• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Stories
  • Games
    • View All
    • FAQ
  • Encyclopaedia
  • About
  • Support TGIMM
  • Shop
  • Contact

The Ghost In My Machine

Stories of the Strange and Unusual

The Most Dangerous Games: A Small Radio

October 3, 2016 by Lucia

Previously: Channel Infinity.

Normally I wouldn’t post a second game quite so soon after posting the last one, but guess what? It’s October. And October means it’s Halloween season. And since it’s Halloween season, now seems like a good time to look at “A Small Radio.” I mentioned it briefly last year, but due to a lot of Big Life Changes, I wasn’t able to cover it in time for Halloween 2015. I put it on my to do list for the following year, though, and, well… here we are. 

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

Originally posted to the Creepypasta Wikia by user MacaroniArtZombeh in August of 2013, this game can only be played on a very particular day; trying to do it at any other time will result in a failed attempt. So I figured I’d put it on your radar now, at the beginning of the month, so you have plenty of time to get ready for the Oct. 30 start date. You don’t need much to get it started — just yourself, an outdoor location, and a cell phone. If all goes as planned, the rest of the supplies will be provided to you if and when you need it.

Then again, though, I’m not totally sure you’ll want to play it. Like several of the other games we’ve looked at here, this one is a recipe for luck… but luck never comes without a price.

As always…

…Well, you know how it goes.

Players:

  • One principal.

Requirements:

  • One mobile phone.
  • An outdoor location.

Instructions:

The Summoning:

  1. Wait until Oct. 30.
  2. Begin at 11:59pm.
  3. Go outside.
  4. Using your hands, draw a circle into the dirt.
  5. Set you phone to vibrate. Place it in the middle of the circle.
  6. Keep your eyes on the phone. Do not close your eyes. Do not look away from it.
  7. Continue watching the phone until 12:15am.
    • If nothing happens: The ritual has failed. Do not proceed.
    • If the phone rings: You may proceed. However, do NOT answer the phone. Simply wait.
  8. Continue waiting.
    • If nothing happens: The ritual has failed. Do not proceed.
    • If you receive a text message: You may proceed. Read the text; it will contain a phone number.
  9. Set your phone to speaker and call the number.
    • If no one picks up: The ritual has failed. Do not proceed.
    • If the call is answered: You may proceed. Listen. If you are asked for your physical address, give it to whoever asks.
  10. Wait for two nights. Go about your life in the meantime. Try not to get distracted.

The Gift:

  1. At the end of the waiting period, make sure you’re well-rested enough to stay awake until midnight.
  2. When the clock ticks over to 11:59pm, listen.
    • If you hear nothing: The ritual has failed. Do not proceed.
    • If you hear a knock on the door: Answer it. You won’t find anyone there, so don’t bother looking for them; however, there will be a package waiting or you on the doorstep. Bring it inside.
  3. Open the package. Take out the contents: Batteries, and a small radio. Put the batteries in the radio.
  4. Wait until 12:15am, then turn the radio on and tune it to AM station 11.1.
  5. Listen.
  6. Keep listening.
  7. Do not stop listening.
  8. At 12:25am, a song will play. Listen to it deeply and fully.
  9. For the next year, keep the radio on. You might not always hear it, but that doesn’t matter. As long as it’s on and playing, you will experience an astonishing amount of good luck. You will succeed in everything and anything you do, no matter how big or small.

The Price:

  1. One day, you will hear a startling noise — something you might describe as a pop, or maybe a gunshot. It’s the sound of the batteries in the radio dying.
  2. When you hear that noise, start running.

Concerning the Price:

Once you start running, don’t stop.

There’s no guarantee that it will do anything other than delay the inevitable, but it might make you feel better in the long run. Like you’re doing something that might help — even though it won’t.

After all, you can’t have the good without the bad…

…And everything catches up to us eventually.

