PRESENTS

By Jessie Klearman

On her tenth birthday, instead of inviting over friends or kids from school, Lena finds a way to get her mom's old high school friends over, and tricks them all into doing a seance in order to learn more about her dad, who died before she was born. As they ask the ouija board for help, the old friends share stories of their last night with her dad, Nick, and we see them through flashbacks. In the end, Lena's mom reveals a difficult truth to hear, that helps explain why she never talks about Nick and there is hope that Lena can learn about her dad in a less dramatic way, and growth in the mother/daughter relationship.