The Ghost In My Machine

Stories of the Strange and Unusual

The Most Dangerous Games: Bed of Sorrow

by

Previously: Lady Spades. 

The phrase “Bed of Sorrow” appears in literature throughout history; it’s more or less interchangeable with the word “sickbed,” although sometimes it may also be referred to as a “bed of languishing.” No doubt the most interesting occurrence, however, is the biblical one: The phrase “bed of sorrow” appears in Psalm 40 of the Douay Rheims Bible — the version printed in the late 16th and early 17th centuries in England as an effort to uphold Catholic tradition in the face of the ongoing Protestant Reformation — with verse four reading, “The Lord help him on his bed of sorrow: thou has turned all his couch in his sickness.” Somewhat puzzlingly, though, most other versions of the bible feature the phrase’s analogue in verse three of Psalm 41 — in the King James Bible, for instance, Psalm 41:3 reads, “The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.” 

[Like what you read? Consider supporting The Ghost In My Machine on Patreon!]

What I find most notable about the different forms of the phrase is the way “languishing” bridges the gap between “sick” and “sorrow.” The Oxford English Dictionaries offer both “lose or lack vitality; grow weak or feeble,” which implies sickness, and “pine with love or grief,” which implies sorrow, as definitions for the verb “to languish,” so it’s not hard to see how some might interpret it one way, while others might read it another.

The Bed of Sorrow ritual, too, seems to bridge that gap, describing the titular place of repose as having been used “by a poor soul… who would weep day and night into the sheets, unable to be consoled as they withered away in that bed” — that is, the pain of mental and emotional grief became the pain of physical illness, which eventually resulted in death. The ritual then notes that, even once the departed soul’s body had been removed from the bed and given a burial, the piece of furniture remained forever imbued with the sorrow to which it bore witness. It might, therefore, “exhibit unnatural properties,” such as white sheets placed upon it turning red; furthermore, “a feeling of continual dread” might continually hover around it.

Unlike some of the rituals we’ve talked about here in The Most Dangerous Games, this one does have a point; if you’re successful, you’ll experience seven glorious days of worry-free bliss. However, the stakes are rather high should the ritual fail, so it’s up to you to decide whether a mere week’s worth of good will is worth it.

As always, play at your own risk.

Players:

  • One principal.

Requirements:

  • One principal.

Instructions:

  1. Find an abandoned house. Enter it, although note that you do so at your own risk — both with regards to the ritual, and with regards to the legality of breaking and entering. It is not recommended or condoned that you illegally enter a building in order to perform this ritual.
  2. Search for a room with a red door. Should you attempt to open it, the door must appear to be locked. Note: If you do not find a room with a red door, or you find a red door that is unlocked, leave. This is not the house for you.
  3. Knock twice on the door, then attempt to open it again.
    • If it remains locked: Do not proceed. Leave the house and do not return.
    • If it opens: You may enter. You will find the room windowless, and the only object within it will be a bed. The bed will be placed in the middle of the room, and it will be made with red sheets. Proceed to step four.
  4. At this point, you must make a choice: You may leave the room; or, you may stay close the red door behind you.
    • Should you choose to leave the room: You may do so safely. You will experience no ill effects, so long as you do not return to the house again. Ever.
    • Should you choose to stay and close the door behind you: You must cross to the bed, and you must lie down upon it. Do not slide under the sheets; instead, rest your bones on top of them. Proceed to step five.
  5. Close your eyes, and hold still. You may experience any or all of the following: The sound of weeping; a heavy knocking upon the door; the shaking of the bed. No matter what happens, do not move.
  6. If you have completed step five correctly, the room will eventually go silent and a voice may whisper from the darkness three words, and three words only: “It is done.”
  7. The moment you hear those words, open your eyes, rise from the bed, and leave the room. Close the door behind you. Do not look back. Do not speak to anyone or anything.
  8. Leave the house. Do not look back. Do not speak to anyone or anything.
  9. Go home. Do not look back. Do not speak to anyone or anything.
  10. The moment you arrive home, go to bed and sleep.
  11. If you have successfully completed the ritual, any doubt, grief, or sadness you may have been experiencing will have vanished upon waking. You will remain worry-free for up to seven days. Congratulations.

Additional Notes:

Failing to complete any of the ritual’s steps will result in an overall failure condition. In the event of a failure, your pain will not vanish; rather, it will increase tenfold with each passing day until you successfully complete each and every step.