A Small Radio: 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 cogdogblog/Flickr]

Filed Under: Games Tagged With: a small radio, electronics, games you shouldn't play, Halloween, luck, radios, The Most Dangerous Games

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angel Benjamin says

    October 3, 2016 at 5:03 pm

    What if you play again and get a new radio next year? Can you keep it going?

    Reply
    • LomeComa says

      January 10, 2017 at 12:50 pm

      You wont be around to play again your soul is the price for the one who gave you the radio to do with as he pleases.

      Reply
      • The Ghost With No Name says

        October 28, 2018 at 10:19 pm

        Technically, it’s not your soul the price, it’s bad luck. I read some user here played the game and suffered terrible injuries.

        Reply
        • Rayanna says

          July 7, 2020 at 5:53 pm

          I read their story too, but I doubt It’s real. One car accident doesn’t make up for a year of amazing luck. If it is real, then they mistakenly assumed that the bad luck was over. So naive. Trust me, you don’t survive this game. I knew someone who tried this. He mistakenly thought he could outrun whatever was chasing him. He thought it was an actual entity, not bad luck. I couldn’t warn him in time. He didn’t last a week after the batteries died.

          Reply
    • dakinuvpepr says

      March 28, 2017 at 7:21 am

      Yes, but how could you play again if you’re running?

      Reply
  2. clowns461 says

    October 3, 2016 at 7:22 pm

    AWESOME!!!

    Reply
  3. Faith Tekavei says

    October 4, 2016 at 2:50 am

    Has anyone ever tried this? Did it work? Did you receive the radio?

    Reply
  4. Yuganda Shiko says

    October 4, 2016 at 3:20 am

    Well Damn. I was like, this is going good, but why isn’t there any catch?? Then the ending came. I guess I’ll just use Duracell batteries so that my luck keeps on running XD

    Reply
  5. Alex Bobulinski says

    October 4, 2016 at 12:07 pm

    I think i’ll give it a shot this year

    Reply
    • dakinuvpepr says

      March 28, 2017 at 7:26 am

      See you in oct. 4th 17 then 😀 (thats when you die)

      Reply
    • Charlotte Kojuro says

      April 4, 2017 at 8:22 pm

      How’d that go

      Reply
    • ash says

      April 9, 2017 at 3:29 pm

      so how did that go?

      Reply
  6. Angerydogger says

    October 5, 2016 at 4:23 am

    I was wondering if you could do 11 miles

    Reply
  7. Jack says

    October 5, 2016 at 9:34 am

    I was sooooo on board for this until the very end…

    Reply
  8. Joshua says

    October 5, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    Since and I am assuming what comes for you is a supernatural enity,is there a way of avoiding or guarding yourself against this “inevitably”? As well as in other cases? I mean if anything that good luck should help right?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:03 am

      Nope, no chance. The radio provides you with SUPER good luck and all the bad luck is gone for the whole year. After that, you’re on your own. You’re good luck has disappear and you have something chasing you.

      Reply
  9. Kevin Vega says

    October 6, 2016 at 12:03 pm

    How long do i have to keep running? and why do i have to run?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:05 am

      Just run. Run and run and run and run. No breaks, no tops, just run.

      Well, after all that good luck that has given to you, the bad luck has to go somewhere, right? And ,after a year, the bad luck will come back to you…..in an unspeakable form.

      Reply
  10. Mary says

    October 7, 2016 at 5:36 am

    I got the chills when it said ” Try not to get distracted”, How can you get distracted and what happens if you do?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:09 am

      You will get distracted by forgetting about the ritual, though I’m not sure what is the consequences on distracting.

      Good= The ritual will fail

      Bad= A thing kills or chase you

      Reply
  11. Alycia McDaniel says

    October 9, 2016 at 12:08 am

    Not that I plan on doing this, but I am curious; what the heck happens? What is the price? What is there to run from? Is something chasing you?

    These are all really great posts, btw. Very interesting to read.

