The Message

The Ouija board has always been an enigma to me. I've heard of people fascinated by its machination, others fearful of it. It is this spectrum of beliefs that has motivated me to enroach upon the subject of the Ouija board.
*For those who do not know what an Ouija board is, it is merely a device used to contact spirits ... apparently. It consists of letters, numbers and a small spinning arrow like 'thing' in the center which supposedly points at certain letters or numbers when a spirit is communicating (planchette).

            It was three days before the start of October when Bobby got around to buying an Ouija board- something he’d always wanted. The idea of communicating with spirits always fascinated him. He lived alone in a modest, one bedroom apartment that he was able to afford with his job as a salesperson at the local bookstore. For a person who lived alone, his apartment was far from what one might expect; his walls were adorned with pictures of family and friends as if they all lived here.

Bobby’s bedroom was a small but comfortable little haven.  In it, there was a closet situated next to the window that afforded Bobby a splendid view of the majestic maple trees that seemed to be prevalent in his neighbourhood. Near the door was a wooden bed that Bobby called home for seven hours every night.

When Bobby brought his Ouija board into his apartment, he immediately felt a sense of excitement. He had questions and he hoped the spirits could give him answers- that is if the Ouija board worked. The Ouija board was a wooden, black masterpiece with the letters and numbers carved in white.  The planchette in the center was a light brown piece that was clearly worn down with age. In each corner of the Ouija board was an odd symbol that Bobby didn’t recognize, yet the symbols gave the board the appearance of being an antique and the scratches sprawled across the board, enhanced its appearance to that of a relic.

 He switched off every light in the house and went to the dining table with his Ouija board.  He placed the Ouija board on the table and lit three candles and placed them behind the Ouija board, the shadows of the flames dancing eerily.  He took a deep breath, whereupon he sat down and placed his hand on the planchette. “I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will,” said Bobby quivering with anticipation.

There was no answer.

“I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will,” he implored again.

Again, there was no answer.

“I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will,” he said sadly for a third time.

This time there was a response. The planchette moved from letter to letter spelling out a message for Bobby. Go to the bedroom. Turn on the lights. Turn off the lights. Turn on the lights. Look under the bed. Look out the window.

“Spirit, who are you and why should I listen to you?” whispered Bobby. The planchette did not move.

“Spirit, who are you and why should I listen to you?” Again the planchette did not move.

“Spirit, who are you and why should I listen to you?” Still the planchette lay still. Bobby was joyous that a spirit had communicated with him but it had left him with instructions that seemed to have no purpose. Nevertheless intrigued, he went towards his bedroom, turned on the lights, then turned them off and then on again. He looked under the bed half-expecting to see something under there but there was nothing. He then looked out the window but saw nothing but the night sky covered by the light of the stars.

He had done what the spirit had asked, but nothing had come of it. Puzzled, he went to bed, intent on using the Ouija board again. After work the next day, he immediately went to his apartment to fiddle with the Ouija board. Once again he lit three candles behind the board and switched off every light in the house. He came back to the table, placed his hand on the planchette like the night before and again implored a spirit to speak to him. “I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will.” The planchette lay still.

“I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will.”

There was no answer.

“I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will,”

This time the planchette moved and it spelled out the message of the spirit communicating with Bobby. Go to the bedroom. Turn on the lights. Turn off the lights. Turn on the lights. Look under the bed. Look out the window.

Bobby was surprised. He thought spiritual contact through an Ouija board was random but this was clearly the spirit from yesterday contacting him again. This time, he did not waste any time in questioning the spirit. He decided to follow the spirit’s instructions immediately, hoping that it would be less reluctant than yesterday to continue communicating with him.

He went to the bedroom, turned on the lights, then turned it off and then on again. He glanced under the bed and out the window and ran back to the table. He placed his hand on the planchette, his heart thudding furiously. “I have followed your instructions, spirit. Why did you ask me to follow these commands?”

The planchette did not move.

“I have followed your instructions, spirit. Why did you ask me to follow these commands?”

Again, the planchette did not move.

“I have followed your instructions, spirit. Why did you ask me to follow these commands?”

Still no answer.

Frustrated, Bobby went to bed, determined to contact the spirit the next night.

Later the next night Bobby set up the Ouija board, placed three lit candles behind it and switched off all the lights. He placed his hand on the planchette, hoping the spirit would communicate with him. “I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will,” he said slowly.

“I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will.”

Still no answer.

“I wish to summon a spirit who will bear me no ill will.”

This time the planchette moved and a message appeared on the board. Go to the bedroom. Turn on the lights. Turn off the lights. Turn on the lights. Look under the bed. Look out the window. Look in the closet. Good night.

Bobby went to his bedroom, switched on the lights, switched off the lights and switched it on again. He looked under the bed and glanced out the window. He then approached the closet and opened its door. It was filled with his clothes but there was nothing there.

Suddenly a man stepped out of the closet, grinning wickedly. “Good night,” he said and then the lights went out.

When Bobby didn’t show for work the next day, his manager called the police.  The police went into his apartment but there was no sign of Bobby. They found Bobby’s Ouija board on the table but thought nothing of it. Perplexed, the police left the apartment, securing it with yellow crime scene tape. As the police officers headed towards the lobby of the apartment, a Detective Morton realized he had left his cell phone on the dining table in Bobby’s apartment. He went back to the apartment and retrieved his cell phone. As he was about to walk away from the dining table, the planchette began to move of its own volition. It spelt out a chilling message, “I’m Bobby. Help me.”

Detective Morton stared at the Ouija board in disbelief. He didn’t believe in ghosts and spirits- let alone communicating with them. Nevertheless he couldn’t deny what he had seen. He trembled nervously, unsure of what to do. He quickly decided that the best thing he could do was to get out of there. As he started to move, another message appeared on the Ouija board, “He’s in the closet.”