The Most Dangerous Games: Dry Bones

Previously: A Small Radio.

There are a couple of versions of the Dry Bones ritual game floating around on the internet, but the oldest one I’ve found dates back to 2013. It was posted to r/NoSleep in June of that year by a Redditor going by the name “yomomma56.” They were active on the site until about 2018, by the way, so at least we know that they’ve played the game and survived.

The game itself is sort of like a hybrid of One Man Hide and Seek, the Midnight Game, and Bloody Mary; the stakes are high, but the prize might be valuable enough to justify it — it all depends on your own wants and desires. Be careful what you wish for, though; it’s possible that whatever you’re summoning here might decide that playing the game isn’t fair bargain for what you’re asking for.

[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]

As always, play at your own risk.

Players:

• One principal.

Requirements:

• One bathroom.
• One mirror. There’s flexibility here; the mirror over your bathroom sink will likely be the best option, but a hand mirror is also acceptable.
• Matches. Don’t use a lighter.
• A timekeeping device. This is technically optional, but highly recommended. The ability to keep time accurately is essential.

Instructions:

The Prelude:

1. Before beginning, clear your house of people and pets. Make sure they know not to come back until the sun has risen the next morning.
2. If the mirror isn’t already in the bathroom, place it there.
3. Make sure the matches are somewhere on your person. The same goes the timekeeping device, if using.

The Invitation:

1. Begin at 12:01 am.
2. Securely close anything in your house that can open — doors, closets, cabinets, etc. Everything.
3. Turn off all the lights in your house, as well as anything that might make noise. Unplugging the noise-making the devices is recommended.
4. Enter the bathroom. Close the door behind you. (Everything needs to be closed, remember?)
5. Face the mirror.
   • If you hear anything unusual: Do not proceed. Leave immediately. Exit the house. Go somewhere safe. Do not return until daylight.
   • If you hear nothing out of the ordinary: You may proceed.
6. Think of something you want. Think about it hard. Visualize it in your head if you can.
7. Light a match. Let it burn out.
   • If the match burns out in under 15 seconds: Do not proceed. Leave immediately. Exit the house. Go somewhere safe. Do not return until daylight.
   • If the match burns for at least 15 seconds: You may proceed.
8. Lie on the ground and speak the words, “I am aware of your presence. I welcome you into my home. Come now.”
9. Exit the bathroom. Close the door behind you. Go to the biggest room in your house. Close the door behind you.
10. Wait.
    • If you hear anything other than a low moan and/or a slight rattling noise: Do not proceed. Leave immediately. Exit the house. Go somewhere safe. Do not return until daylight.
    • If you hear a low moan and/or a slight rattling noise: You may proceed.

The Game:

1. Run. Hide. Do it quickly and quietly.
2. Stay hidden until 3:00 am. This is not as easy as it sounds. Don’t let him see you. Don’t let him hear you. Don’t let him catch you.

The Farewell:

1. At 3:00 am, return to the biggest room in your house. Close the door behind you. Speak the following words: “Thank you for playing, but you must leave now. You are no longer welcome.”
   • If at first you do not hear any form of acknowledgement, repeat the phrase until you do. You will know it when you hear it.
2. Sleep, if you can.
3. When you awaken, return to your everyday life. Your prize should be forthcoming.
4. Do not play this game again.

Additional Notes:

A variation on the invitation exists, according to some versions of the game. You may therefore also use the following invitation in lieu of the previously mentioned one: “I am aware of your presence, and I welcome you into my home, but not into my body. Come now.” Added protection is not guaranteed, but, well… any port in a storm.

Do NOT blow the match out. Let it burn out on its own. If you blow the match out, even accidentally, exit the area immediately, go somewhere safe, and do not return until daylight.

After you enter the biggest room in your house during Step 9 of The Invitation, be patient. The waiting period might last as few as five minutes, or it might take much longer.

Concerning Your Wish:

Your wish will arrive to you reasonably quickly after the completion of the game. Some players have reported it being waiting on their doorstep for them as soon as the morning after.

Your wish should be something that is realistically attainable. If you ask for something that defies the laws of physics, for example, you probably won’t have much luck.

Your wish should not involve bringing harm to another person. If it does, he may decide that the price of the wish is steeper than the one you already paid — and he’s not in the habit of letting debts go unpaid.

If You Decide To Play The Game Again:

Don’t.

You might have asked him to leave this time, but that won’t prevent him from visiting again.

And if you go so far as to actually invite him again…

…It might not go so well.

Dry Bones: FAQ.

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Follow The Ghost In My Machine on Twitter @GhostMachine13 and on Facebook @TheGhostInMyMachine. And don’t forget to check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available now from Chronicle Books!

[Photo via dirvish/Flickr]