    Reply
    • lucy fir says

      June 5, 2017 at 2:15 pm

      I did this. I heard it pop, and I ran. I ran to my car, and drove… until a big ass truck slammed into me. I ended up with 5 cracked ribs and a broken arm. I think I was lucky, cause I’ve got my eyes, I’m sane, and I still draw breath. I have to admit, it was the second best year of my life (the number 1 best year of my life was when I did “man in the fields” as a 9 year old), but I’m not going to do it again. The year of luck was worth the accident? yes. But I got really lucky in my run of “bad luck”. I’m not going to make it worse

      Reply
      • Azure says

        June 6, 2017 at 11:55 pm

        For real?

        Reply
        • Magic Kingdom Snake says

          September 4, 2018 at 10:13 pm

          Most likely not. A 9 year old would never attempt something on this scale. Of course, I could be wrong

          Reply
    • Jane Renn says

      June 24, 2017 at 7:47 pm

      From my understanding of staving off bad luck in these types of rituals, I would find it safe to assume that this is something similar to the ‘Dark Reflections’ ritual in that the thing that you are running from is all the pent of negative energy that was trapped during the radio’s active period, similarly to how it is trapped within the mirror until you break it in ‘Dark Reflections.’

      Fate doesn’t like to be cheated and will be trying to correct the imbalance the second the song stops holding it back. This is all speculation of course, but it’s a safe bet this will do you physical harm in a major way, that being the best case scenario.

      Reply
    • Veronica Lodge says

      July 7, 2017 at 5:58 pm

      Bad luck is chasing you.

      Reply
    • One_Blue_Glove says

      October 22, 2017 at 12:50 pm

      What happens is that all the radio does is drain the year of its bad luck, but then it has to put that somewhere, so it concentrates all that bad luck into the time Lucy Fir spent running from the concentration, and if you’re as lucky as Lucy Fir, then you’ll only end up with a seriously broken body. Speaking of which, she’s probably one of the only people to ever escape the concentration of bad luck.

      Reply
      • Roseabelle says

        October 14, 2018 at 4:30 pm

        Yeah right. I don’t think Lucy Fir’s story is real, but that is honestly my opinion. Also Lucy Fir might not be a she.

        Reply
  12. randomfandom874 says

    October 10, 2016 at 5:23 pm

    I GOT TO THE END OF THE BLOG WHAT WILL I DO NOW

    Reply
  13. Anam Qureshi says

    October 15, 2016 at 11:12 am

    I don’t think it’ll work. Because for how long we can run after the radio batteries are dead. And if the radio is at our home. We can’t just leave our house.

    Reply
  14. shit619 says

    October 17, 2016 at 6:49 am

    So, this game is basically a death call. No chance of escape. ???

    Reply
  15. Lucille says

    October 20, 2016 at 3:41 am

    If this is true, then this is that one game I will not ever play (even if I had a terminal disease). I am curious as to what would happen if you were successful to the point of receiving the radio but decide to quit while you are ahead.

    Reply
  16. kekkoh says

    October 21, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    Can I replace the batteries in the radio when it’s dying?

    Reply
    • dakinuvpepr says

      March 27, 2017 at 10:58 am

      When you are replacing the batteries, the radio stopped working, so, you’re just gonna rush youself to Step 1 of The Price.

      Reply
  17. Nep Nep says

    October 27, 2016 at 1:04 am

    Why do we need to run? Where are we going to run? When will we stop running? Sorry for my bad english… And i need answers for my questions because i want to do it.

    Reply
    • dakinuvpepr says

      March 27, 2017 at 10:45 am

      Because you have to ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )
      Anywhere.
      Never stop running.

      Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 27, 2017 at 10:28 am

      Why do we need to run?
      =Cause all the bad lucks are chasing you

      Where are we going to run?
      =Anywhere. Just run and run.

      When will we stop running?
      = DON’T STOP.

      Best Thing to Do= Don’t play it, unless you think your life is worth all the good luck.

      Reply
    • Shadina says

      December 13, 2017 at 4:09 am

      Okay Nep Nep (what a cute name), I’ll answer your questions.

