"What's a Ouija Board?" asked Tom.

"A fun game," answered Colin. "We can ask it questions, and it will answer and tell us what to do. Look! It's easy." He set the box in the middle of the floor and opened it. Then he pulled out a shiny glass object the size of half a peach. The bottom was smooth and flat, the top rounded. "This is a great pointer."

"Pointer? How can a circle be a pointer?"

"You'll see. Some Ouija boards just have a triangle-shaped piece of wood with a hole in the center. I like this round one better." He handed it to Tom.

"It feels good," said Tom, letting the rounded side fill his hand. "But it sure is heavy."

Tom put the little glass piece on the wooden board. "It slides so easily," he said, moving the smooth flatness of the glass slowly across the shiny polish of the board. He admired the colorful numbers and letters that circled the center of the large surface.

"It's beautiful," he whispered.

"We have one just like this at home," said Colin proudly. "I play it all the time."
"How does it work?" asked Peter.

"I'll show you. What question do you want to ask it?"

"If your board is so smart, ask it how we can get home," said Peter.

"It's better to start with a yes or no question," explained Colin. "Like 'Should we continue through this tunnel?'"

"Okay, that's a good one. Ask it," said Peter.

"Come on. Give me a break," said Tom. This beautiful game must be just another one of the Baron's tricks. "A game is going to tell us how to get home? It doesn't have a brain".

"I'll show you how it works. Here we go," said Colin, ignoring Tom's remark. "First we meditate together and ask the spirits to speak to us."

"The spirits?" Tom was sure the King wouldn't like this game--or those spirits. At the same time, he was curious. Maybe the board could help them find the way.

"Are you getting all wimpy again?" teased Colin. "This game is okay. I know it is. Remember, I've played it a lot. It has magical power! You'll see." He crossed his legs under him, lifted up his hands, pressed his palms together and closed his eyes.

Tom felt even more uncomfortable when Colin began to speak words that sounded like a prayer. Who was he praying to? Surely not just to the Ouija Board. It couldn't hear anything.

Colin stopped his spooky meditation. "When I ask the question, we'll all put our fingertips on the glass. Don't press on it or push it. It will move by its own power. Then it'll stop on top of the letters that spell the answer. Ready?"

"Cool!" said Peter as he rested his fingertips on the pointer. Tom hesitated, then he slowly touched the pointer with his fingers.

"Okay, here's the question. Should we continue through this tunnel?"

For a moment nothing happened. Then Tom felt a strange sensation. The crystal moved. Was it alive? Tom didn't think anyone was pushing it. In fact, he had tried to stop it--just to see what would happen, but he couldn't even slow it down. It obviously had a force of its own.

"See it stopped on Y. I know what the answer is," shouted Colin. "Keep your fingers on it. It'll move again."

Sure enough. the pointer kept moving. It stopped by the E, then went on to the S.
"See? It works!" Colin sounded triumphant. "What do you want to ask next?"

Tom felt a growing sense of danger. "Put it away," he started. "This force is not the power of the Kingdom. I'm getting out of here."

Peter frowned. "Aw, come on, Tom. Don't be a bad sport. There's nothing wrong with this game."

 
Colin agreed. "Yea, there's nothing dangerous here, Tom. Don't quit."

"Two against one, Tom," said Peter. "We're asking some more questions."

"Here's one," said Colin. "Where will this tunnel end?"

"But that's not a 'yes' or 'no' question."

"That's all right. It could be a short answer."

Tom didn't want to know the pointer's answer. He turned and walked back outside to the ladder and sat down on the lowest rung. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was better than being inside with that crazy game. Sasha seemed to like it better outside too. She licked his hand. At least he still had one friend left.

Tom looked up at the sky. It had stopped raining, and the sun was coming out. The patches of blue sky reminded him of the King. He wished he could talk with Him. Just to know what to do. He began to review the parts of the King's armor that he remembered-- the Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness, then something about Peace... That was all he could remember. But he felt better already. Almost like when the King smiled to him.

 

"Thank you, King," he whispered.

 

When Tom walked back inside, Colin was just putting the game back on the shelf.

"We're ready to go," said Peter.

"I don't think we should go this way," said Tom.

"We're going anyway," answered Peter. "But you can go back the way we came, if you like. I want to do what the Ouija Board said. It knows more than we do."

"I don't trust that piece of glass," said Tom. But Colin and Peter weren't listening.

 So what should he do? Should he stay with Peter even though his friend was making a bad choice? He thought so. Besides, going back alone would be scary.
 

Colin was filling his pockets with peanuts. "Come and get some," he said. "This stuff is here to feed hungry travelers like us."

Peter and Tom quickly stuffed their pockets. I'm not sure this is right either, thought Tom. But we can't go on without it. We'd starve to death.
 

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