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The Ghost In My Machine

Stories of the Strange and Unusual

The Most Dangerous Games: That Cold, Creepy Feeling (Or, The Cold Ritual)

August 21, 2019 by Lucia

Previously: Blind Man’s Bluff.

Note: Please don’t copy/paste or republish the text of this post on other websites without permission.

Originally uploaded to the Creepypasta Wikia in 2012 by user VelvetxNightmare, the ritual game called That Cold, Creepy Feeling — sometimes translated into other languages as simply “The Cold Ritual” — is definitely of the made-up variety of ritual game, rather than the folkloric or historical type. It is, however, quite effective as a story, and easily performed at home, should you want to give it a try. The prize for success is the ability to see the future, although you should be aware that there’s a cost for success, too.

[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available for pre-order now!]

Interestingly, there are some similarities between this ritual and the ritual used to summon La Cegua — namely, the use of three pieces of cloth. The difference, of course — besides the colors of the fabric — is that in the La Cegua summoning ritual, the pieces of cloth are pulled away at the end to reveal items that might be of use to you. In the Cold Ritual, meanwhile, the pieces of fabric should never, ever be moved from their final position. It’s a curious kind of reversal, I think; it speaks to the kind of balance required in these kinds of games.

One thing that I think the original source for the ritual is lacking is adequate safeguarding with regards to the drawing and mirror. You are, after all, using the drawing and the mirror to open a sort of window to somewhere else — so should something go… wrong, or even you should simply experience something while performing the ritual that isn’t quite right, it would be useful to have some sort of procedure in place to mitigate the damage. I’ve attempted to fill in the gaps here, hopefully in such a way that makes the ritual a bit more complete.

As for what one might do with the ability to see the future? That depends on whether you believe the future is fixed or not. If you believe it’s mutable, then you might use your knowledge to change it. If you believe it’s fixed, however, all you can do is prepare yourself for it — no more, no less.  

As always, play at your own risk.

Players:

  • One principal.

Requirements:

  • One hand mirror.
  • A sheet of paper.
  • A pencil.
  • One piece of white satin fabric.
  • One piece of red satin fabric.
  • One piece of black satin fabric.
  • Your own bedroom.
  • Somewhere safe to sleep other than your bedroom.

Instructions:

The Mirror:

  1. Begin at any time.
  2. Gather your supplies and bring them to your bedroom. Close the door behind you.
  3. If your bedroom has windows, draw the curtains or otherwise block the windows.
  4. Sit on the edge of your bed. Keep your supplies close at hand.
  5. Hold the mirror up to your face and observe your reflection.
  6. Meet your own eyes in the mirror. Do not waver in your gaze.
  7. Speak aloud the words, “Give me this gift in exchange for my sacrifice.”
  8. Place the mirror beside you on the bed and lay the sheet of paper on top of it.
  9. Close your eyes and imagine another eye — just one eye, wide open and staring. What does it look like? Is it clear? Bloodshot? Dry, or damp? Fringed with heavy lashes, or nearly bare? Imagine every detail — except to whom the eye might belong. The Eye is all that matters — nothing else.
  10. Once you have a clear image of the Eye in your mind, open your own eyes. Take up the pencil and draw the Eye on the sheet of paper, without lifting up the paper from the mirror.
  11. When you have finished your drawing, speak aloud the words, “The Wide Eye sees all.”
  12. Lift the piece of paper from the mirror.
    • If the mirror is unchanged: The ritual has failed; do not proceed. Open both the curtains and the door and leave the room, taking the drawing with you. Destroy the drawing as soon as possible, ideally by burning it to ashes. You may try again another time.
    • If the Eye you drew is etched on the mirror’s surface: The ritual has succeeded; you may proceed. Lift the mirror up to your face.
      • NOTE: If the Eye on the surface of the mirror is NOT the one you imagined and drew, DO NOT PROCEED. Leave the room and destroy both the drawing and the mirror immediately. Dispose of the remains of each item as far away from your home as possible. It is not recommended that you try this ritual again.

