One summer, three middle school boys discovered a Ouija board in a trash bin outside a local apartment building. Tom, the oldest, was terribly cruel to the younger boy, Josh. He would often punch Josh jokingly in the arm, but so hard that it would bruise. Other times he would call Josh stupid or a "retard". The third boy, Chris, would avoid the abuse by remaining silent. Secretly Chris and Josh disliked Tom's behavior, but they tolerated it because they had no other friends.
That summer, the three boys took the discovered Ouija board to Tom's house where he was alone most of the time anyway. His father was always working, and his mom had passed away years earlier. As the three boys sat in the middle of the living room with their hands on the planchette, they became bored after twenty minutes of waiting. When they were just about to give up, the planchette budged. Finally it spelled out "G-E-T A-W-A-Y".
"Get away? I live here," Tom barked. The planchette started moving more briskly in a figure eight.
"N-O-W!"
"That's weird. I wonder what it means?" Chris said, glancing at Tom and Josh. He looked back at the board.
"Where should we go?" Chris asked.
"I-T H-U-R-T-S..."
"This is stupid," Tom said. He looked at Josh and Chris, "You guys are doing this..let's test it. Josh, let go"
Josh removed his hands from the planchette.
"Now ask it a question that only you will know," Tom ordered.
Josh immediately asked, "Who's the person who keeps hitting me?"
Tom gave Josh a nasty glare, but the planchette was already moving quickly.
"A-S-K T-O-M," it answered.
"This is stupid," Tom said.
"D-A-D," the board spelled.
"Huh?" Chris said, staring at the board. "I think this question is for Tom." He glanced up at Josh and they exchanged confused expressions.
"D-A-D," it spelled again. Tom's breathing started to race, his face turned red and sweat formed on his brow.
"D-A-D," it spelled a third time. Tom jumped up and ran from the room crying. It was the first time Josh and Chris had ever seen or heard Tom cry. They only learned a few days later that Tom's father routinely abused him. Somehow, the Ouija board knew Tom's innermost secret.