Turning around I was confronted with two very bemused faces which stared at me,,then looked at each other,,then looked back at me as we could hear the sounds of Amanda continuing her insane sounding tirade as Dales voice offered a kind of counter point while they worked their way out the back door to Dales van.No one said a word untill after we heard the van crank up and leave out through the alleyway.Even so,,it wasn't one of us three that broke the silence.

  Melissa and Mike both appeared to have their faces locked on bewildered.I have no idea what mine looked like but from the way my face felt kind of cold and clammy I was probally paler than usual.To put it plainly,,I was stunned.Flat out stunned.So stunned that it took me a moment to realize that John was calling out from the bathroom asking,,"Are they gone?I ain't coming out untill they're gone,ya'll! Is she gone at least?."

  His voice sounded like a scared little kid and when he squeeled as a thumping began on the bathroom door from the now awake Cindy who began hollering,,"Hurry up in there,,I have to pee!",,he sounded so much like a little girl it made all three of us bust out laughing.It was partly due to it being funny since Johns voice is a rather low toned one and the note he hit was a pure soprano yet mainly due to the release of tension over that odd event.Allthough the good buzz crawling around our skulls undoubtedly added to it tremendously

  Laughing still,,I walked around Mike and past Melissa to get to my drink I drained it in a couple of long drafts while the scene replayed in my head several times.She had looked dead at 'me' and said I was the one that wanted to 'cut her into small pieces and burn her',,me,,the 'pale native'.Goose bumps crawled up and down my neck briefly as I considered that that was the virtually the same phrase used by Mable.My internal narrator smirkingly said,,'Yeah,,pale native would be the same as White Indian.' My reply was a curt 'duh,no shit sherlock!'.Of course,since I was talking to myself,neither one of us got mad about it.As I finished draining my glass Melissa came over to the table and picked up hers,drained it in one gulp.Belched and wiped her face before looking at me and saying impishly,,"Would the evil pale native who wants to chop up women into little pieces and set them on fire like me to go make him a really good fresh drink?And if I do will he promise me that I wont get done like that?"

  Looking her right in the eye I smirked a little and said,"Melissa,,I admit I would love to 'get you burning hot' and spread you apart,,,yes,,wide open and do nasty things to you that your parents would hate to know about,,but chopping you up is not on any kind of agenda.That would be a seriously moronic waste of a beautiful woman.And,,, yes,,I would appreciate a fresh drink,,please and thank you." Her face crinkled up in what I was coming to realize was one of her 'flirty' looks and came back with,"Well,if that's the case,,will the evil pale native promise he'll do those nasty things to me?" Her face was flirty,,her eyes were serious,,so even though I wanted to say,,"Yes,,I promise I'll do all those nasty things to you that your parents would hate to know about.!!",,I said,,"Maybe."

  Mike,,who was still giggling a little said from his seat on the end of my bed,said,,"Yes he does,Melissa.Don't let him lie like that.He was bitten and smitten when he first seen you.Believe me,,I've known him since 6th grade.Shoot,,just lookin' at him I can 'gare-on-tee'  you he will do that if you give him half a chance at it.Which it seems like you just did,by the way."

  Taking the glass from my hand she didn't take her eyes off mine as she clearly stated,,"I did.Except,it's way more than half a chance." Then she spun on her heel and headed for the door while bumping Mikes shoulder with her hip on the way past him.He flopped back on the bed like he was hit by a Mack trunk and said,,"Watch her,man,,she's mean!Did you see her try to dislocate my shoulder?"

  We all began laughing again.It seemed like the weiredness that had just happened wasn't going to put a damper on anyones mood.I myself figured I would consider the implications and decide what to do after I seen how me and Melissa could get along.

