THE GHOSTS ARE OUT TONIGHT

THE GHOSTS ARE OUT TONIGHT

What a relief!

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I’d say it’s funny how some memories in our past never leave but sometimes, those memories aren’t very funny. Unless you have a weird sense of humor like me.

Back in 1975, my soon-to-be-ex decided to surprise me with a birthday gift. It sure was a surprise for two reasons. First, he’d stopped long before that even acknowledging my birthday and secondly, the gift was a Ouija board. Actually, there were three reasons, the third being that he knew very well how I felt about Ouija boards.

I looked at him and asked, “Seriously? You bought me this????”

“Aw, come on, don’t give me that look. It’s only a toy! I thought you could have some fun with it.”

I seriously wanted to toss out but he asked me to keep it. His preteen niece and nephew were coming to visit. “Maybe they’d like to have some fun.”

“You have no clue, do you? How many times, how many ways have I tried to explain how these things work?”

I knew it never mattered. He never believed me.

Jay, aged eleven, and his sister, Kate, aged nine, arrived the next afternoon. STBX (soon to be ex) peeled off the cellophane wrapping from the Ouija box and placed the board on the table.

He asked me to join in. I refused, still trying to get him to understand that this was NO toy. He still didn’t believe me.

After almost an intense argument ensued, I compromised. “Ok, I’ll do this for you, but only to prove myself right. Since you gave this to me, it is now dedicated to me. Unfortunately.”

Before I could continue, he commented, “Oh, here comes the drama!”

I also knew that whatever happened would be confined to the house. Lucky for Jay and Kate.

“Okay,” I looked at STBX and said, “Go stand near the kids. Here’s a pencil and pad. Write down what they tell you.”

After he settled near his sister’s children, I told the kids how to place their fingertips on the oracle. Then I asked, “Ouija, are you present?”

In a flash, the oracle sped to the word ‘yes.’

Jay yelled at his sister, “Kate, why’d you push that thing? We’re supposed to be still.”

Kate, whose eyes were opened wide, almost stuttered, “Jay, I never moved it. I thought you did.”

I looked at STBX and said, “Are you convinced yet?”

“The kids probably didn’t realize they moved it,” he said so confidently.

I sighed deeply with frustration.

“Okay, next question, then.” I looked at him, “More than likely, you won’t need the pencil and paper for this but, well, I’ll ask the question that only you and I could possibly know the answer to, then I’ll step into another room.”

Looking trepidatiously at the board, I said, “Hey Ouija, what is STBX’s badge number at his job?” (It was a 5-digit number and there’s no way Jay and Kate could have known it.)

I stepped out of the room and within five minutes, I heard him call me. “Holy, sh**. It answered. It pointed to each number – and in order!”

“Are you happy now? Are you thrilled that you’ve opened the window to the otherworld? More than likely, the Netherworld?”

“You and your spooky stuff. You’re always speaking like ghosts exist! Stop already!”

He no sooner had the words out of his mouth when a cabinet door opened and a dish came flying out, sailed quickly across the room and missed his head by a few inches.

“I grabbed the board, put it and its oracle back inside the box and secured it with heavy packing tape. Once secured, I tossed it on the back porch. But the fun didn’t end there. That was only the beginning.

While things kept going bump-in-the-night, so did our marriage. Two years later, STBX left. Too bad the ghosts he released didn’t follow him. What a treat that would have been. But unfortunately, they were attached to the house where it all began.

While I knew the reasoning behind the happenings, I had no idea why certain items were targeted. For instance, I had inherited six beautiful mint colored dinner plates from my grandmother. I had them in my China closet. One day after I’d come home from work, I heard what sounded like glass breaking. Sure enough! Four out of the six experienced shattering. No one was home but me.

It became quite common to hear conversations between a man and a woman when no one was there. Although I could not distinguish their words, the pitch of their voices was noticeably clear. They argued about something but quieted as soon as a baby began to cry. And no, I had no babies in the house.

Every night it was the same: strange noises, water faucets turning on and off, lights flickering, the sound of someone driving nails into wood (that sound came from the basement), someone humming, sometimes singing, voices arguing, oh and let’s not forget doors opening and closing at will. All too often, things would go missing.

I guess you’re wondering why I never moved. While there were certain moments that would scare the bejesus out of me, most often, I was only amused, and after all, there was one day each year, my house was quiet. Almost as if the ghosts went out to play.

Can you guess what day that was?

HALLOWEEN!!

Yep, Halloween, that’s when the house would return to normal and I’d look around and wonder, “Are The Ghosts Out Tonight?”