ASK
Gerald Iida was found dead in his room one morning, it seemed so sudden and very strange because even at Gerald's age, he was the picture of health. Rumor had it that when Gerald was found there were bruised finger marks around his neck and the lingering smell of crushed ants. The residents in the care home began to talk and the word about nefarious doings surrounding Gerald's demise eventually got back to Anne Mikuni, Guy Kumata, Todd Watanabe and Linda Nosaka.
They were Gerald's closest friends and they spent much of their time together, they knew that even at his advanced age, Gerald was the picture of health. His passing left his companions with many unanswered questions, so much so that a month later the four of them were completely suspicious of the staff at the care home.
During breakfast, even though they all sat at the same table, Linda sent everyone a text on their phones, "Pretend like nothing, but I have a way to find out how Gerald died, do you folks want to know?"
Everyone returned their texts in the affirmative except for Guy, "If this means having to sneak around, I no like."
"Just tell us already!" Ann was impatient, she worked for the state for many years and she had no time for games in retirement.
Todd agreed to Ann's text, "Yes, just tell us already!"
Linda glanced up at her friends with a look of disdain and shook her head before she returned to her text, "We can use an Ouija board but we have to be careful since we can't use the Ouija board in our rooms. We are going to have to do it out in the open, maybe right here at the table during breakfast."
The reaction Linda received was not the one she expected, "I think so," Todd replied. "I think it might work."
"Me too," Ann piped in. "You know I watch the kine ghost story show on T.V. and sometimes when they get hard time chase away the Obake, they use the Quija board you know?"
"You folks crazy," Guy shook his head. "The dead should stay dead, why you like boddah Gerald for anyway? Let him rest in peace."
Todd was clearly irritated with Guy, "Maybe Gerald like us find out because he not at peace, we his friends and we not at peace too! You no like find out what when happened to Gerald? If this was you, what? You like us just forget you?"
"Guy?" Ann held her nose and looked at Guy with disgust. "What is that? Smell like stink bugs or something?"
"I no want nothing to do with it," Guy ignored Ann and got up and walked away. For the next few weeks, Guy removed himself completely from the company of his friends and began to acquaint his company with the elder Hawaiians. The following morning the remaining three friends of Gerald Iida sat at the breakfast table where Linda removed a handwritten version of what would have been an actual Ouija board. "It's plain, it doesn't stand out so it won't bring any attention to us. See, I don't have the planchette but I have a yen which helps make everything less obvious. We put our fingers on it and we can ask Gerald what happened, who wants to start?" Linda asked.
"You ask," Todd figured since the whole thing was Linda's idea that she should ask. Besides, why have something followed him and Ann back to their rooms if they do end up getting an answer? Linda can be the responsible one.
"Is that okay Ann?" Linda asked. "Or do you have something you want to ask?"
"Just start and if we have something to ask we will," Ann nodded while Toddy scanned the room to make sure that none of the staff observed them with any suspicion. Linda took a deep breath as the three placed their pointer fingers on the yen, "Gerald, this is Ann, Todd, and Linda. If you're here can you tell us what happened?"
"Did you die of natural causes?" Ann's question was unexpected but she felt that it was time to get the point. They couldn't waste any time with long, drawn-out questions.
"Eh, Gerald, this is Todd. How you?" Todd, was awkward as always whenever he had to talk in front of more than one person.
"This is not a phone call!" Ann scolded him, "Just be yourself."
Immediately the yen moved across the paper to six letters and spelled out, 'A-S-K-G-U-Y '
............
Guy settled down to for some shut-eye after taking his required medication, he worked as a stevedore for many years after coming home from Vietnam. He was your typical rough and tumble samurai type who showed no emotion or affection, his friends were few and he was a hard egg to crack. His head had just settled into his pillow as did his eyes begin to close when he suddenly sensed a presence in his room, he sat up to see Ann, Todd, and Linda standing around the foot of his bed, behind them at his door, stood the facility director, security and the police.
"What the hell is dis?" Guy sat up and stood up out of his bed. "What you folks doing in my room?"
Linda turned to the crowd gathered just inside the door and asked, "Can you give us a minute with Guy before you take him? As his friends?"
The director agreed and shoed everyone to wait just outside the door. "What the hell is dis Linda? Why da cops stay hea?" Guy demanded.
It was Ann who stepped in because Linda and Todd were still processing the information which came from Gerald through the Ouija. There were also dumbfounded and could not find the words to express what they already knew, now they found themselves wishing they never asked. Todd could not even bring himself to look at Guy, he kept his head down the entire time.
............