  But John was a different story.He burst into the room,,opening the door so hard it banged loudly into the wall stopper.A moment later and he would have clocked Melissa with it.She stopped just in time.His eyes were kind of buggy and he was saying,,"Awww,man,dude,you have to get rid of that thing!" Suddenly realizing how close he had come to hitting Melissa with the door he immediately calmed down,stepped to the side,bowed and said,,"I'm sorry,Melissa." With a sweeping gesture of his right hand he motioned for her to proceed through the door while adding,,"My apologies milady,,please have mercy on the miserable swine that is I and bestow upon me your forgiveness for even coming near to harming the visage of loveyness that is your face."

  Melissa strutted elegantly,beautifully,sensually and sexily through the now clear doorway while remarking in a royal tone,,"We notice that it sounds like someones been playing Dungeons & Dragons with Squire Mike." That set us guys to laughing,, because she was right.As she exited John shut the door behind her then took quick steps to the table where I was now seated,,sat down and said agitatedly,,"You have to get rid of that hoodoo game,man!"

  "Calm down.I did,,Dale owns it now,doesn't he?" His demeanor was totaly devoid of any sign of his previous inebreated state of mind but there was an element that bordered on mania that disturbed me a bit.His response was cut off by Mike shifting to the side of the bed nearest us and asking,"What are you guys talking about?What game,,that ouijie board?Was that yours?I tried to tell Dale to leave it on the table where he found it."

  John looked at me and asked,"Didn't you say you put it in the trash can?" , "No,,I said I put it on the can.But the garbage man emptied the cans right after I put it there.I seen him walk up while I was on the phone and heard him empty the cans while I was in the bathroom." , "You didn't 'see' him put it in his can?" , "Well,,,no.But he didn't open the back door and put it on the table,,I woud have heard him."

  I still didn't want to say anything to John about the phone call from the woman calling herself Dominique claiming to be his sister.Especially right now,,it may make his eyes pop completely out of his skull.So I looked at Mike and asked him,"You saw Dale get it off the kitchen table?" , "Yeah,,we all came in together and it was laying on the table.Him and Amanda was looking at it when she asked him to hold a seance with her using it."

  John aked,"What,,is she into that crap or something?" , "I think her mother or aunt or someone was a medium at Casa Dega for awhile,,so probally.",was Mikes reply.

  I cut off Johns cussing by asking,,"Okay then,,who put it on the table?I put it on the trash can.Someone put it on the table where Dale got it.Who?"

  John said,,"It really doesn't matter,,it has to be gotten rid of." Mike asked him,,"Exactly what do you mean by 'gotten rid of',,dispose of as in thrown away,like discarded or do you mean destroyed?There is a distinct difference." John looked at him while thinking about it and as he finally said,,"I really don't know for sure.",,the door thumped and Melissa's voice rang out saying,,"Can one of you churlish knaves please open the door for the serving wench to bring in the grog and ale?"

  Kicking Mike lightly on the leg I told him,,"You're the churlish knave since you tried to skew my flow with that 'gare-on-tee' you gave her." Getting up he said,,"Well,,guilty,,I'll concede the intent.But it gave you a shoo-in didn't?"

  I looked up at him and smirkingly said,,"Maybe." Laughing while he did so,,he went and opened the door for Melissa.She had been hampered from opening it herself because she had found a serving tray I had liberated from the club and loaded it down with drinks for all of us and chips and dip.John said,"Allright,let's get the party re-started.One of those beers are for me,right?" Hopping up,,he went and took one as Mike was grabbing the other one.Walking on past without pausing she set the tray down as she said,,"You two willl have to fetch your next ones,,me and him are set for awhile." Looking at the tray I seen what the chip bag had blocked from my view.The frosty bottle of Absolute and a bowl of ice with plastic wrap over it.

  "Wow,,where did you find the chips?",I asked.John said,,"I brought them earlier,,and the dip too.I had forgot about them or I would have allready eaten them." grabbing the bag he opened them up took out a handful and said,,"I'm gonna go get a bowl to pour them in." Sine he was turning to leave with the bag still in his hand I looked at Mike,glanced at the bag and said,"Hey John!" He stopped and looked back at me and said "What?" as Mike grabbed the chip bag from his hand.When his head snapped back toward Mike who quickly hopped across my bed I said,,"Leave the chips,please."

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