Ouija

You never know who you're talking to...

They say that you should never play with a ouija board. Nothing good can come from it, because you can never really be sure who is talking to you from the other side.

Ouija boards are also called spirit boards, and they are used to communicate with the dead. A lot of people avoid ouija boards at all costs, but there are some that enjoy the thrill of them. 

There are only two parts of the ouija board: the board itself, and the planchette, which is what moves around the board to determine what the spirit is saying.

The Rules

There are, of course, rules that you must follow when using a ouija board. 

You always move the planchette to 'Goodbye' after every question. If you don't, there is a chance that something can make its way out of the board. 

You also shouldn't use the board in your home (I have broken this rule). 

Another rule is that you shouldn't let the planchette count down through the numbers. This means that there is a evil spirit, and they are trying to escape from the board.

Personal Experiences

I've never had anything terrible happen to me as the result of using a ouija board. I have had one for many years, but I've only used it a handful of times. I never try to use the board alone... I always make sure that someone else is with me. 

It is a strange experience to use a ouija board, especially because other people are with you. We ask basic questions (Is there someone with us? How did you die? What is your name?). Whenever the planchette starts to move, it never makes much sense. The words that it is spelling out seem like gibberish. 

Because of this, it is difficult to say whether the board actually works. It could be that someone in your group, whether willingly or not, is pushing the planchette gently. 

However, there have been times when I've used a ouija board with friends, and doubted their honesty. I was convinced that someone was moving the planchette, that there was nothing really there. I asked my friends to take their fingers off of the planchette, with mine the only one touching it. The planchette continued to move.

Thoughts 

I don't know if ouija boards actually work. I would like to think that they do, although the thought is terrifying. From my experiences with it, it is hard to say. At times I have felt like something was there with us, and other times nothing would happen. 

I have tried to follow the rules of the board, but even still, I  know that using the board can be dangerous. Somehow, knowing that it is dangerous is part of the thrill of using it.

Other links 
Ouija Board Rules
The Ghost Walks News
Thought Catalog's Ouija Board Stories

The Trails to Dead Man's Hollow

The woods can be a dangerous place...

Not far from where I live, there is an area in the woods that they call Dead Man's Hollow. The area itself is peaceful, but its name says otherwise. It's along the trails near McKeesport, Pennsylvania. I can reach it by walking through the woods behind my sister's house. 

It's a wooded area now, but years ago there used to be factories on the spot. Today, all that's left of those factories are ruins. You can explore these, but you must be careful of where you step.

 

The Hollow's History 

 

They say that Dead Man's Hollow got its name from exactly that: dead men. In 1874, a man was found hanging from a tree in the hollow. Other reports say that a gunfight took place here, the results of a robbery gone wrong. 

Murder isn't the only problem at Dead Man's Hollow. Other incidents have occurred there, such as a fire. One of the factories in the hollow, The Bowman Brick Factory, burned down in 1898.

A Friend's Story

 

A girl that I knew told me about some of the strange things that have happened to there. She said that she was wearing a cross around her neck, when out of nowhere it was pulled up into the air, slightly choking her. Others say that you can hear unexplained noises in the hollow. 

In Dead Man's Hollow, looks can be deceiving. The tranquility of the hollow masks its darker past. The hollow is most likely haunted by some unknown spirit, trapped there by a long-forgotten fight, but the beauty of the place makes you look the other way.

I have yet to experience anything in Dead Man's Hollow other than the calming presence of nature. It's strange to think that a place that has had such a terrible past can be calming. That's all part of the charm of the place. Even though I have not had a ghost encounter here yet, I am hoping to change that.

 

Related Links:

Allegheny Land Trust

Dead Man's Hollow 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Friend's Ghost

I am not the only one with ghostly encounters. It is a topic that my friend and I bring up frequently. We exchange stories, listening to all of the weird things that happen to each other. Today I am going to tell you one of her ghost stories. 

The Knock at the Door

Her uncle died about two years ago, and at the time, he had been living with her and her mother. They were very close, and his death weighed down on her. 

Several months after his death, she was at home by herself, talking on the phone with her aunt. They were deep in conversation, and out nowhere, someone started knocking on her bedroom door.
It startled her, because she had assumed that she was home alone. She thought that her mother had come home, so she opened the door. Of course, there was nobody there.

She looked around her mother's room, down the stairs, the living room, the kitchen, but no one was there. She was still by herself. 

She wasn't too panicked by this strange occurrence. She had a feeling that it was her uncle, trying to contact her from the other side.