Previously: The Veronica Game.
Note: Please don’t copy/paste or republish the text of this post on other websites without permission.
I’ll be honest: The ritual game known as The Wall is… kind of weird. It’s not totally clear what you’re summoning (is it a ghost… cat? A demon cat? Something else entirely?); there are a lot of holes in the rules; and there’s no reward or prize for playing it — it’s one of those “for the thrill of it” dares or challenges. If you’re into games like the Candles Game, though, it might appeal to you; it’s got a similar type of setup.
As far as I know, The Wall first found its way to the internet via Reddit in the 2013; Redditor r/Aeuma posted it both to r/NoSleep and r/ThreeKings on June 11 of that year. It then found its way to the short-lived Tumblr GYSNP about two and a half weeks later on June 28 before resurfacing in translation on some Indonesian and Malaysian sites in 2016. All of these successive versions attempted to plug some of the holes in the Reddit version with varying degrees of success, so consider the version of the game seen here at TGIMM another attempt to add to the mix.
[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]
The holes do remain a curiosity, though, largely because r/Aeuma added an edit to the version they posted on r/ThreeKings after its initial publication: “I was recently asked for more information on this,” they wrote. “I don’t really feel comfortable telling EVERYONE about it, so I won’t, but you should know that there’s more to this game (both as for gameplay and background) that I left out, for safety’s sake.” I’m not sure whether that’s actually true — that they purposefully omitted key information “for safety’s sake” — or if it’s just an attempt to spackle over some lazy writing. To me, the missing information doesn’t seem like, say, the omission of the incantation in Lights Out, which actually does prevent the ritual from succeeding; as such, I’m… skeptical that the motivation for leaving it out was truly safety. Still, though, it’s a possibility all the same.
As always, play at your own risk.
Players:
- One principal.
- One partner.
Requirements:
- One wooden, plastic, or metal stool.
- One small ceramic or glass bowl or dish.
- Enough water to fill the bowl or dish.
- A sharp object. A knife is ideal. Sterilize it before use.
- A large, quiet room with at least one blank wall (e.g. a wall that has no windows or doors set into it, pictures hung from it, or other objects or fixtures attached to it). Ideally, the room should be completely empty.
- At least five cat food kibbles. For an easier game, use a greater number of kibbles. For a harder game, use fewer. Do not use an even number of kibbles.
- Cups. These cups should be opaque. Use twice the number of cups as you have kibbles.
- A timekeeping device.
- Knowledge of a language other than your primary one.
Instructions:
The Prelude:
- Begin at any time.
- Bring the stool, bowl or dish, and sharp object to the quiet room.
- Position the stool two to three feet away from the blank wall.
- Place the bowl or dish on top of the stool.
- Place the sharp object within easy reach of the stool.
- Leave the room.
- Have your partner bring the water, cups, and kibbles to the quiet room.
- Your partner should then fill the bowl or dish with water, place the cups upside down on the floor all over the room, and hide the kibbles underneath the cups. There should be no more than one kibble per cup. Half the cups will remain empty.
- When your partner is finished, they should leave the room.
- Clear the entire building of all people and pets, including yourself and your partner. Do not return until six hours have passed.
The Main Event:
- After six hours have passed, return to the building. Enter the quiet room alone.
- Examine the bowl or dish.
- If it is still filled with water: Do not proceed. The ritual has failed to begin. Gather up your supplies and try again another time.
- If it is filled with something other than water: DO NOT PROCEED. The ritual has failed. Pick up the sharp object, cut your hand with it, and allow the blood to flow into the bowl or dish. Then, break the bowl or dish. Vacate the premises, taking the pieces of the bowl or dish with you, and do not return for at least 24 hours. Dispose of the shattered bowl or dish. You may try again another time.
- If it is empty: The ritual has been successfully begun. You may proceed.
- Approach the blank wall and stand with your back against it. You should be facing the stool holding the bowl or dish.
- Speak the following words aloud in a language that is not the language you primarily speak: “The Wall runs to me, and I feed it.” You MUST use a second language. Do NOT use your primary language.
- Step away from the wall. Do NOT look at the wall at ANY POINT from this moment forward.
- Begin traveling throughout the room, picking up the cups and checking underneath them as you go.
- If the cup is empty: Return the cup to the floor, making sure to place it upside down. Continue checking the other cups. Do not check this cup again.
- If the cup contains a kibble: Pick the kibble up. Return the cup to floor, upside down. Bring the kibble to the stool and deposit it in the bowl or dish. Do not check this cup again.
- NOTE: You are NOT the only one attempting to find the kibbles.
- If you notice a cup beginning to move, and you are not the one moving it, you may physically hold the cup in place to prevent it from being tipped over. Be prepared to put some muscle into it; hold steady until your opponent loses interest. When your opponent has moved on, you may release the cup.
- However, if the moving cup tips over before you reach it, DO NOT APPROACH. If there is a kibble beneath the cup, allow it to be eaten. Do NOT attempt to stop your opponent from eating the kibble.