The Eye:

  1. Close your eyes again visualize the Eye.
  2. In your mind’s eye, watch the Eye. In the physical world, keep your own eyes closed.
  3. Watch the Eye blink once. Should you feel a shiver run down your spine, remain calm. Do not open your eyes.
  4. Watch it blink twice. Should you hear a soft whisper in your ear, remain calm. Do not open your eyes.
  5. Watch it blink thrice. Should you feel a sudden drop in temperature, remain calm. Do not open your eyes.
  6. Keep your eyes closed.
  7. Speak aloud, again, the words, “Give me this gift in exchange for my sacrifice.”
  8. Open your eyes.
  9. Look into the mirror.
    • If you see only yourself: The ritual has failed; do not proceed. Open the curtains and the door and leave the room. Destroy the drawing and the mirror as soon as possible and remove the remains from your home. You may try again another time.
    • If you see a pale-faced girl: The ritual has succeeded; you may proceed — but do not meet her gaze for more than 20 seconds.
      • NOTE: If the face in the mirror is NOT that of the pale-faced girl, DO NOT PROCEED. Leave the room and destroy both the drawing and the mirror immediately. Dispose of the remains of each item as far away from your home as possible. Do not try this ritual again.
  10. Lay the mirror down on the bed and spread the piece of black satin fabric over it. Speak aloud the words, “Your gift.”
  11. Spread the piece of red satin fabric over the piece of black fabric. Speak aloud the words, “My sacrifice.”
  12. Spread the piece of white satin fabric over the piece of red fabric. Speak aloud the words, “It is done.” Should you hear a soft whisper in your left ear, remain calm — even if the whisper persists for an extended period of time.
  13. Leave the mirror on the bed, covered with the three pieces of fabric, open the door, and exit the room. Close the door behind you.
  14. Find somewhere to spend the night. Do not sleep in your bedroom. Leave the door closed and the room untouched until the sun has risen the next morning.

The Future:

  1. Once the sun has risen, you may open the door and return to your bedroom. Move the mirror with the layers of fabric and place it somewhere safe — somewhere it will never be disturbed. Do NOT allow the fabric to fall off or uncover the mirror.
  2. Henceforth, you will hold the uncanny ability to see the future
  3. But there is a price, as well. The soft whisper that may have sounded in your left ear as you completed the ritual? It will continue, unabated, for your remaining days.
  4. And you will know exactly how many days do remain for you — for the whisper will say only one thing, over and over and over again.
  5. It will repeat to you the date of your death.
  6. Your knowledge of the future is not complete without knowledge of your own demise, after all.

Additional Notes:

You may begin playing at any time of day or not; however, for best results, it is recommended that you begin precisely at midnight.

The three pieces of fabric should be identical in size; additionally, they should all be large enough to cover the mirror’s surface completely.

This ritual must be performed in your own bedroom — the place you live, sleep, and call your own. Do not use any other space for the ritual. Do not use anyone else’s bedroom for the ritual. You may use a bedroom shared by yourself and one or more other people; however, it is recommended that you request permission to proceed from your roommate(s) before performing the ritual. If your roommate(s) are not on board with it, do not proceed.

You need not empty the room of other people before performing the ritual, although you may see better results if you do. Should you perform the ritual with other people present, and it becomes necessary to leave the room, all people inside the room — both principals and bystanders — must vacate the space.

After completing Step 13 of The Mirror, do NOT spend the night in your own bedroom. Arrange for somewhere else to go. Sleep, if you can.

Concerning The Mirror:

After completing the ritual, do NOT allow the mirror to be uncovered, damaged, or broken.

Ever.

Keep it safe, and keep it intact.

You don’t want to know what might happen to you, should it become damaged.

Or what might happen to the future.

That Cold, Creepy Feeling: FAQ.

***

Please don’t reproduce the text of this post anywhere else without permission. Linking to it or sharing the URL only is fine (and encouraged!), as is writing your own unique version of the game with sources cited and linked to, but copying/pasting, republishing, screenshotting, or otherwise reproducing the text of this piece in its entirety or near-entirety on other websites without permission isn’t.

***

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[Photo via darksouls1/Pixabay]

Filed Under: Games Tagged With: games you shouldn't play, mirrors, That Cold Creepy Feeling, The Cold Ritual, The Most Dangerous Games

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AJ says

    August 21, 2019 at 5:44 pm

    I read the instructions for this on some website or another and so were super confusing, thanks for making this more clear!