      1. Why do we need to run?
      Because bad luck is chasing you.

      2. Where are we going to run?
      Nowhere.

      3. When will we stop running?
      When bad luck catches up on you.

      Reply
      • Supernatural Animal says

        July 5, 2019 at 11:44 pm

        That’s…so creepy.

        Reply
  18. Some person says

    October 31, 2016 at 7:17 pm

    What will happen if I turn the radio off?

    Reply
    • dakinuvpepr says

      April 3, 2017 at 7:24 pm

      You go to step one of the price

      Reply
  19. Hussain says

    November 16, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    so when the batteries die youre practically screwed? can u save yourself from it?

    Reply
    • dakinuvpepr says

      March 27, 2017 at 10:59 am

      YEP.
      NOPE.

      Reply
    • Designer Charlotte says

      December 16, 2017 at 1:06 am

      1. Yes.
      Or not. You’re screwed unless you run to Nowhere City.

      2. If you still can.

      Reply
  20. alfandza71 says

    November 19, 2016 at 10:14 am

    So there’s no way to end it? Just running and they will catch us sooner or later?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:12 am

      Yes and yes

      Reply
  21. Leaf247 says

    November 28, 2016 at 10:08 pm

    I guess this is one of those games that you won’t ever have a chance to play again…
    Also I’m slightly confused by the locations we use – you said to use an outside location, so would a backyard/garden be good enough or would it have to be something like a park?

    And say it was the latter, when asking for our physical location do we mention the location of the park, or would we say the address of our home?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:14 am

      1) Just use any outside location as long it is outside from your house, but it’s best to just use your backyard (to save your time)

      2) Your address of your home. (The parcel will be sent to your home)

      Reply
  22. LomeComa says

    January 10, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    What does he do with you? Who is he said to be?

    Reply
  23. Aceofaces says

    January 15, 2017 at 3:51 pm

    What is the figure chasing us when the batteries die? Who is he said to be?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 27, 2017 at 10:29 am

      That’s badluck, in an unspeakable and horrible form

      Reply
    • Designer Charlotte says

      December 16, 2017 at 1:15 am

      Hello guys.
      I’ll answer all your questions.

      1. Would a backyard/garden will be good enough or will it have to be a park?

      A backyard or garden is enough. Just any, any, outdoor location is enough. Just don’t do the summoning inside a building though.

      2. Do we say the location of the outdoor location or the address of where we live?

      The address of where you live. Because the entity (or specific mailman) may deliver it to your park and maybe you’ll think: “How come I didn’t receive my radio?” and someone picks it up and they’ll be the one receiving the prize and paying the price. You don’t want that, do you?

      3. What does he do with you?

      Send you a radio. Make you receive the prize and pay the price.
      Or make you pay for failing the ritual.

      4. Who is he said to be?

      No one knows.
      Or maybe someone knows.
      Ask someone.

      5. Who is the figure when you pay the price?

      No one’s chasing you. Ehem, I mean, no concrete noun is chasing you.
      Bad luck is chasing you.

      Reply
  24. Taylor says

    January 16, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    Is there something chasing you when you have to run? What is it?

    Reply
    • Purple Girl The Horror Fan says

      March 15, 2017 at 6:41 am

      It is bad luck.

      Reply
    • Designer Charlotte says

      December 16, 2017 at 1:29 am

      Yes. Bad luck is chasing you and if it does, the ritual and you (may) come to an abrupt and unfortunate end.

      Reply
  25. Aceofaces says

    January 18, 2017 at 7:28 pm

    Thought at first “oh yeah this sounds good” then i scrolled down and saw “the price” and i thought “nevermind

    Reply
  26. Purple Girl The Horror Fan says

    March 15, 2017 at 6:41 am

    What if i don’t turn on the radio after receiving the package?

    Reply
    • Designer Charlotte says

      December 16, 2017 at 1:16 am

      Then you haven’t started the ritual. You will not receive good luck though.

