Ouija: A True Story

Hey, my name is Jay and I'm 18 years old. Look, I'm sure there will be a lot of people who won't believe what I'm about to tell you, but no matter how crazy this sounds, no matter how out of this world it is: it's all true. This is a true story about something that happened to me last year. The only reason why I'm telling you this is so you don't make the same mistakes I did. Believe me when I tell you that you shouldn't fuck with them. I'm only going to tell you this once, so please listen to me here and now; do not try this at home. Take what you're about to read to heart and let it be a warning to you all.

It was maybe a year ago, sometime in October as cheesy as it seems, and I've always loved the occult; it was my thing, and being in a Pagan family made it even better for me — to be more precise, a Wiccan family, and I'm sure you can figure out that Wiccan is related to the word "witch." No, I can't turn you into a frog, I don't worship the devil, I don't fly on a broomstick, I'm not Harry Potter, and I don't have a pointy green nose with a pointy hat. I'm me, a normal kid.

All my friends know that I love the occult and that I was always reading about the most haunted areas around me to go visit and find some evidence, to see something. I'll admit I have seen some shit from the corner of my eye, but the story I'm telling you is on a whole other level; it's more then just seeing shadows in the dark. Out of the many years I've done this I've only had two pants-shitting experiences. This is number two (pun not intended). Another thing is that I've used a spirit board for a long time — for about ten years, give or take — and I've never had a problem using one. Nothing bad had ever happened, mostly because I knew the rules and the movie Ouija don't help the whole thing. So, I'm going to give you some rules just in case if you ever do decide to use a spirit board, which will most likely be a Ouija board.

1. Always say goodbye.

This is one thing that the movie got right. When you're using the board, you're opening a door way to another world. If you leave it open, who knows what kind of shit you're letting in?

2. Stay positive.

If all you're doing is letting good in, you're not going to get anything evil, like a demon, out. A good way of doing this is to imagine a light coming from your heart and surrounding you and anyone you're using it with. Keep the light, happy and positive. Don't let any of your negative emotions in. You need to feel safe and unafraid.

3. Respect the spirits.

Treat them like important guests and don't make fun of them. Ever. No ifs, ands, or, buts. That's it.

4. Do it somewhere where there's nothing negative.

So, if you're thinking of using a Ouija board in an abandoned building, a cemetery, or anywhere that is known to have negative spirits, don't even think about doing it.

5. Don't ask about your future.

Don't ask about yourself; don't even tell them your name. Ask about them and only them. That's how you stay in control of the conversation. Also, never ever ever ask how they died. It's fucked up and disrespectful.

6. Don't ask for it to show itself or its power.

That's like saying "hey! Come and take over my body! I don't know what or who you are, but OK!" Don't be that idiot, please, for you and your friends' safety.

Those are the six biggest rules. To open the door you don't have to chant or put your blood on it or any of that. All you really have to do is barely touch the planchette (pointer) and ask, "is anyone willing to speak with us?" One person should be in control of the questions. Also, it may take some time for the planchette to start moving; it could take up to hours. Some protection I recommend is salt, holy water, white or red candles, sage, and whatever religions sign you believe in. For example, if you're Christian, wear a cross around your neck. Incense works pretty well too.

My friends have always asked to use the board with me, so I decided to throw a Halloween party and we would use the board. That was the biggest mistake ever.

Everything went well, from planning the party up until we decided to use the Ouija board. I left my sister in charge of the board in the other room along with anyone else who wanted to join in. I, on the other hand, was with the others who did not want to use the board, which I respected, and we hung out. Every once in a while I would check in on everyone; an hour or so passed before I got a text from my sister.

"Get in here now" is what the text said. I panicked a little inside my head when I read that. I walked into the room as calmly as I could hold it and asked what was going on. My friend Robert, let's call him, said that the board was spelling out "F-U-C-K -Y-O-U."

At this point, as you're reading, I bet you're thinking that this is bullshit that I'm making this up, but this is what happened.

I laughed and said that we should all start eating the food and playing games. Everyone left the room, leaving my sister and I alone. The look on her face I will never forget. It's burned in my brain for life. It was the look of pure worry and fear.

My sister and I cleansed the house and went on with the party and everything went fine. Nothing happened until about two weeks later. I started to see shadows and hear three knocks on my door or my window or even the walls. For those of you who don't know, three is a very, very bad number. If your hear three knocks or see three scratches on you, it's something demonic and you need to get rid of it right way. I'd see tall black figures and black dogs from the corner of my eye. I'd even wake up with bruises and scratches on me, but the nightmares and terrors is what did it for me.

It took me a week to figure out how to get rid of it. I didn't want to tell my parents. I honestly regret it. I was home alone when I decided to cleanse the demon out of my house. I remember burning the sage and the chant. I'd tell it that it wasn't welcome here and it had to leave. It's fuzzy—I really don't remember a lot during the cleansing—but what I definitely remember is the worst pain I've ever had. I don't even know how to explain it. It burned really badly, to the point of blacking out. I remember waking up in a hospital bed with my mum, dad, and sister all sitting next to me. The doctors said it was a suicide attempt. I remember looking down at my left arm and it was wrapped up. Later on, when I could take off the bandages, that's when I saw it three deep claw marks going down my arm, one next to my vein. After all that, I spent three months in a place called uni, but my sister and I know the truth. It was that demon.

Now, I could tell you something like "it still follows me today," but that'd be a lie. When I came home from uni, the presence was gone. No more shadows, nightmares, dogs. It was all just gone. Even though this happened because of a Ouija board, I still use it even today and it's like nothing ever happened. I won't let fear control me and spirit boards are a big part of my life.