But Be Warned:

You might not realize you’ve failed until it’s too late. And should you need to return to the room with the red door to complete the steps you missed…

…Well, it may not be where you left it.

Bed of Sorrow: FAQ.

***

Support The Ghost In My Machine on Patreon for behind-the-scenes access and other bonus content. You can also follow on Twitter @GhostMachine13 and on Facebook @TheGhostInMyMachine.

[Photo via darkday./Flickr]

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • The instructions say to either close the door and lie down, or to simply leave. You can’t do a part of option 1 and a part of option 2.
      The general FAQ says that you should assume you are playing alone unless the instructions allow or require you to play with partner(s).

      Reply

    • These are entities. They are either shy, or they just don’t want you to look at them. Disobeying their wishes, for whatever reason, will cause the ritual to fail. Prepare to deal with the tenfold of your initial troubles.

      Reply

  3. If you leave the door open, I’m assuming that either the ritual won’t work, or something nasty can get in. It says do not speak until you get home, go to sleep, and then wake up, which I take to mean there is a chance you might see something bad in the house. And this is THE BEST website to go to in order to complete rituals, so if Lucia doesn’t say you can do this with a partner, chances are you can’t.

    Reply

  4. I’ve also heard that on your way home, you may see a red or white figure.
    If you see the red figure, start running and don’t stop until you’re home in your bed.
    If you see the white figure, keep walking and do not under any circumstances start running.

    Reply

  5. Three questions:

    What happens if you open your eyes while the bed shakes?

    Will others be effected by the sorrow inflicted upon you if you botch this ritual?

    Do you have to pick out a house where someone died?

    Reply

    • 1. If you open your eyes, youll find yourself in the failure condition.

      2. Not directly.

      3. You don’t have to know if someone died, but I guess it’s a yes.

      Reply

  7. I always interpret those “Any grief, doubt, or sadness you may be experiencing will vanish” rewards as a Monkey’s Paw deal.

    Reply

  9. By all sorrow and grief will be gone… if you were grieving a dead pet or family member, will they return to life?

    Reply

  12. i talk to myself when i’m nervous, but steps 7-9 say not to talk to anyone or anything. would talking to myself lead to a losing condition? additionally, if a locked red door is not found or the door remains locked after knocking on it, and one has to leave, is it required to go home and not speak to anyone or anything? or can you just proceed with life as usual, just not returning? would returning count as having the intent to go there, or just being in the vicinity? for example, if one frequently passes through the area where the abandoned house is, and they just happened to pass by the house or be near it, would it count as returning?

    Reply

    • I think you cannot talk to anyone or anything until you’re out of the house where you completed the ritual. Afterwards, if successful or not, do not return to the house ever again!

      Reply

  13. I have 2 questions:

    What if (coincidentally) there is a red door and it is locked and it manages to open as you explained, What happens if there isn’t a bed in the center? What happens then?

    My other question is, what if you fall off of the bed (due to the bed shaking or without), but your eyes are still closed? Is it still considered a losing condition? Or can I hop back in the bed with no negative side affects?

    Reply

    • 1) There might be a red door which coincidentally opens when you knock on it, and even if there isn’t a bed in the room, I suggest you don’t enter and leave. (Also, never return again. Because who knows what could’ve made the door open?)

      2) There are chances that you can experience the losing condition, but maybe you’ll remain unharmed, as long as you don’t open your eyes.

      Reply

  14. I heard in a version of this ritual that while you are heading home you may encounter two figures, one in red, or one in white, do you know anything about this, or how to deal with them?

    Reply

    • For the figure in red, run home and don’t look back til you’ve reached your bed.

      For the figure in white, absolutely DO NOT RUN.

      Reply

  15. Seems like playing an unfair game. House has a huge edge over the player.
    Rules make it seem hard, minimal payoff, relatively steep price upon loss. Even psychologically speaking, knowledge of price upon losing will make players more nervous about losing, which makes losing more likely.
    Hard pass.

    Reply

  16. While playing this ritual am I protected against physical things that could cause me harm? If i don’t look behind me, will I be protected from anyone with intent on mugging me or breaking into my house follow me home,
    also could the bed shake so violently that you’re thrown off of it?

    Reply

  19. 1. What if the place you are going back to isn’t your home, but you are staying over there temporary? Is that your “home” for the time being?
    2. Can you drive home or do you have to walk?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

From the Vault

View All >

Letters from the Beyond

Enter your email to receive blog posts and updates by email

%d bloggers like this: