The Ghost In My Machine

Stories of the Strange and Unusual

The Most Dangerous Games: Sara Sarita

by

Previously: How To Use A Mirror As A Window Into Another World. 

According to most sources, the game Sara Sarita, or El Juego de Sara Sarita, comes out of Mexico. Many liken it to Charlie, Charlie, but to be honest, it reminds me more of the Red Book Game: Both are information acquisition rituals that require asking for permission to enter, as well as to leave. The difference, I think, is that whatever you’re speaking with in the Red Book Game doesn’t seem to be especially interested in lying to you, whereas in Sara Sarita, the answers you receive to your queries can be… questionable.

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There are a few different backstories associated with this one. In one, Sara Sarita is a single entity said to be the daughter of Lucifer; however, in another, more common legend, Sara and Sarita are two different entities — sisters — who met a terrible fate one day after school. This second version has even given rise to an alternate name for the ritual: The Sister Sister Game.

But whatever or whomever you believe you’re speaking to — whether it’s the daughter of the devil or spirits of two wronged girls — stay on your toes. As always…

…Play at your own risk.

Players:

  • Two principals.

Requirements:

  • Two coins, one for each player. The coins must each be of the same denomination.

Instructions:

Asking Permission:

  1. Begin at any time.
  2. Sit on the ground, with both principals facing each other.
  3. Speak, in unison, the words, “Sara Sarita, may I enter your game?”
  4. Together, have each principal throw their coins gently over their shoulders so that they land on the ground behind them.
    • If both coins are heads up: Permission has been granted. You may proceed to The Conversation.
    • If both coins are tails up: DO NOT PROCEED. You do not have permission to enter the game. You may ask again, but if both coins continue to fall tails up, it is NOT recommended that you persist in trying. Instead, apologize for being a nuisance and leave the room. You may try again another day.
    • If one coin is heads up and one coin is tails up: Proceed, but with caution. It is recommended that both principals ask to enter the game again; you may continue asking until you receive a clear answer (i.e., until both coins land either tails up or heads up).

The Conversation:

  1. Once permission has been received by both participants, you may begin asking questions. Ask ONLY yes or no questions, and be sure to address “Sara Sarita” at the beginning of each one. Take turns, one at a time, speaking your questions clearly out loud. After each question, both principals should throw their coins over their shoulders.
    • If both coins are heads up: The answer to your question is “Yes.”
    • If both coins are tails up: The answer to your question is “No.”
    • If one coin is heads up and one coin is tails up: The answer to your question is “Maybe.”
  2. When you have finished asking questions, proceed to The Farewell.

The Farewell:

  1. To exit the game, speak, in unison, the words, “Sara Sarita, may I leave your game?”
    • If both coins are heads up: Permission has been granted. You may leave the game.
    • If both coins are tails up: You do NOT have permission to leave the game. Ask for it again.
    • If one coin is heads up and one coin is tails up: You do NOT have permission to leave the game. Ask for it again.
  2. Do NOT exit the game until you have received permission to do so.
  3. Keep the coins somewhere safe. It is not advisable to spend them.

Additional Notes:

  • The game may be played in any location; however, outdoor locations are not recommended due to the ease with which coins may be lost in such places. Do not play in any location where it would be easy for the coins to become lost. Losing your only means of exiting the game would be catastrophic.
  • You may get up from your sitting positions to retrieve your coins whenever necessary. Resume the sitting positions as soon as the coins have been retrieved.
  • Some sources recommend conducting the game in Spanish only; the reasoning is that it is preferable to conduct any ritual in the language native to the its country of origin (i.e., whoever or whatever you’re speaking with during the ritual may not understand a different language, or may be upset with you for using a language other than their own). However, not all sources agree on this point.
  • Some variations of the game deal differently with a “Maybe” response received during Asking Permission and The Farewell:
    • Should one coin fall heads up and the other tails up during Asking Permission: This response may be interpreted as one principal having received permission to enter the game and the other having been denied it. In this interpretation, only the principal whose coin fell tails up must ask for permission again; once this principal’s coin has fallen heads up, both participants may proceed. If the principal’s coin continues to fall tails up, it is recommended that you cease trying; in this case, the principal who had previously been granted permission to enter should then ask permission to leave.
    • Should one coin fall heads up and the other tails up during The Farewell: This response may be interpreted as one principal having received permission to leave the game and the other having been denied it. In this interpretation, only the principal whose coin fell tails up must ask for permission again; once this principal’s coin has fall heads up, both participants may exit the game.
    • It is not known if one interpretation of the “Maybe” response during these two sections is safer or more accurate than the other.
  • You may ask as many questions as you like, for as long as you like; however, pay attention to the responses. If you begin receiving a succession of “Maybes,” or if something feels otherwise “off,” it is advisable to proceed to The Farewell and end the game.
  • Do NOT attempt to rig the game in any way, shape, or form — e.g. using coins weighted to land on one specific side, throwing the coins in certain ways in order to solicit a certain answer from them, etc. Cheating is never advisable.
  • Do NOT put too much trust in the answers you receive. Whatever you’re talking to may not be telling the truth.

