnny asked if there was anyone living in the shack now. He was glad to hear the answer to his question was no.

The questions regarding the location of the diary went on at a fast pace.

Natalie wondered what Jay and Johnny were up to by asking about the diary. She had a feeling she already knew, but she wasn’t quite sure if she liked what she was thinking. She began to think they were planning on searching for this alleged diary. It seemed a little bit beyond her intentions.

She didn’t want to do anything that extended beyond moving the planchette around the board, asking innocent questions, and taking notes. After all, contrary to what her sister said, it was in fact just a game to her. She was only having fun. Turning this into some kind of an archaeological expedition was most certainly not what she was expecting to do.

She took her fingers off the planchette and demanded, Guys, exactly what do you have in mind? Without waiting for an answer she continued, What makes you think a diary that’s over twenty years old is still going to be hidden in some old rundown shack that you’ll probably never find? Even if it is still there, do you plan on breaking in to look for it? That’s just crazy!

Jay shot back in defense, "I’m not planning to break into anyplace, Nat, but . . . if it is still there and it is an abandoned shack, I’d love to try and find that diary. I mean… come on! Imagine how interesting it would be if we could actually find this girl’s diary and read it. Who knows what kind of secrets she has to tell? Besides, she obviously wants us to find it. There must be a good reason for it."

Hell yeah, added Johnny. That would so kick ass! I always wanted to get inside of a girl’s head and see what she’s thinking.

Liv smirked and commented sarcastically, Are you sure that’s what you always wanted to get inside of?

Everyone laughed, but Liv. She didn’t mean for it to sound like a joke. It just came out that way.

Once things quieted down Jay began formulating a plan. He had no problem with sneaking into an abandoned shack. It wasn’t the same as breaking into someone’s actual home. Johnny agreed to join him, so long as he was serious about looking for the diary and something told him that Jay was indeed quite serious. He had a sudden look of determination in his face.

Natalie shook her head in disapproval. You guys are crazier than I thought, she said, as she reluctantly placed her fingertips back onto the planchette.

Liv agreed with her sister, but remained ready to write down the next thing Audrey had to say. She thought to herself this was almost like watching a movie and it was just getting to the good part. She didn’t dare miss a thing. The planchette moved towards the symbol of the smiling sun and stopped over it, as if Audrey were smiling and found the whole discussion amusing. Natalie gave Jay and Johnny a sharp glance. She wasn’t surprised to see they were both looking back at her with smug grins on their faces. She shook her head and smiled giving in to her friends.

Fine… whatever, she said under her breath, But don’t say I didn’t warn you guys.

While trying to get the conversation back on track, Jay got serious and asked another question. Audrey, where exactly is your diary? Can you please tell us?

The planchette moved around in circles for a few seconds and stopped in the middle of the board. They waited about a minute or two for it to move, but it just stayed there. The group slowly started to get frustrated, again. However, before Jay could say something else, it moved and spelled out the words U-N-D-E-R… T-H-E… W-I-N-D-O-W.

It seemed like Audrey had to take a moment to think, in order to remember where she had left it. At least, that’s how Jay perceived it.

Johnny asked Audrey if the shack was still standing and she replied with a yes, much to his satisfaction. All they had to do now was find it. That probably wasn’t going to be an easy task.

All of a sudden Jay had a great idea! He quickly stood up from the table and practically ran into the next room startling the others with his unexpected rise and departure.

The others looked at each other, simultaneously jumped up from their seats, and quickly followed Jay. They were almost afraid to stay in the dining room any longer. They rushed after him into his office and practically collided into each other, as they all squeezed in through the small doorway at the same time.

The girls giggled, after they realized how silly they must have looked.

When they entered the office, Jay was already sitting down at his computer. They moved in close behind him to see what he was doing. By then he had started up the Google Earth mapping program. Once it fully loaded he zoomed in on the area of New Jersey, where they lived.

Johnny leaned over his older cousin’s shoulder and calmly stated to him in a low voice, Try not to do that, again. You almost gave me a freakin’ heart attack.

Everyone laughed briefly, and then Jay apologized before he resumed his concentrated search of the graphic mapping system.

Google Earth is a program Jay downloaded to his computer, in which the entire surface of the planet has been captured by satellite imagery. Some of the images are fairly recent, while others date back from anywhere between months and years apart. One could even go back several years and search older images, if available.

By utilizing this free downloadable program one can go to mostly any location on the Earth’s surface and see it, as if they were looking down on it from space, or zoom in close enough to see which way the cars on the street were facing. The options could be set to view street names, highways, cities, landmarks, tourist locations, hotels, restaurants, and even traffic light locations in the area. It can also be used similarly to the mapquest website for plotting directions, but with a more realistic point of view. Actually, map quest and several GPS units also used the same exact satellite imagery from Google called Google mapping. The program even has a built-in flight simulator video game!

It was by far one of Jay’s favorite programs on his computer.

Johnny was about to ask Jay what he was doing, but after a few seconds he had already figured it out when he noticed Jay was scrolling through the map towards Garret Mountain Reservation Park. He zoomed in with the mouse to that area and easily found Rifle Camp Road. Next, he searched slowly for Taylor Lane and soon found it, as well.

Afterwards, he checked to see if any houses bordering the woods had what resembled a shed or any type of small house behind it, or near it. It was rather difficult to tell, since the wooded areas were so dense at the time the image was taken. He checked older images of the same location using the historical imagery option, but still could not make out any alleged shacks. There were too many trees to know for certain. If there was a shack out there, then it was probably hidden somewhere undercover of the trees, in which case it would not be very easy to find without actually going there and searching in person.

He sighed heavily.

What’s up? Johnny asked impatiently.

Jay was too caught up in his thoughts to hear the question. He knew there was only one way to know for sure. They’d have to drive out there and search for themselves. It would most likely have to be done during the nighttime, so no one would see them sneaking around the neighborhood. They wouldn’t want to attract any unwanted attention from the residents or some over zealous neighborhood watch group. They were most likely going to look very suspicious if they went around sneaking through the darkened woods behind people’s homes.

"They . . ." He thought to himself.

It’s funny how he automatically assumed "they" would each be willing to join him. He knew Johnny wouldn’t have a problem with it, but the girls were another story. Natalie and Liv were definitely going to take some serious convincing and maybe even a little coercion. That was going to be the tricky part. It was going to have to be soon, too, preferably while he was still on vacation.

It was a good thing he had plenty of time to work on his plan. His vacation had only just begun. If all went well this would turn out to be a very memorable vacation. He certainly hoped so because the idea of wasting a two-week vacation was not very appealing. He was lucky to swindle so much time from his boss in the first place.

Of course, it definitely helped that his boss was a very dear friend of his father, going back to their childhood. Jay’s boss seemed more like an uncle than a supervisor. Still, Jay was surely going to owe him big time for getting two weeks off in a row during the summer.

He had to make the best of it.

CHAPTER TWO

"THE SEARCH

FOR AUDREY’S DIARY"

A week