      Reply
  27. dakinuvpepr says

    March 27, 2017 at 10:47 am

    When I get the package, can I just abort the ritual and leave the package unopened and get free stuff from it?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:16 am

      You mean good luck? Nope. Good luck will come if you inserted the battery in the radio

      Reply
  28. dakinuvpepr says

    March 27, 2017 at 10:54 am

    What happens if you stop running?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:16 am

      You die

      Reply
      • ash says

        September 30, 2017 at 11:36 pm

        perhaps. it really and honestly depends. someone in the comments survived and got slammed with a truck. i think it’s a little like buying a target mirror and playing the dark reflection ritual!

        Reply
    • Designer Charlotte says

      December 16, 2017 at 1:22 am

      Bad luck will catch up on you and bring the ritual to an abrupt and unfortunate end.

      Someone actually in the comments played this game and he/she decided to drive her car at the time of the price.
      He/She got slammed by a big truck and was brought to the hospital (maybe) with broken ribs and a broken arm. He/She survived.

      Reply
  29. dakinuvpepr says

    March 27, 2017 at 10:56 am

    When the battery dies from a radio, and while you’re running, can you call a friend to replace the batteries?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:16 am

      Nope

      Reply
    • Designer Charlotte says

      December 16, 2017 at 1:25 am

      See my reply below user ZelDronpa.

      Reply
  30. dakinuvpepr says

    March 27, 2017 at 10:57 am

    I’M CURIOUS!

    Reply
  31. dakinuvpepr says

    March 28, 2017 at 7:25 am

    Also, can you cheat by using the batteries you bought from the store, not the batteries from the package?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:17 am

      What if you ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut but they give you a pizza from Dominoes? No one likes to be cheated

      Reply
    • Designer Charlotte says

      December 16, 2017 at 1:24 am

      You can’t do that ’cause:

      1. That’s cheating and the one who delivered it to you might be mad and nothing good will happen to you.
      2. The batteries might not fit in the radio.
      3. The batteries might not match the radio’s system.

      Reply
  32. mumsvilleblog says

    May 23, 2017 at 4:23 pm

    Someone else asked this on the wikia page…
    “What if you do this ritual then complete the 11 Miles ritual, wishing to evade the danger?”
    Nobody’s answered yet and I’m curious now haha

    Reply
    • dakinuvpepr says

      June 2, 2017 at 5:32 am

      The following might happen:

      While doing 11 Miles, you migh experience no danger. Basically free stuff.
      While doing 11 Miles… nothing changed.

      Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 27, 2017 at 10:30 am

      I don’t think that wish would be granted

      Reply
    • Veronica Lodge says

      July 7, 2017 at 6:00 pm

      You might have bad luck during the 11 miles ritual…which would definitely mean you die.

      Reply
  33. Christine says

    June 7, 2017 at 3:57 am

    1.What happens if I dont run?
    2.What if I drive or ride a vehicle instead?

    Reply
    • ZelDronpa says

      June 26, 2017 at 10:18 am

      1.You die
      2.I guess? I read a story on someone used a vehicle on running away…so, technically, it is still running away

      Reply
    • Designer Charlotte says

      December 16, 2017 at 1:28 am

      I’ll answer your questions.

      1. Bad luck catches up on you.
      2. You’ll be in more risk of bad luck catching up. I read a comment that the user played this game and he/she decided to drive his/her car instead. He/She got slammed in a truck and ended up with broken ribs and a broken arm.

      Reply
  34. Amber says

    June 20, 2017 at 9:15 pm

    “When you hear that noise, start running.”
    Me: D E J A V U I V E J U S T B E E N I N T H I S P L A C E B E F O R E

    Reply
  35. hunter says

    September 19, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    Well I haven’t have much good luck since I was young so this game will might not work out for me?

