Page 76 of The Missing Pages
“You wouldn’t have let me down. I get it. This is nuts anyway.”
“Do you ever think it might be Hugo who’s trying to say something, though? I keep thinking maybe I shouldn’t be here if he’s trying to communicate with you.”
Violet stood there quiet for a second, looking at the board between them. Again, she had this strange feeling about serving as some kind of bridge. The image of her between the two ship parts flashed once more in her head.
“I wish I could say I was feeling Hugo from the other side… that he was trying to communicate to me. But when I’m here in Widener, I actually don’t feel Hugo at all. That’s the thing. It’s actually the opposite. This is one of the few places where I have a little relief from how much I miss him.”
“I guess that makes sense… And asking questions to a Ouija board in the bottom of the stacks at Widener isn’t totally off the mark. Libraries are supposed to be places where we learn things we didn’t know, right?”
“Absolutely,” she agreed.
They sat down and Violet took out the board and unfolded it on the ground, then placed the planchette on top.
“Do you know what you want to ask it?” Theo leaned in.
She nodded. “Yes, I do.”
Violet placed her hands on one side of the planchette and Theo lightly placed his fingertips on the other. The word “love” was the last word to be spelled out when they were communicating with Harry. But there had been no other additional information. Violet needed to be more specific the next time she asked a question.
“Harry Elkins Widener… were you ever in love with someone?”
The planchette jutted toward the corner of the board, just under the drawing of the sun, where it spelled out the word “Yes.”
Theo’s eyes widened. Even he felt the energy moving their fingers across the board.
“What was her name?” Violet asked her second question.
The planchette moved again. This time it moved even faster.
It spelled out the name “Ada.”
“Ada?” Theo looked at Violet. “Does that ring a bell?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ve never come across that name anywhere in the archives.”
“Ask if Ada has a last name.” Theo urged her.
Again, they both put their fingers atop the planchette.
“Harry, can you tell us Ada’s last name?”
There were a few seconds of a pause.
Then, the planchette darted quickly to the other corner of the board. Beneath the drawing of a moon, where it spelled out the word “No.”
Theo’s hands jumped off the plastic triangle.
“What was that?” he blurted, annoyed. “We only get half a name? What can we even do with that?”
Violet paused. Theo’s reaction had surprised her. Part of her had felt he had only come to the library to humor her or to be a good friend. But now he seemed truly frustrated in wanting more answers.
“Maybe there’s a reason,” she said. “After all, wearein a library. We have to remind ourselves that the best stories unfold in the most unexpected ways.”
Theo smiled. “Well in that case, let’s try and move the plot along a little faster. Can I ask Harry a question before we leave?”
“Sure. Why not?”
They both put their hands back on the planchette.
