0143129724 (OM) by Robert Damon Schneck

Author:Robert Damon Schneck [Schneck, Robert Damon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-05-12T10:23:05+00:00

8

THE BYE BYE MAN

Wisconsin, 1990

This story is different from all the others in this book. First, the source is a close friend. Second, though this might sound dramatic, readers who are genuinely frightened by the paranormal or troubled by obsessive thoughts should consider skipping this chapter.

“Sit opposite your partner and rest your fingers lightly on the glowing planchette. Now ask your question. Concentrate very hard . . . and watch as the answer is revealed in the message window. Will it tell you YES . . . or NO? Will it give you a NUMBER . . . or SPELL out the answer?

“Ask any question you want. Ouija will answer.

“It’s only a game—isn’t it?”

Those are the words printed on a Ouija board box.

Though it is packaged and sold as a game, the Ouija board was developed as an improved method of “communication between the material and spirit world.”1 Practitioners consult the boards for many reasons: to learn the future, find lost objects, or get advice, but its purpose is to talk with spirits, and it is spirits that are supposed to provide the answers. Whether this is actually what happens is a subject for debate, but it adds an element of mystery and danger to using the Ouija board that no other game can equal. You can play all the Parcheesi you want without having to worry about demonic possession, and if you throw Monopoly into a fire, it won’t scream the way Ouija supposedly does.

Most people who use the board will have a harmless, slightly spooky, experience that they will enjoy. There are stories, however, of ghostly phenomena occuring when the board is used: strange raps, apparitions, pointers moving on their own and even spelling out threats. Many of these happen during slumber parties and are reported by pre-adolescent girls who have scared each other into hysterics. (Note the sample questions printed on the box: “Will I star in my own music video?” “Does Taylor like me?” The manufacturers know who’s buying their product.) Older more sober witnesses have also had disturbing experiences and the subject of this chapter is an example of the latter. To put it into context, however, let’s begin with the Ouija board itself.

O-U-I-J-A

The Ouija board comes in two pieces: the pointer, or “planchette” that moves, and the board that it moves across. The board is rectangular with a smooth surface and has the words “YES” and “NO” printed along the top, and the trademarked name “OUIJA, MYSTIFYING ORACLE” between them. The letters of the alphabet are arranged in two rows, followed by the numbers 0 to 9 and “GOOD BYE” at the bottom. The corners are decorated with black billowing clouds, a smiling sun, moon, star, and a séance scene.

The pointer is a heart-shaped platform with a porthole in the center. It sits on three short legs, and slides across the board choosing numbers or letters in response to questions. The letter that appears in the porthole is the one that’s supposed to be chosen, though some people, or spirits, prefer using the pointed tip of the planchette.

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