Punch Bowl Penny
It was a dark and stormy night and while I would have liked to have been at any one of the many parties tonight, instead I was spending Halloween traipsing through a damp, abandoned building. This was the consequence of being friends with Zoe. Apparently, it was too perfect of a night to waste it doing anything other than delving into the supernatural. She was the type to poke the bear and see what happened.
“Hurry up, I think we’re almost there!” Zoe shouted at me from somewhere up ahead.
I quickened my pace and found her waiting for me in front of two large double doors. She ceremoniously turned and pushed them open, revealing a grand hall. What awaited inside was a dusty time capsule, perfectly preserved since the day it was left. Banners and colorful Halloween decorations, though severely tattered and dusty, livened up the expansive cold, gray interior and provided a small insight into its past. Absorbing the scenery, I followed Zoe toward the windows at the far end of the hall.
“Tonight, you and I will be delving into a story most macabre. “ She leapt up onto the ledge of one window. “Years ago, this was a cathedral that was then later turned into a school. Not just any school though as this was a place of learning for the scariest demons imaginable…”
Zoe launched himself back down onto the hard tile flooring causing a loud bang to echo throughout the hall and myself to nearly jump out of my skin. Just as the sound began to dissipate, she finished with a grin, “Teenagers!”
I laughed at her exclamation and she reveled in it; a natural entertainer basking in the limelight before then continuing with her story.
“One such teenager at this school was Penny. An average girl, but with unusual interests. She preferred plants to people and would talk animatedly about them with anyone who would ask. Unfortunately, her interests weren't shared with classmates, who found Penny to be weird and ultimately, an easy target. Teenagers can be so vile and the teachers were not much better.”
“Trust me, whatever just popped into your imagination, the brutality of the bullying was even worse. But, it all came to a horrible end here in this very room on Halloween night.” Zoe paused to catch her breath, her excitement palpable.
“You see that night, they played yet another dirty trick on Penny,” Zoe continued. “Penny hadn’t ever gone to any of the dances, but changed her mind when she got a note from a boy. Meet me by the punchbowl, it read. Unfortunately, it was a forgery by her usual tormentors. Poor Penny bought a new dress and even got her hair done, only to stand all night next to the punchbowl waiting for someone that would never arrive. Then as the night began to wind down, her tormentors, still not satiated, snuck up behind her and paid her one final injustice by dunking her head into the punchbowl, ruining both her hair and dress. As the group of girls cackled wildly, Penny finally snapped. She began to screech curses at them, whipping around and passing judgment with her nails, nearly taking one of her tormentor's eyes. But there were too many of them and they quickly restrained her, repeatedly dunking her head back into the punchbowl. And then, they slammed her head down too hard, striking the glass bowl at a bad angle with the side of Penny’s neck. Sharp, shattered edges sliced raggedly. The unholy gurgling sounds that followed as Penny struggled to breath through all of the-”
“Stop! Stop, enough. I get the picture,” I exclaimed as my stomach revolted in repulsion. I had learned better than to let her continue unabated.
“Sorry,” Zoe placated. “Anyway… After that night, they shut the school down. Then slowly, one by one, all of the girls that had tortured Penny died by their own hand or so they tell you. In whispers though, they called it the curse of Punchbowl Penny. They say that due to her horrible death, a piece of Penny’s soul still haunts these halls and under the right circumstances with some preparations, you can summon her for a judgment.”
“Oh, don’t tell me that you…” Her wide grin told me everything that I needed to know.
Emptying her backpack, Zoe retrieved several candles, a matchbox, two bottles and a large glass bowl. I sat silently while she lit the candles and dumped the contents of the bottles into the bowl. With a quick finger stir and a sweep of her hands, she was finished. Then, we waited. I attempted to ask if we needed to say something, but Zoe just shushed me with her hand. We waited a long time and nothing, until… Just as I felt a weight pulling down on my eyelids, movement jolted me away. Zoe pointed down at ripples within the contents of the bowl. Ripples slowly turned to bubbles and along with it came a horrible sound. A gurgling, intermittent gasping drone. An uneasiness in my stomach returned along with a growing sensation of dredd.
Unfazed and fascinated, Zoe leant down to get a closer look.
“What is tha-''
Interrupting her mid sentence, a hand reached up out of the bowl and tightly grasped her face. I jumped back, screaming. Unable to pull free, Zoe’s expression turned to terror as the thing’s fingers slowly felt around just below her eyes. Her words stuck into my head as I watched in horror as its nails pulled and tugged at the skin of her face… Judgment. But gradually, my perception changed as I sat staring frozen in fear. It seemed as if lost, disorientated and searching for some answer through this contact. Desperate to get free, Zoe let out a terrified, but muffled yelp. And then as if in reaction and just as quickly as it had reached out, the hand disappeared back into the liquid of the bowl. It moved as if dragged down back into its depths.
We exchanged a look, confirming that the sentiment was mutual before making our escape. I don’t remember if we even blew out the candles. In the months following, Zoe seemed to have lost her appetite for the supernatural. I think it’s for the best anyway, though I don’t think I’ll ever look at a punchbowl quite the same. These days, I think it’s best to let some things lie undisturbed.
