Behind the Checkmarks

Part of this whole tag thing is the fact that you really have to explain some of these check marked boxes. So a good friend of mine wants the explanation behind the Ouija Board check.

 

I was in the Army for seven years.  My first station was a little bird dropping in the middle of the desert called White Sands Missile Range.  My ex-wife and I were throwing a Halloween party.  One of the guys in the platoon was . . . . I guess he was basically a Satan worshipper or something, or else he just tried to do everything he could to promote that sort of evil impression of him because for the most part he was a loner anyway.  But he had a copy of the Book of the Dead.  And claimed that he had some sort of female demon that wanted his soul or something.  I don't remember the exact story.  He pissed her off in some manner.  So we're sitting on a gate on midnight shift in the middle of BFE (Bum Fuck Egypt aka The Middle of Nowhere) talking about it, and the upcoming Halloween party, and he has this book with him, so knowing full well from personal hardcore proof (to me) that God exists, and therefore Satan must exist, and also believing in ghosts and other paranormal manifestations, I get really flaming ignorant and decide with him to read part of the book in the gate shack, and then invite this demon bitch to the party.

We ended up laughing it off at the time.  So the party came, and a LOT of people were there, and about 12 of us decided to have a séance.  I pulled out that stupid book and read out loud from it again, then we all joined hands, and just started concentrating on opening a gate.  The details are a little fuzzy, 17 or so years removed, but my Staff Sergeant started tensing up, sort of arched his back, mumbled, and then broke the circle.  I have always wondered to this day whether it was all  a practical joke by these guys, but there were too many people in on it.  And in the three years that I was there, I would have heard something, and this SSG wasn't someone to play like that. 

>>If you are wondering about the Ouija board, it was sort of an anticlimax to everything else that happened, but the rest of the story is, I believe, more entertaining.<<

He said he felt something really weird, like coming from the ceiling of the garage.  People around the circle closest to him claimed to feel the air grow colder, and hear . . . rustlings from the ceiling.  The SSG looked a little white, and a couple of people in that circle had a look of fear behind the bravado.  I was directly opposite of him in the circle, watching everything very closely, but was untouched.  To this day I know that I, at least, was protected.  Don't know how you readers feel about that subject, but at heart I'm a Christian and my faith was certainly stronger than any of those guys in there.  I was protected, and felt nothing. 

We started again.  Only moments later, SSG goes rigid, eyes closed, like he's struggling against something.  I'm talking at this point, telling everyone to hold the circle, no matter what happened, don't break it.  Are you kidding me?  I was pulling that crap out my A$$.  But somehow it felt right.  So about this point, Gatewood pretty much decides that . . .  I think it was Alexandria... has decided to take us up on the invitation.  He speaks out, Who are you.  SSG is now pretty much writhing.  Even in the low light, I can see the clenched hands, and those next to him holding on hard.  Gatewood asks What do you want.  More tense struggling, and then in a fucking voice that could not have possibly come from SSG, he yells "GATEWOOD!".  At this point I'm telling everyone loudly to close whatever door we imagined we opened, and shortly, SSG relaxes, and we break the circle.  There was this sarcastic little prick in there that was always starting shit, basically an adult bully, who thought he was ALL THAT.  He stands up, says I'm OUT, and practically runs out.  It speaks volumes that no one in that room, having finally seen this little prick crack, said a thing.  SSG says he's done for the night, and walks out with his arm trailing along the garage wall for support. 

That bonehead Gatewood decides he's done for the night, too.  Maybe he didn't believe it fully before, but he doesn't look so unconcerned about Alexandria anymore. The rest of us still there look around, try to talk about it, then come to some kind of unwritten consensus that whatever happened was better left without further discussion, and let's all just play it off and tell a scary version of it that no one will believe, anyway. 

After a few drinks, we decided to play with the Ouija board that I had bought for the occasion.  Someone got in contact with some kid named Pio, who told him he was getting some money.  We didn't do much after that.  The Ouija thing seemed like an absurd little joke after what. . . . happened. 

My best friend at the time had a wife who was a white witch.  Yes, for some reason I met two white witches at that single post.  Anyway, she was really pissed off about what went on.  She went out in the garage for a few minutes with some water and dishes and salt and olive oil and "cleared the garage".  That Ouija board was in the garage when she cleared it.  It NEVER worked again.

 

Happy Halloween

Michael