    Reply
  2. Entity Hunter says

    August 23, 2019 at 12:58 am

    I wonder what would be whispered in your ear if you were immortal. I got to try this out though cause it sounds cool and easy.

    Reply
  3. KJ says

    August 23, 2019 at 1:04 am

    What if the mirror got lost?

    Reply
    • Thijs says

      October 3, 2019 at 2:42 am

      It says as long as it doesn’t break and isn’t disturbed, you’re ok, so i suppose you could even bury it.

      Reply
    • Phoebe says

      November 4, 2019 at 9:09 pm

      I might get broken or uncovered. If that happens you’re screwed. GL

      Reply
    • Jamel says

      December 8, 2019 at 3:53 am

      You’re in deep trouble.

      Reply
  4. Summer says

    August 25, 2019 at 11:42 am

    so can you still sleep in your home? It only specifies that you don’t sleep in your room but what if I sleep on my sofa?

    Reply
    • Hannah says

      September 27, 2019 at 11:22 am

      This is just my opinion but it explicitly states to find somewhere else to sleep, and this might be considered “Cheating”. These creatures don’t like to be cheated

      Reply
    • Victoria says

      October 17, 2019 at 4:56 pm

      The instructions state other than your bedroom, so I think it means don’t sleep in the room that you regularly sleep in. I think that means you can sleep in a different room of your house.

      Reply
  5. Topaz says

    August 25, 2019 at 3:10 pm

    Could I sleep in a different bedroom in my house of the ritual suceeds?

    Reply
  6. Corn says

    August 28, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    An amazing read as always! I don’t see myself ever playing one of these games, but I love reading about them

    Reply
  7. Prashi says

    September 17, 2019 at 12:12 am

    Hey Lucia! It is really a creepy one. You always
    scare me with your creepy games! I am not
    gonna try this, but I love reading them! When are you going to
    post some more? I am eagerly waiting for new
    Scary Games!

    Reply
    • Lucia says

      September 17, 2019 at 3:58 pm

      Thanks for the kind words! We post new content every Monday and Wednesday, with new Most Dangerous Games going live every other Wednesday. The next game will be published tomorrow.

      Reply
      • ABC Killer says

        July 4, 2020 at 5:50 am

        I did the ritual, it says I will die on 19.04.2056

        Reply
  8. Ask who Joe is says

    October 11, 2019 at 8:43 pm

    About drawing the eye. I’m not going to do this, but what if you can’t draw well? Could you make the eye stylized, or does it have to be as realistic as you can make it?

    Reply
  9. keara murphy says

    October 21, 2019 at 11:36 am

    HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS STUFF!!!!
    its really cool.

    Reply
  10. Tobias says

    November 25, 2019 at 10:17 am

    But- can i sleep in this bedroom after the first day? Or do i have to sleep somewhere else forever?

    Reply
  11. Sarah says

    January 9, 2020 at 8:20 pm

    I lost my mirror. help.

    Reply
    • Egg says

      February 8, 2020 at 2:41 am

      I’m so sorry. I’m so very, very sorry.

      Reply
    • Celest says

      February 12, 2020 at 5:25 pm

      What is your death day?

      Reply
    • Min-chan says

      March 26, 2020 at 3:15 pm

      I’m so sorry. You probably won’t see this,but I’m so, so sorry.

      Reply
    • Daniel says

      April 3, 2020 at 8:17 am

      I’m sorry. But all you can do is find it. And if you couldn’t, you can only hope *nothing* happens to it.

      Reply
  12. Alyssa says

    July 3, 2020 at 11:39 pm

    Ngl this one creeped me out a lot. I had been reading this and was imagining the eye cause I was curious about what my first thought was when I thought of the eye. Then I kept reading and when it stated to draw the eye, I realized I had been using the pencil I was holding to doodle on my phone. Really freaked me out lol. I didn’t do the ritual so I’m sure everything’s fine but it was a pretty weird realization.

    Reply
  13. Arcazia says

    September 15, 2020 at 1:47 am

    I wonder what will happen if we die and get resurrected? Or are immortal? What will it say?
    “No Sacrifice, No Gift?”

    Reply

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