The Ending:
- Continue in this fashion until all of the kibbles have either been found and deposited into the bowl, or eaten. When you have finished, tally up the number of kibbles in the bowl.
- If MORE than half of the kibbles are in the bowl: Congratulations! You have achieved a winning outcome. Clear the room of your supplies, discard the kibble, and rinse the bowl with water and five to six drops of your own blood. (You may use your sharp object to aid in this step.) Then, wash the bowl more thoroughly with soap and hot water or by using a dishwasher.
- If LESS than half of the kibbles are in the bowl: You have achieved a losing outcome. Act quickly; you only have 10 seconds to pick up the sharp object, cut your hand, bleed into the bowl, and break the bowl. If you have completed this action in under 10 seconds, gather the pieces and vacate the premises. Dispose of the pieces as soon as possible.
Additional Notes:
While you are searching for the kibbles, do NOT:
- Place any cups on the floor right side up.
- Accidentally knock over any cups.
- Check the same cup more than once.
- Look at the blank wall at ANY POINT.
The difficulty of this game may be scaled up by making the following adjustments:
- When gathering your supplies, use only five kibbles, add a flashlight to the list, and ensure that your quiet room may be darkened to blackout conditions. Additionally, you partner must be a stranger who was not known to you before sunrise the day you commence the game — you may not enlist a friend or anyone else familiar to you to perform this role. Also, you must adjust the timing of the game such that the Main Event will occur after sundown.
- After the Prelude: Step 8, have your partner pick up the sharp object, cut their hand, and bleed into the water held by the bowl or dish. They may not leave the room until they have performed this action.
- When you reenter the quiet room during the Main Event: Step 1, your partner must accompany you. They should hold the flashlight. The principal should NOT, under ANY circumstances, touch or use the flashlight at ANY POINT throughout the game.
- During the Main Event: Step 3, your partner must also stand with their back to the wall. They should NOT speak the words, “The Wall runs to me, and I feed it.” They should not speak at all for the duration of the game.
- Following Step 3 of the Main Event, your partner must keep one hand touching the wall at all times; however, they should NOT look at the wall. Ever.
- For the Main Event: Steps 5 through 7, you partner should use the flashlight to help you see in the dark. They must NOT shine the light on ANYTHING other than the floor or a cup. Do NOT allow them to follow or track your opponent with the light.
- If you successfully find more than half the kibbles BEFORE sunrise, you must complete an additional task: You must pick up the bowl of kibbles and keep the food away from your opponent until after the sun has risen. If you complete this “keep-away” section successfully, you have won the game; perform the concluding actions described in the Ending’s winning outcome.
- If your partner lets go of the wall, if you do not find more than half the kibbles, or if you do not manage to keep the kibbles safe during the “keep-away” section, perform the concluding actions described in the Ending’s losing outcome. Do NOT fail to complete these actions in under 10 seconds.
The game may be halted at any point by picking up the sharp object, cutting your hand, bleeding into the bowl, and breaking the bowl. Should you decide to halt the game, gather the pieces of the bowl as soon as you have broken it and vacate the premises. Dispose of the bowl’s remains as soon as possible — and, ideally, as far away as possible.
Whether You Win Or Lose:
Regardless of your success, and no matter which difficulty level you decide to play at, do NOT neglect to anoint the bowl with blood before either washing it or disposing of its pieces. If you do not perform this action, the game will begin again in six hours’ time — whether or not you have prepared for it.
Cat food kibbles aren’t the only thing your opponent likes to eat.
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[Photo via Free-Photos/Pixabay]
Ziaheart says
Hmm. I wonder which of my two languages would be considered my second? I was born in Korea and so Korean is my first/native language. However, I moved to Canada while I was still young and — though I’m still fluent in Korean — I’m much more comfortable speaking English and consider that my primary language. So chronologically, my second language is English; however, proficiency-wise, English is also my primary language.
dagolfer18 says
I was wondering this the entire time I was reading this: what happens if you accidentally look at the blank wall? Do you have to proceed as if you lost the game? Or do you…die?
Kalli says
I am Greek and the second foreign language I speak is English. It counts to say the words, doesn’t it?
Binx says
I absolutely love reading about these games, although I would never try any of them myself.
I am quite curious though, what would happen if you were to break any of the rules? I don’t want to break the rules, I just want to know what would happen out of curiosity really.
Spencer says
Curious: why a foreign language?
Moon says
Probably because your native language or the one you use normally has some connection to you. It’s like using a piece of your hair or blood for summoning something. If you use a language you don’t normally use and thus give power to, maybe it lessens the link to you?
Moon says
Hi! I’ve stumbled across this blog quite recently and have read all of the posts in the games section. Seeing as we have to follow every instruction to the letter, what would be considered the primary language? Like, say, if you spoke two languages growing up, and you only became fluent in the other one after a while.
Jamel says
Your partner is not allowed to speak the entire time the game is played. Plus, it’s never wise to cheat, especially if the game you’re playing is very dangerous.