On that note:

Concerning The Farewell:

Exiting the game may not be as simple as it seems. According to some reports, it is possible to “receive permission” to leave the game, only to realize hours or even days later that something is… off. Maybe you feel as if you’re always being watched. Maybe you catch something out of the corner of your eye, but find nothing there when you turn to look at it head on. Maybe you think you hear whispers when you’re alone in the room.

Should you then ask, “Sara Sarita, am I still in your game?” and throw your coin you’re your shoulder…

…Well, you can guess the side on which the coin is likely to land, can’t you?

Sara Sarita: FAQ.

***

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[Photo via shotput/Pixabay]

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • I am Catholic, and I know it is advised not to play these games in my faith. I do believe that many priests are trained for exorcisms for the aftermath of these games, as demonic rituals never truly bring good in our belief system. I do, however, quite enjoy reading about the origins of these games and people’s reactions to them.

      Reply

    • I don’t think so. I’m religious and I play these games all the time. All I do is follow the rules of the game, say a few prayers, and hope nothing bad happens. When I play these, I always have a pocket bible over my heart or a cross I was given when I was a baby somewhere (i.e. pockets, bra, etc.) But these games are dangerous and I nearly lost my life playing some. I strongly recommend not playing the SUPER dangerous ones. That would be bad. Very, very, bad…

      Reply

      • Could you explain which games you were playing whenever that happened? You do not have to if you do not wish to but it would be appreciated so that I could keep from playing them.

        Reply

    • Index cards yes. Google no. I think its always best not to let technology into a game unless instructed otherwise.

      Reply

    • The notes say that it’s recommended, but not required to speak Spanish. Google Translate is not very reliable as it’s far from accurate. It could help, but I wouldn’t depend on it.

      Reply

    • Messing with otherworldly entities always have their risks. From what it sounds this one does seem particularly less obviously dangerous. I would gather the worst thing that would happen is either, this entity taking something from you, or the gates being open for other ones to haunt you.

      Reply

  6. If you are still in her game, can you still proceed to perform another ritual? (Midnight Man, ect)

    Reply

    • I suppose it’s an ill-advised thing to do, as you are communicating with two entities that may be dangerous. It may also interrupt your Midnight Game ritual.

      Reply

    • Well, how scared would you be? When you leave the game and play bloody mary, three kings, and midnight man all at once and fail all of them?
      (At least they get to “know” each other, I guess.)

      Reply

  8. Hey Lucia! I just want to say I’ve been following your series for nearly 2 years and I absolutely love your content and you even helped me find my interest! ❤
    Every single one of your new stories and updates gets me so excited, I check this website on a daily basis for updates and read the old “rituals” once I get bored. Thank you for introducing me to this type of spiritual stuff, never thought I’d find myself taking interest in this.

    Reply

  9. What happens if, on an odd chance, the coin/s land on their edge/standing up? Is that the same as a maybe?

    Reply

    • I read this game somewhere else it said preferably throw it over your head, but i guess it doesn’t really matter.

