Tucked away until October, Ouija boards appear every year around Halloween. Half the people who actually play are trying to prove the myths that ouija boards can actually talk to the paranormal. The smart people try to play tricks on their friends.

My most recent Halloween, I decided to do something actually scary for once in my life. I was never one to watch scary movies or anything because I used to believe in things paranormal. After I watched Annabelle, by force, I thought I could handle anything. I thought I wouldn’t scare easily, so I was confident when I agreed to play on a Ouija board in my friend’s basement — a stupid idea because the basement door is broken all the time.

Setting up in this dimly lit under room, my friend’s older sister, Elyse, her friend and I all sat around the board lined with salt. Apparently lining salt closes some spiritual porthole that opens when you use a Ouija board. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t afraid, most likely because I knew it wasn’t real. By the time we started, I still had no idea what I was doing. I expected the small, flat, heart shaped piece of wood to move on its own, so when I found out that we put our finger on the planchette while it moves, all of my suspicions dispersed. There’s no way people aren’t going to take an opportunity to mess with their friends.

“Is anyone here?” asked Elyse, trying to contact nothing. After she asked, nothing happened for several minutes, so she asked again. And again. Until finally the planchette started to slide across the grains and cardboard ending on D. The whole process was much slower than I anticipated. It took about 15 minutes to spell a whole word, but that word freaked them out so badly they sprinted to the door: demons. Pounding on the door, Elyse’s friend was screaming for help while Elyse scrambled to find another exit. I couldn’t help but laugh. They panicked like 10 year olds for 15 minutes, while I just sat and watched all of the panic.

After that, I should probably be terrified. Instead I think the opposite. I chose not to be manipulated isn’t thinking more than what’s real There’s no way, in my opinion, that some piece of plastic possesses some crazy properties. So this Halloween, I won’t make the same mistake. This year, instead of being the victim of the trick, I’ll know better.