Grimbell says
What I don’t like about this game is that there is no beginning summoning ritual to bring in the “spirit.” other dangerous games all have some form of summoning that requires candles, a few words and some dibble-dabble. Could that be what was “left out for safety’s sake”?
Another thing is the use of your blood. It just didn’t feel right at all. I would totally understand if it was salt in the water wish as a protection/dismissal agent, but blood? Nuh-uh. Nope. Blood is a summoning agent.
Mark Abboud says
I don’t perform any ritual that requires dibble-dabble.
Colbyxcheese says
I just picture a giant cat demon being summoned to play this game, and it makes me really happy! But seriously though, i’m curious as to why it has to be cat food and not some other better tasting treat. Also, what is supposed to happen in the six hours you leave the room? and does it matter how much water you use in the bowl?
Purple Girl The Horror Fan says
I’m doing this the coming Saturday at my aunt’s old apartment. She just moved out, so its empty now and I better not do this at my own house.
Everything’s been arranged, and my brother is going to be my partner.
Will let you guys know what happens. Fingers crossed!
Purple Girl The Horror Fan says
Actually we had to postpone it because of family obligations, so instead we are doing it THIS Saturday, aka today! I’m at the mall right now, just trying to kill time, its been four hours since my brother put the kibbles in the room, two more hours to go. That apartment building is going to be renovated, and the builders don’t come back until tomorrow, so the coast is clear.
Hope this comment won’t be my last!
Purple Girl The Horror Fan says
I’m back and let’s say my experience was kind of…. weird.
I don’t know how to explain this, it seems like….something was in fact summoned but it didn’t play by the rules…as if it felt too lazy and only stood by watching me making a fool of myself.
So when I went back to the room and looked at the bowl, it was empty. I don’t give a shit if you don’t believe me, I’m not one of those fakers on the internet.
This ritual never seemed legit to me, so I was taken by surprise. I don’t know how I managed to stand against the wall said what I had to say, because trust me, at this point I was really, really scared.
Now comes the weird part.
I started checking the cups, my hands were shaking. After I found the first kibble, through the corner of my eye, I saw one of the cups moving in a way as if something was inside it, trying to get out. For a moment, my heart nearly stopped, but I shot across and held the cup down, ready for a fight. But…guess what? The cup didn’t seem to move at all now, I mean, the demon cat or whatever was supposed to try to get that cup to tip over despite me holding it down, right? Well, it didn’t try at all…the cup was still. I started checking the cups again, found most of the kibbles. And then, again, I saw another cup moving, more violently this time. In a flash, I was holding it down, but this time too, it didn’t put up much of a fight. The cup did kind of squirm under my hand, but then it went still.
Moreover at this point, I swear I felt something scratch my ankle (I was barefoot). You know, like a dog or cat giving you a light scratch, not causing any bleeding? That was what it felt like. Anyway, so I ended up finding all the kibbles, so I won. I rinsed the bowl with my blood, soap and hot water just as its instructed.
Isn’t it weird? Whatever I had summoned really did seem like it wasn’t in the mood to play….
The only rational explanation is that it was my overactive imagination, making me think the cups were moving.
As for the bowl, maybe my brother, who was my partner, deliberately left it empty, then, the joke is on me.
But he swears up and down that he didn’t. I believe him, its very unlike him to play around while doing these rituals, we are both very serious about such stuff. It also seems unlikely to me that I was simply imagining the cups moving, it seemed too real to me. And what about that scratch? My imagination has never been able to make me feel physical touches as clear as that.
Believe what you want to believe.
~~Peace Out~~
ShinePlayz says
Damn! I was worried for a moment because, they said to NOT play it with someone you know but instead play it with a stranger.
Sufiyan says
So… how did it go?
ArtsySpinda says
So how’d it go?
idk says
Wait so your brother put them in the room at 3 57 AM?
Purple Girl The Horror Fan says
lol no, i did not make that comment at 7 am, the timings of my comments are always shown wrong, could be because of the difference in the time zones, doesn’t it happen to anyone else?
Lenora Parchman says
Hi. I’m Lenora. I would like to know what happened. Can I? I’ll leave my email. Thanks!
Purple Girl The Horror Fan says
I don’t see your email here, sorry. I detailed my experience in a comment above. Feel free to share your thoughts on it, I won’t be offended.
Kat says
Could we use spoonfuls of wet cat food in lieu of kibble?
Georgia says
Don’t you have to pick it up? That doesn’t sound fun lol
MistressLangdon says
You might want to reconsider that one. You have to pick the spoonful of wet cat food up. And if you only take half of the lump… then what? Also: what if it angers your opponent?
Mella says
Couldn’t your partner just tell you where the kibbles are? There isn’t anything saying about how they hate cheaters or even can figure out if you cheated.
ArtsySpinda says
Your partner isn’t allowed to talk at all during the game.
Mella says
Ironically enough, I can just use English. It’s not my mother language
RazRaz says
Has anyone tried it yet ? If so tell me what happened xD
Trevor says
Weird, and quite difficult to understand… that’s why I won’t attempt to play this game.
Zelda says
Interesting. Does the kind of kibble matter here?