The downstairs bathroom of our house has always given me the creepy-jeeps. Even when I was little, I hated going in there. It always felt wrong, like someone was watching me do my business from behind the mirror. When I was seven, My older sister Lily invited three of her best friends over for their weekly slumber party. This was around seven years before I discovered I was really a girl named Jamie. At the time, I was just a slightly underweight, blonde haired, blue eyed, petite boy with a round face and an extremely soft tone of voice. Lily on the other hand, was tall, blonde hair, blue eyed, athletic tomboy who towered over me. Being the youngest of the bunch and the only boy, it was my lot to be teased that night.

Now, the story I'm about to tell you is true, it's one hundred and ten percent true. Seven or so years have passed since that fateful night. And since that fateful night, I've learned so much about the occult and the spiritual realm. And the more I learn, the deeper my knowledge of the occult grows. The more nerves and concern I become, because what could have been a prank, a cruel prank and a very mean spirited one, but a prank nonetheless could have been an open invitation for something to mess with us. And the deeper I delve into my own occult research, the more I feel we conjure something up, something from beyond the shadows that night. And that spirit, or demon is still here, lurking in the shadows, biding its time, waiting for its chance to strike at us.

Anyway, returning to my story. On the night of the sleepover, I was holding up in my room, Lily and her friends had taken over the downstairs living room and had transformed it into their own personal domain The floor of the living room was littered with there unrolled sleeping bags, and made for themselves a fortress of pillows and blankets. They had feasted and gorged themselves on pizza, popcorn, potato chips, chocolate chip cookies all afternoon and had finally settled down for a marathon of rented horror flicks from the local BlockBuster.

About an hour or two into their marathon, and right as I had finally settled down in my bed for the night. I heard a loud knocking upon my bedroom door. Sleep still thick in my eyes, with one foot in the real world and the other still firmly rooted in the Land of Nod. I walked over the door, reached up and pulled the brass handle open. And there gathered around the doorway stood my older sister, standing to her left was her best friend Linda and standing to her right was her other best friend Joan.

“Hey there kiddo!” Lily said as she peered down at me with a small smile. “Me and the girls here.” She motioned toward Joan and Linda. “Have some talking you see, and we'll think it's wrong for you to be stuck up in your room all by yourself. So we decided we're going to make you an honorary 'Little Sister' for the night and just for tonight. As such we've decided that you should join us in the living room for some bonding time.” She said as she made the hand motion for me to step out of the comfort of my room.

Unsure of what would happen, but thrilled nevertheless to be invited and included, I followed closely behind Lily who guided Joan, Linda and I from the upstairs part of the house, down the staircase to the downstairs living room. The first thing I noticed was the floor of the living room was covered with pillows, blankets, Pizza Inn cardboard boxes, empty Coke-Cola Soda cans, discarded Milky Way, Baby Ruth, Butterfingers and Almond Joy wrappers littered the floor. The minute we reached the living room. Lily paused in her tracks, and started to look me up and down, after a few minutes of her nodding her head. She turned toward Joan and then turned toward Linda and Joan and whispered something into their ears. Both started to snicker and then all three both nodded their heads in wild approval. I twisted my lips into a frown and peered the trio, and for a brief second I considered turning around and retreating toward the safety of my room, but before I could act, Lily reached out and graphed my shoulder and offered me a little smile.

“Hey settle down there,” She said in a soothing tone of voice as she gave me a small smile. “Where you're speeding off too there sister.” She said as her grin reached from one ear to the other as she motioned her with her hand for Linda and Joan to tone down there giggling. “Not going to run off on you, jeez I thought you'd be cooler than that.” She said leaning in toward me, she was grinning softy.

At that moment my wit failed me, I could only look down at the wooden floorboard. Lily still smiling reached down and took my hand, she then looked over her shoulder and smiled toward Joan and Linda. She then looked up and down again.

“Hey girls.” Joan said, peering toward me. “Don't you think we need to change her outfit or something?” She said looking me up and starting. Starting at the very top of my head and slowly working her way down to my sock feet.

I can clearly remember blushing deeply as her eyes traveled from the tip top of my head down to my sock feet. I was only clad in a light blue “Thomas the Tank Engine '' Theme night shirt that was eight sizes too big for me, the shirt kind of hung off me, and in my mind acted like a make-shift nightgown. Yes, at the age of seven I was madly obsessed with “Thomas the Tank Engine'' and I'm not ashamed to say it that seven years later. I still find myself watching it when it comes on Saturday Mornings. The episodes that tend to be my personal favorite have always been the ones that feature supernatural elements, mostly in the form of ghost trains. Its even gotten better, since they started to include more female steam engines in the main line up. Anyway I'm rambling on, it's time to return to the story.

“Nah, we can change her outfit once she passes our test.” Lily said, her grin now reached from one ear to the other. Joan and Linda both nodded their heads in solemn agreement. Lily then placed her hand upon my shoulder and then started to guide me toward the downstairs bathroom. As soon as we reached the doorway, Lily removed her hand and smiled something of a devil's smile. She then turned toward Linda and nodded her head. Linda understanding the motion then stepped forward, cleared her throat and in a solemn tone of voice said.

“Now before you can join the 'Most Ancient and Respected Sisterhood of the Benton Southern Belles'.” She said in a powerful, commanding tone of voice. “You must first pass a test of courage that has been handed down throughout the years.” She said grinning like a cat, who had just cornered a mouse.

