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What Do the Dead Say?

August 14, 2023 8 Comments

By Siân O’Hara

I tried listening once. Sitting in a darkened room, Ouija board and planchette before me. Daring them to prove I was the one in control.

They proved me wrong.

Ever since then, I sense them. Hear voices from the other side. Mostly it’s just fragments, whispers and murmurs like a background radio. But then there are the others, clear with intention, with instructions.

Like when I was asked to place a daffodil on a park bench. I did, then stayed to watch.

The lady that found it clutched it to her chest, sobbing, “Geoffrey!”

I like hearing what the dead say.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patricia Stott-Prince says

    August 14, 2023 at 9:24 am

    Great ending..

    Reply
  2. Richard Bishop says

    August 14, 2023 at 11:24 am

    great title and good ending

    Reply
  3. HelenZ says

    August 16, 2023 at 7:58 am

    sounds like the start of an interesting novel

    Reply
  4. Nancy says

    August 16, 2023 at 10:06 am

    ooh – I like it a lot.

    Reply
  5. Ekta R. Garg says

    August 17, 2023 at 11:32 am

    The opening of the story made me wonder if it was going to take a darker turn, but I really liked the end. Good job!

    Reply
  6. Sandra L. Todd says

    August 20, 2023 at 8:59 pm

    You got me there! Thank you for the read.

    Reply
  7. Pamela Cartlidge says

    September 1, 2023 at 5:56 am

    My kind of story. Well done.

    Reply
  8. David Berger says

    September 5, 2023 at 1:14 pm

    Beautiful. Low-key, unsentimental and beautiful. The word “like” is crucial.

    Reply

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