Ouija Cheat Sheet
Reem El Sabbagh, second-year cognitive science
The mother of one my friends told me about the time she was studying one night for a history exam the next day that she wasn’t prepared for. If she didn’t pass the exam, she would fail the course.
She took a study break and began playing with her Ouija board, which she had lately been using in the wake of her beloved grandfather’s death as a means of communicating with him. She summoned his spirit through the board and began telling him about the stress she was under, and out of pure whimsy, she decided to ask her grandfather for the answers to the exam. He told her that instead of giving her all the answers, he’d give her five, on the condition that she began practising better study habits. He gave her the answers, and she hurriedly scribbled them out on her palm.
All five answers turned out to be correct, and it was just enough that she passed the exam. From that day on, she promised herself she’d never slack again.
Apparitions of Belleville
Ryan Dubeau, first-year human rights and equity
I frequently see apparitions. I’m from Belleville, Ontario, which is a really old city with lots of history. I once saw the spirit of a man appear in my house dressed in 1920s garb. He just moved through my whole house and eventually disappeared.
Lots of people think those who see spirits are damned or anxious, but I see and feel spirits all the time, and I’ve come to the point that I just find them bothersome. I believe that people’s energy sticks to a place, but I also believe there’s nothing to be afraid of, because they don’t have a full intelligence, and thus can’t cause harm. I believe that people who aren’t in tune, or who choose to deny what those who are in tune say, are materialistic and unobservant, and care more about what happens on Facebook.
Ryan Dubeau, first-year human rights and equity
I frequently see apparitions. I’m from Belleville, Ontario, which is a really old city with lots of history. I once saw the spirit of a man appear in my house dressed in 1920s garb. He just moved through my whole house and eventually disappeared.
Lots of people think those who see spirits are damned or anxious, but I see and feel spirits all the time, and I’ve come to the point that I just find them bothersome. I believe that people’s energy sticks to a place, but I also believe there’s nothing to be afraid of, because they don’t have a full intelligence, and thus can’t cause harm. I believe that people who aren’t in tune, or who choose to deny what those who are in tune say, are materialistic and unobservant, and care more about what happens on Facebook.
The Man in Black
Tess Reid, fourth-year visual arts
In the last few weeks before my grandmother died, she was sick to the point of delirium and completely not herself. She was constantly having delusions, and on top of that, she couldn’t sleep. My family and I had to be with her 24/7, even overnight, so we divided our responsibilities into shifts. One night, I was taking an overnight shift with my mother.
While sitting by my grandmother’s bedside, my mother and I were getting spooked because she kept telling us there was a man dressed in black standing in her room. We figured it was another one of her delusions since these were common, but she kept pointing, just over the chest of drawers.
I walked over to the kitchen, which was just down the hall from my grandmother’s room, to fix myself a cup of tea. My mother joined me. From the kitchen, we could hear my grandmother talking about the man in black again.
Suddenly, my mother screamed beside me. I asked her what was wrong, and she pointed down the hall into my grandmother’s room. One of the drawers was ajar and neither of us, nor my grandmother, who could barely move, could have done the deed.
After my grandmother passed away, I did a bit of research on the “man in black.” I come from an Estonian background, and it turns out that in our culture, the man in black is a symbol of approaching death.
Tess Reid, fourth-year visual arts
In the last few weeks before my grandmother died, she was sick to the point of delirium and completely not herself. She was constantly having delusions, and on top of that, she couldn’t sleep. My family and I had to be with her 24/7, even overnight, so we divided our responsibilities into shifts. One night, I was taking an overnight shift with my mother.
While sitting by my grandmother’s bedside, my mother and I were getting spooked because she kept telling us there was a man dressed in black standing in her room. We figured it was another one of her delusions since these were common, but she kept pointing, just over the chest of drawers.
I walked over to the kitchen, which was just down the hall from my grandmother’s room, to fix myself a cup of tea. My mother joined me. From the kitchen, we could hear my grandmother talking about the man in black again.
Suddenly, my mother screamed beside me. I asked her what was wrong, and she pointed down the hall into my grandmother’s room. One of the drawers was ajar and neither of us, nor my grandmother, who could barely move, could have done the deed.
After my grandmother passed away, I did a bit of research on the “man in black.” I come from an Estonian background, and it turns out that in our culture, the man in black is a symbol of approaching death.
This is a story my fiance? told me. I’m from Milton, which is close to Mississauga, and there are a lot of creepy abandoned houses. We all knew about the Dalton House, a haunted, ritzy old mansion in Milton, and the story goes that a few years ago, the butler went nuts and killed the daughter of the estate. None of us had ever actually seen the house because there was a long driveway and the house was tucked in, but we recognized it when we passed it by a big set of beautiful gates, and the fact that it was on sale for at least three years with no offers.
My fiance? got in the car with his friends one night and decided to head over to the property just for fun and to test each others’ courage. As it turns out, my fiance? was the biggest pussy of them all—when he walked up the long driveway to the mansion, he looked up to the windows and saw the shadow of a little girl slowly pacing back and forth. He sprinted back to the car screaming.
My fiance? got in the car with his friends one night and decided to head over to the property just for fun and to test each others’ courage. As it turns out, my fiance? was the biggest pussy of them all—when he walked up the long driveway to the mansion, he looked up to the windows and saw the shadow of a little girl slowly pacing back and forth. He sprinted back to the car screaming.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Occult
Jackson Lee, second-year English
I used to live in Vancouver, British Columbia, and there was a highway nicknamed the “Highway of the Lost Souls” because a lot of hitchhikers went missing around that stretch. There’s a legend that one night, a guy and his girlfriend were driving along the highway, and they got into a heated argument. The boyfriend, partly out of rage and partly as a joke, decided to kick his girlfriend out of the car and leave her at the side of the road. He left her on the road and drove off for about 10 seconds before turning around to pick her back up. When he returned, she had been brutally hit by a car and was dead on his arrival.
The story goes that if you drive on that stretch of highway at night, you’ll see the ghost of a woman hitchhiker pacing around, her face mutilated and bruised and her clothes soaked in her own blood. If you’re driving along and you see her pacing back and forth, you must stop to let her cross the street. If you just keep driving, she’ll be offended and follow you home.
Jackson Lee, second-year English
I used to live in Vancouver, British Columbia, and there was a highway nicknamed the “Highway of the Lost Souls” because a lot of hitchhikers went missing around that stretch. There’s a legend that one night, a guy and his girlfriend were driving along the highway, and they got into a heated argument. The boyfriend, partly out of rage and partly as a joke, decided to kick his girlfriend out of the car and leave her at the side of the road. He left her on the road and drove off for about 10 seconds before turning around to pick her back up. When he returned, she had been brutally hit by a car and was dead on his arrival.
The story goes that if you drive on that stretch of highway at night, you’ll see the ghost of a woman hitchhiker pacing around, her face mutilated and bruised and her clothes soaked in her own blood. If you’re driving along and you see her pacing back and forth, you must stop to let her cross the street. If you just keep driving, she’ll be offended and follow you home.
Leslie Armstrong
Senior Staff