“Hey, Linda, I think we should just skip the test today.” Joan said in a wary tone of voice as she looked up. “I mean she looked whiter than a bleached sheet. No need to put her through this. She might just raise a fuss and then Lily's folks will come rushing down the stairs like pigs at feeding time. And you know how her folks are, there's no waiting for the morning to cut a switch from that old tree in the backyard.”

“No.” Linda said in a firm tone of voice. “He has to pass the test before we let him join the sisterhood.” She paused and then folded her hands across her chest. “I mean, you are a boy right? And boys gotta be brave and stuff. Otherwise how are you supposed to defend your future wife? I mean, Lily, Joan and I both had to pass that test and were girls.” She said pointing first to my older sister, then to Joan and finally to herself.

“Linda that's, that's just going a little too far girl.” Joan said, but she let her voice trail a little. Almost like she was afraid to openly challenge Linda in front of her best friend, my older sister.

“Nah, Lily's brother just like my cousin Mark. The boy just needs to be shown some old fashion tough love. You know, to tough up a little. Put some hairs on that chest and all that good stuff. So what are you going to do? Are you going to take our little test and become one of us? Or are you going to run away all scared and shit and hide under your covers like a big old baby? The choice is yours, and yours along.” Linda asked me, with a sneer a good mile long.

I took a deep breath, and gathering up my courage, I nodded my head.

“I'm going to take your little test.” I said balling up my fingers into a tiny bite-size fist. Yep, I was tiny for a seven year old at the time. A bit underweight too. Like people that often passed me on the streets of town often mistook me for a well developed four year old. One who had a remarkable developed vocabulary. That or a four year old who somehow hit a sudden growth spur. I was never quite sure how people took me.

The three girls nodded their head and started exchanging looks, after exchanging looks for a good minute, they advanced toward me and then started to guide me toward the downstairs bathroom. Once we reached the bathroom door, Linda handed me a flashlight. She then cleared her throat. And in a very, very menacing tone of voice leaned in, and once her face was a mere inches from mine, she started to speak.

“So, Jamie.” She started in a very menacing tone of voice. “Have you ever played the game of 'Bloody Mary' before?” she asked as she reached over and opened the bathroom door for me. The inside of the bathroom was darkest than the deepest grotto, or so it appeared to my seven year old mind.

“No..” I said as I started to back up. The tiny hairs on the back of my arms started to stand straight up as I felt Linda touch the small of my back. “But I know the legend..” I said trying to sound brave. But I believe I only came across as scared and meek. I mean everyone knows the legend of “Bloody Mary” and the instructions on how to summon her are always recited at every campfire, slumber party and sleepover one ever attends.

“Then you know how to summon her right? You must take this flashlight.” She said shifting her eyes toward Joan who slowly held out the flashlight. “Take the flashlight, and go into that bathroom, shine the light into the mirror and take a deep breath and chant. 'Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, I have your baby! I have your baby! I have your baby!' six times before shutting off the light and wait for thirty minutes.” Linda paused. “If you can spend thirty minutes, along in the darkness. We'll consider you brave enough to join us for the rest of the night.” She said the last part with a smirk that was a good mile and a half long.

I took a deep breath and with trembling limbs, I reached up and took hold of the flashlight. I felt like a knight taking a sword. Turning the flashlight on, I released my deep breath and marched toward the bathroom. I felt like a brave knight, going off to slay the evil dragon that had captured the fair princess. When I reached the bathroom. Joan, Linda and Lily were there, they held the door open for me. The bathroom was already pitch black. Once I entered the bathroom, I heard the bathroom close behind me. With the way back barred. I found myself almost required to finish the task. So once more, gathering up the few remains of courage I could muster, I started toward the bathroom mirror.

I took a deep breath and with trembling limbs, I reached up and took hold of the flashlight. I felt like a knight taking a sword. Turning the flashlight on, I released my deep breath and marched toward the bathroom. I felt like a brave knight, going off to slay the evil dragon that had captured the fair princess. When I reached the bathroom. Joan, Linda and Lily were there, they held the door open for me. The bathroom was already pitch black. Once I entered the bathroom, I heard the bathroom close behind me. With the way back barred. I found myself almost required to finish the task. So once more, gathering up the few remains of courage I could muster, I started toward the bathroom mirror.

I flipped on the switch and shone the light into the mirror. Taking a deep breath, I started to chant the following. 'Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, I have your baby! I have your baby! I have your baby!' I started to chant, over and over I repeated those words, a sense of fear and dread started to build with each passing second. I soon turned off the light and waited. And I waited and I waited some more, till at last something appeared on the surface of the mirror. The face of a ghostly pale woman, with eyes that were pitch black.

A thick liquid, I think it was tar, was rolling down the woman's cheeks, starting from her eyes and streaming down her face. The woman opened her mouth, only to reveal a gaping black hole. I don't remember what happened next. I remember a sense of panic overcame me, overcome by fear, I slammed my shoulder into the bathroom door, knocking down Lily, Joan and Linda who had been holding the door shut,and I mean knocking them down, when I stepped over them in my panic retreat, they were sprawled out on the floor.

Without looking down, I stepped over them and bounded up the stairs. Screaming something about a woman with no eyes who was dripping blood down her face. That of course woke up the whole household. That led to Lily, Joan and Linda getting a good fussing at from my mom and dad. And come morning the whole matter was forgotten. But that image has haunted me, I think that women or whatever it was, wanted to drag me to hell or something. And like I said, I still think it's lurking in the shadows. Biding its time and waiting for a chance to pounce and once more drag me down into the underworld.

The End.