      Reply

  14. I played this game yesterday with one of my friends we broke one rule about not playing outside because we did. Well at first we started to fool around asking stupid things like “when are we going to die” but after a while we asked Sara Sarita “are you near us” and it landed on head for both of us meaning yes. I start looking in one corner and my friend is looking as well, I’m not even joking a big black dog came out of no here with no owner nothing just the dog we ran and my friend throw the coin in a forest so I did the same.

    Reply

    • Black dogs and/or snakes usually mark the presence of a spirit (I prefer to call them jinn). They may be malevolent (In which case, they are called “Demons”) or joking in nature ( examples include haunting people so they can laugh at them, or make noises to scare people).

      So, uhm, you may have just seen a demon.
      Good luck to you, if you are still out there.

      Reply

  15. I never played Sara Sarita before, but I tried once as a joke. I didn’t do it with anyone else, though, I played by myself outdoors. I flipped the coin and it responded with a ‘Yes’, and proceeded to ask a stupid question with a tails response. I flipeped it again and asked to leave the game but the coin flew away once I flipped it. And it was nowhere to be found.

    I know I didn’t play the game properly, nor did I even want to play. But I always got the feeling of being watched and seeing something black on the corner of my eye. I always got those but this time, the presence of someone is more stronger than before. I didn’t sleep well last night since I kept on thinking about it. Anywho, I made it out alive though, and i still need to find the coin.

    Anyways, thanks for this amazing post Lucia! I promised myself to not read anything scary anymore since it doesn’t help with my anxiety but your blog always catch my eye!

    Reply

    • A black thing? That is confusing. Usually, they come in a material form.

      Anywho, best wishes to you, reader Nik.

      Reply

  18. I wanted to try this, but I was too scared. so I had two of my friends play together while I watched. One of them had to leave early, so they just left my house without asking to leave the game. She has not had a good night’s sleep since, and that was three weeks ago. She claims that sometimes while her mom is driving her to soccer practice, when she passes my house, she always sees a large black dog sniffing around my yard, or watching her before vanishing, and she feels Watched when ever she alone. I don’t know what to do to help her. any Suggestions? should I have her replay the game and have her leave for real this time?

    Reply

  19. my brother and sister played the game and I was in there with them. it took them about an hour just to get permission to leave the game. later that night my brother said he feels like he’s getting watched and I felt really uneasy and I didn’t even play the game. That’s not all – we would hear knocking late at night and walking my dog would even bark when everyone was in bed. I really recommend not playing.

    Reply

  20. Okay so
    I played this game with a friend and (thankfully) lived to tell the story.
    So we went in an empty classroom in the noon break and played the game. I dunno how but we got a yes in our first try.
    So we asked her if she was here and she answered maybe. But the coin rolled in front of her (my friend) and she sh*tted her pants.
    After she calmed down, we asked if she was the daughter of the devil. She said no.
    Then we asked if she had a sister. She said no again.
    We asked if she loved us and the coins ended up both heads (I was near having a heart attack now).
    Then, we asked if she knew my grandpa (he died three years ago) and she said maybe.
    Then, if she was dangerous. She said maybe again.
    We asked if we were gonna be rich, she said yes.
    After that, we left (or tried to) leave the game. We asked a heck lot to get permission and when we did, we immediately rushed out of the classroom. One of the craziest experiences I had.

    Reply

  23. I noticed a lot of people in comments mentioned seeing a black dog, or a black shape, or hearing a dog barking after playing the game or being unable to leave. I know that a black dog can represent a spirit or a demon but I find it interesting that it’s a dog in particular. Any theories as to why a dog?

    Reply

  24. I’m looking for a relatively low stakes game to play with my friend. I have a lot of pets that I can’t get out of the house, or even room (snake, ferrets, geckos, etc) so I don’t want them to be hurt. Also, what is the definition of bad luck? Is it just having a bad day for the rest of your life or is it randomly being struck down by lightning?

    Reply

  25. I’m pretty sure Sarita means something like “little Sara” in Spanish. So I think it’d be odd to name your children Sara and little Sara. So I doubt they’re sisters. Unless their parents had absolutely no creativity in naming them.

    Or they were like… I think Greeks? Who named twins [name] and [not-name]?

    Reply

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