    Reply
  36. ash says

    September 30, 2017 at 11:43 pm

    first of all, this reminds me of supernatural.
    and also, would it be acceptable to use dry bones and wish the batteries to never run out or is that considered “steep” for playing dry bones?
    could you complete 11 miles and wish the batteries to never run out?

    Reply
    • ash says

      September 30, 2017 at 11:48 pm

      rephrasing my question. WHEN I HEAR THE BATTERIES DIE I IMMEDIATELY THROW THE RADIO AND BEGIN 11 MILES. CAN IT FOLLOW ME INTO THE OTHER DIMINSION? CAUSE IF NOT HAVENT I FOUND A LOOP HOLE

      Reply
  37. Hereforscares says

    December 15, 2017 at 4:28 pm

    So I can’t just change the batteries?

    Reply
    • SuperCaligro says

      March 18, 2018 at 5:20 pm

      No. Once the radio shuts off, you automatically begin paying the price.

      Reply
  38. Somebody says

    March 6, 2018 at 1:12 pm

    Okay, so if the radio plays and in your house you have better luck in your house than going out of your house, does that mean that you could escape even before the bad luck sets in? Like rent a taxi and go to an airport to fly somewhere far away? Because if the ritual is performed during Halloween and you start your year count down 2 days after, you probably have enough time and good luck to move out before the year is over. This is just a suggestion. IDK if it will work

    Reply
  39. Martim Bastos says

    March 19, 2018 at 9:15 am

    If the bad luck hits another person, will it go away? Or will it ignore the other person and continue chasing you?

    Reply
  40. A Pretty Girl says

    May 26, 2018 at 7:44 pm

    Okay how can you not stop running? What if we get tired or start feeling pain from running a long time? But a car is no better cause you’ll have to keep driving & never stop. Then you gotta worry about running out of gas & you can’t stop to get any. So basically don’t play if your life is worth a year of no bad things happening. I’ll pass.

    Reply
  41. Dr. Lecter says

    June 29, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    What if I die in the year of good luck? Have I then escaped the bad luck?

    Reply
  42. Karin says

    August 27, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    Can’t you just play the game to get another radio while the current one is still running?

    Reply
  43. Jia says

    August 31, 2018 at 6:59 am

    Can’t we do something else…? Like can’t we change batteries..? This means we have to die after 1 year of playing it..? Right?

    Reply
  44. Kombayeet says

    October 18, 2018 at 3:38 pm

    This is fire, but I think the two that freak me out the most are the midnight man and the field man (I’m not sure what it’s called ???)

    Reply
  45. Shannia says

    December 14, 2019 at 4:33 pm

    me before reading the price: ooh now I can pass math
    me after reading the price: on second thought, I’ll stick with a 69 in math

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Top Stories

‘Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark’ Is Now Available From Chronicle Books!

The Most Dangerous Games: Elevator to Another World

A UK road sign reading "BROOMHALL FARM/Private Road/NO THROUGH ROAD."

The Weird Part Of YouTube: The Making Of “No Through Road” And The Power Of Unanswered Questions

About

The Ghost In My Machine is an internet campfire of sorts. Gather round, because it wants to tell you strange stories, take you on haunted journeys, and make you jump at unexpected noises.

Continue Reading >

Support

Like what you read? Support The Ghost In My Machine!

twins

Support

Follow

Facebook Twitter Patreon

From the Vault

  • Bloody Mary & Other Games We Shouldn’t Play

    Scare Yourself Silly

  • This Man

    Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t

  • The Dionaea House

    Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t

  • The Noise Coming From Inside Children

    Scare Yourself Silly

  • NoEnd House

    Is It Real?

  • Killswitch

    Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t

  • Suicidemouse.avi

    Is It Real?

  • 200 Phenomena In The City Of Calgary

    Scare Yourself Silly

View All >

Letters from the Beyond

Enter your email to receive blog posts and updates by email

  • Stories
  • Games
  • Encyclopaedia
  • About
  • Support TGIMM
  • Shop
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 · Keeper On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Privacy Policy

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Close