  Horror/Scary
This week: Edited by: zwisis
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My lords, in an unlucky moment we put together out of laurel twigs in the shape of the Delphic tripod the hapless little table before you. We consecrated it with cryptic spells and a long series of magical rites, and at last made it work. The way in which it did so, when we wished to consult it about hidden matters, was this. It was placed in the middle of a room thoroughly fumigated with spices from Arabia, and was covered with a round dish made from the alloys of various metals. The outer rim of the dish was cunningly engraved with the twenty-four letters of the alphabet separated by accurate intervals. A man dressed in linen garments and wearing linen sandals, with a fillet around his head and green twigs from a lucky tree in his hand, officiated as priest. After uttering a set prayer to invoke the divine power which presides over prophecy, he took his place above the tripod as his knowledge of the proper ritual had taught him, and set swinging a ring suspended by a very fine cotton thread which had been consecrated by a mystic formula. The ring, moving in a series of jumps over the marked spaces, came to rest on particular letters, which made up hexameters appropriate to the questions put and in perfect scansion and rhythm, like the lines produced at Delphi or by the oracle of the Branchidae.
Ammianus Marcellinus' “The Later Roman Empire” (A.D. 354-378).
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The object described in the introductory paragraph to this newsletter was designed by two young men named Patricius and Hilarius. It took the form of a dish, upon which were carved different symbols and letters. A pendulum suspended over the dish would stop over specific symbols, and was supposed to be a message from the dead.
So was this a predecessor of today’s ouija board?
There are different theories about Ouija board history. An old name for Ouija board is "talking boards." The Ouija board may have originated from the fabled Moroccan city Ouija also spelled Oujida or Oudjda. It’s also thought the word ouija is a combination of the French oui and German ja – both words mean “yes”. One of the original designers of the modern board claimed the board told him ouija means “good luck” in Ancient Egyptian. However the word does not exist in that language.
Throughout history man has been obsessed with his mortality, fascinated by what lies beyond this life. The ouija board is probably the most famous tool used for communication with the dead, and it seems to have been around for centuries. In China there are records dating from 1,200 BC, claiming ouija instruments were frequently used in written communications with the dead, while 13th century Mongols were said to use a table and “rapping noises” for the same purpose. In 540 BC the Greek philosopher Pythagoras and his sect held frequent séances or circles at which 'a mystic table, moving on wheels, moved towards signs. Pythagoras and his pupil supposedly interpreted the board’s actions to the audience, describing them as revelations from the unseen world. The results were compiled into an “Apocrypha” (meaning “those having been hidden away – a book of uncertain authorship.
Today’s ouija board was designed in Baltimore in 1892 by Elija J Bond and William Fuld, when the boards became popular for use in “parlour games”. It’s a refined version of one invented in 1853 by French spiritualist Monsieur Planchette. The earlier board was a large piece of paper with a two wheeled heartshaped wedge which had a pencil attached to one end. Today’s board is inscribed with numbers and letters, and the wedge is now called a “planchette”.
The layout of the ouija board varies slightly from country to country. The original and most popular layout places the “yes” at the top of the circle and the “no” at the bottom. The letters are placed in a circle starting with the letter A next to the word yes and continuing around until the letter Z ends up on the other side of the word “yes”. The ten numbers from one to zero are placed at the bottom next to the “no”. The ouija board usually requires a minimum of two people to operate it. It is very rare that one person has the power to operate the board.
Ouija boards have become an iconic part of culture, and have features in a number of books and films. Their roles vary from being a benign object to an evil entity. A more peculiar role of talking boards in literature stems from authors using the board to channel written works from the deceased:
 Pearl Curren held public séances, and claimed her ouija board allowed her to communicate with the spirit of Patience Worth, resulting in Curren publishing a number of poems and prose.
Sylvia Plath’s poem “Dialogue over a Ouija Board” incorporates the text of one of the sessions she held with her husband using a ouija board.
Emily Hutchings claimed in 1917 she had communicated with Mark Twain, who dictated a book she wrote through the ouija board. Twain’s descendents halted publication of the book through the courts, which was later said to be so badly written it could not have been written by Twain – dead or alive.
James Merrill used messages he claimed he obtained from various deceased people while using a ouija board in his poetry “The Changing Light at Sandover”.
John Fuller worked with a spirit medium while researching his book “The Ghost of Flight 401”, which was about a flight which crashed into the Everglades en route to Miami. They claim they contacted the flight engineer through the board, and the information obtained was not known to either him or the medium.
Writer GK Chesterton used a Ouija board to try and break a period of skepticism and depression. His experiments with the item launched his interest in the occult.
Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous used a Ouija board to contact spirits. His wife claimed he would receive messages directly without using the board. For a while, his participation in AA was deeply affected by his involvement with the Ouija board. Wilson claimed he received the twelve step method directly from a spirit without the board and wrote it down.
Although ouija boards are considered harmless toys to many people they are a force for evil, opening a door for demons and other malevolent entities to enter our world and create havoc or even destroy a person. Next month issue will feature personal experiences from people who have used the ouija board…
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This story is about my frightning experience with a
ouija board.
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Involvement with an ancient Ouija Board opens a door intended to remain closed...
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schipperke
Excellent newsletter, Sarah. As a child, my Grandfather told us 'true' scary stories. We loved them. Some children are more 'sensitive' than others; my sister and I could actually make our younger cousin throw up after telling him horror stories we made up!
Adult horror was one of the first genres I read as a child (there was no children's horror except for fairy tales) and I loved it. Still can't write it though  but you have inspired me to try to write a children's horror story.
All the research I did for these two editorials proved just how challenging horror writing for children can be, and I think the “political correctness” factor doesn’t help. But if you get it right, then the sky’s the limit!
Erik Stark
Sarah,
I really enjoyed this newsletter. Now, if I could firstly write a short story, and then a horror one, I might consider trying to do something as difficult as writing horror appropriately for children. Someday maybe. Anyway, I missed the first part - I'll have to go back and read it now. Excellent advice and you obviously studied and researched the subject very well. Kept me interested and agreeing with the logic of what you were imparting. I'm sure this is sage advice for anyone on the path to writing children's horror. Thanks for the great informative read. 
Erik
Thank you for the support and encouragement! You should try the horror genre – while it is a challenging genre it is one of the most popular forms of fiction. Plus there’s a lot of influence to be gained from real life…
AliceNgoreland
Thank you so much for featuring our contest "Stuck by Lightening". We work hard to keep it going.
I hope you all stop by and read what people have written. It is amazing what they come up with.
And I hope that many of will try your hand at telling a tale. I would love to give it a read.
I’ve looked at the contest and the winning entries. Thank you for hosting such a great contest and encouraging so many writers to enter
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Horror/Scary: March 19, 2008 Issue [#2270]
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