The door opened to the hallway and Guy Kumata emerged with his friends behind him. Linda looked at the director and nodded, the director then signaled to the police officer who stepped forward with another officer and read Guy his Miranda rights. Minutes later, Guy was handcuffed and being escorted to the waiting squad car parked in the roundabout driveway in front of the care home.
.............
"Ask Guy...." Linda said out loud. "Why do we have to ask Guy?"
The yen moved to 'A-M-Y-L' the letters made no sense and so with one free hand Ann pulled up google on her phone and entered the letters, 'A-M-Y-L.' The first thing that came up was something called, 'Amyl Nitrate.'
"Amyl Nitrate?" Ann asked. "Are you SURE ???" Ann's reaction was incredulous and she had to quiet her voice for a second so that no one would look over at their table.
"What?" Todd and Linda asked. While still holding one finger on the yen, Ann scrolled through her phone and read the explanation to her friends. "Oh my god....okay, okay.....Amyl Nitrate comes in a small brown bottle. Sniff it to get an intense but short-lived high, adds to the sexual pleasure, very popular in Gay culture when having sex with another man."
Todd Watanabe was usually the last one to catch on to sarcasm or to a joke that contained a trick punchline, but for some reason, he clearly saw the picture on this one. "Wait, wait, wait....what?"
Ann chimed in before Todd could finish what he was going to say, "Does this mean that Guy is gay and he does this amyl nitrate?"
"But if he's gay by himself then why he needs the amyl nitrate?" Linda was just as confused as Ann.
"No!" Todd hissed, "you two missed the whole picture! Gerald AND Guy was gay together! Das what he's saying!"
Ann and Linda were stunned as they looked at one another and then looked back at Todd, "Fuck!" He hissed through his teeth this time, "I used to go o-furo wit dose two guys! Dey seen me nekked! No wonder dey always used to sit next to eachoddah!"
"Oh no," Linda said as she rubbed her head with her free hand. "Imagine, all our parents were part of the same Tanomoshi group! Good thing their folks not alive to see this kine!"
"Oh!" Ann let out a soft scream, she looked back down at the yen which they all still had their fingers on and asked, "Gerald! How come you had bruised finger marks around your throat?"
'A-M-Y-L A-M-Y-L A-M-Y-L' the yen spelled the letters out three times but its slide across the makeshift Ouija was sharp and purposeful as it kept darting toward the three letters. "Ann," Todd tapped at the tablecloth in front of her, "try typing in 'Choking' next to 'Amyl'."
Ann and Lisa's face twisted into a look of disgust at the suggestion, "Ewwwwww!"
"Just do it!" Todd growled. Ann typed in the letters and a second later something came up on her screen and she nearly gagged. All she could do was hold her phone out for Linda and Todd to see, Linda eyed the screen closely and read, "As another way to enhance pleasure, choking is a method that is used immediately after sniffing the amyl nitrate. However, be mindful and know when to let go."
The yen moved right then as if it were forlorn and spelled out, 'Y-E-S'
.............
As the director closed the door to Guy's room, Ann and Linda turned to Guy and told him what they knew about himself and Gerald. They were not there to confront him nor judge him, Ann said that she Linda and Todd agreed that whatever happened was the business of himself and Gerald. For his own sake and Gerald's, they felt it was important that he turn himself in and explain the circumstances. After a few tense moments, Guy agrees that his friends were right and that he turned his back on them because he had a feeling that Gerald might actually come through the Ouija to impllicate him. He was not wrong at all, Linda and Ann stepped forward and hugged him while Todd remained at the foot of the bed and did not move. Guy was taken to the police station where he was given a chance to tell his story, members of Linda's family were attorneys and she was able to get Guy some very good representation and the matter was discussed privately in the judge's chambers where it was eventually resolved. There was no conviction, it was death by misadventure but Guy was required to attend substance abuse counseling, he never made it to those counseling sessions. At the time when the building manager of the transient hotel found Guy hanging by the neck from the ceiling fan, he said that Guy kept to himself and really didn't talk to anyone. Ann, Linda, and Todd were the only ones there to attend his services since Guy had been estranged from his family for a long time. He'd left some money hidden in his old room behind his mini-fridge, it was supposed to go to Gerald, but with Gerald being gone, Linda took the money and converted it to a cashiers check and sent it to Gerald's only daughter. Guy's ashes were spread out at the Mastson docks at Sand Island like he'd requested. Life went back to normal at the care home where Ann, Lisa, and Todd lived out the rest of their days.
...........
Even though people thought that he wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the box, he had a great photographic memory, he wrote down all the letters and numbers just like he remembered. The paper was spread out right in front of him and he placed the yen down in the middle, "Gerald? Gerald?" Todd called out. "You have anymore amyl nitrate hidden somewhere?"
It took a second but the yen moved to seven letters, "S-U-K-E-B-E-I"
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