The Most Dangerous Games: The Little Piggy Game

Previously: The Spirit Of The Pen.

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You know the English nursery rhyme “This Little Piggy,” right? The one where you wiggle a baby or toddler’s toes while repeating the lines, “This little piggy went to market; this little piggy stayed home; this little piggy had roast beef; this little piggy had none; and this little piggy went ‘wee wee wee’ all the way home”? Well, the ritual game called the Little Piggy Game is… not that, although it may be related to it in some way. Rather, it’s a summoning ritual; it’s meant to bring forth the spirits of several children to whom you may pose five questions — one for each toe (the “piggies”).

The ritual doesn’t specify who the children might be, what the circumstances of their deaths were, or even whether they must necessarily have died somewhere near where you’ve chosen to perform the ritual.

There is quite literally only one source for this game on the internet: A post on the r/ThreeKings subreddit published at the end of 2019 by a user going by the name u/-UkiyoBlue. This, combined with the fact that u/-UkiyoBlue posted on Reddit only six times, all between December 2019 and April 2020 and solely about the Little Piggy Game, implies to me that it could very well be a made-up story; for the sake of completeness, though, u/-UkiyoBlue’s backstory specifies that they learned the game from their aunt, who was from Yorkshire in the UK. It’s not known whether the game originated in Yorkshire, but the presumed British origins, at least, are consistent with the origins of its namesake.

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For what it’s worth, that namesake — the original “This Little Piggy” nursery rhyme — first appeared in print in 1760, albeit in a slightly different form. Per folklorists Peter and Iona Opie’s Oxford Dictionary Of Nursery Rhymes, this early print version can be found in The Famous Tom Thumb’s Little Story-Book, where it reads as follows:

“This pig went to market,

That pig stayed home;

This pig had roast meat,

That pig had none;

This pig went to the barn’s door,

And cried week, week for more.”

It’s perhaps also worth noting that the widely accepted interpretation of the line “this little piggy went to market” implies that the piggy is going not to shop, but to be butchered and sold for its meat.

Do with that what you will.

In any event, don’t assume that because you’re summoning children that this ritual is somehow “safe.”

It’s not.

As always, play at your own risk.

Players:

• One principal.

Requirements:

• A large blanket — thick and with no holes or worn spots.
• A candle — ideally white.
• Matches or a lighter.
• Salt.
• A toy or sweets. (Optional. See: Additional Notes.)
• A quiet, indoor location in which to play. (See: Additional Notes.)
• A quiet room within the indoor location to serve as your primary playing space.(See: Additional Notes.)
• Five yes or no questions — no more, no less.

Instructions:

The Preparations:

1. Begin after midnight, but before 4am.
2. Clear the location in which you have chosen to play of all other people or pets.
3. Draw the curtains or otherwise cover up any and all windows in the location in which you have chosen to play.
4. Turn off, unplug, and/or remove the batteries from any and all electronic devices in the location in which you have chosen to play.
5. Turn off all the lights in the location in which you have chosen to play.
6. Place the candle, matches, lighter, salt, blanket, and toy or sweets (if using) in the quiet room within the location in which you have chosen to play.
7. Ensure that there is a spot in this room large enough for you to lie down upon comfortably. (See: Additional Notes.)
8. Open any and all doors in the location in which you have chosen to play. Yes, even the front door, if possible. If you do not wish to leave the front door open for an extended period of time, you may instead open the window closest to this door, so long as the curtain remains closed or the window otherwise covered up. For best results, however, open the door itself.
9. Proceed to the quiet room. Do NOT close the door behind you.
10. Using the matches or lighter, light the candle.
11. Remove your socks and/or shoes. You must be barefoot before continuing.
12. Lie down.
13. Arrange the blanket over yourself such that it covers everything from your ankles to the top of your head. Leave your feet uncovered. You feet should be the only part of your body not covered by the blanket.
14. From beneath the blanket, speak aloud the following verse: “I hear the voices of children close,/ And your footsteps echo near./ I invite you to play, as it is no longer day,/ And there is nothing for you to fear.”
15. Wait.
16. Do not remove or look out from beneath the blanket.
17. Wait.
18. Do not remove or look out from beneath the blanket.

The Conversation:

1. Keeping your body and head covered safely beneath the blanket, ask your first question.
2. Pay attention to your feet:
   • If you feel one touch, tug, or wiggle on your big toe: The answer to your question is yes. You may proceed.
   • If you feel two touches, tugs, or wiggles on your big toe: The answer to your question is no. You may proceed.
   • If you feel nothing: The answer to your question is inconclusive. (See: Additional Notes.) You may proceed.
   • If you feel one or more touches, tugs, or wiggles on any toe BUT your big toe: DO NOT PROCEED. See: Terminating The Ritual.
3. Do not remove or look out from beneath the blanket.
4. Now, ask your second question. Pay attention to your feet:
   • If you feel one touch, tug, or wiggle on your second toe: The answer to your question is yes. You may proceed.
   • If you feel two touches, tugs, or wiggles on your second toe: The answer to your question is no. You may proceed.
   • If you feel nothing: The answer to your question is inconclusive. (See: Additional Notes.) You may proceed.
   • If you feel one or more touches, tugs, or wiggles on any toe BUT your second toe: DO NOT PROCEED. See: Terminating The Ritual.
5. Do not remove or look out from beneath the blanket.
6. Now, ask your third question. Pay attention to your feet:
   • If you feel one touch, tug, or wiggle on your middle toe: The answer to your question is yes. You may proceed.
   • If you feel two touches, tugs, or wiggles on your middle toe: The answer to your question is no. You may proceed.
   • If you feel nothing: The answer to your question is inconclusive. (See: Additional Notes.) You may proceed.
   • If you feel one or more touches, tugs, or wiggles on any toe BUT your middle toe: DO NOT PROCEED. See: Terminating The Ritual.
7. Do not remove or look out from beneath the blanket.
8. Now, ask your fourth question. Pay attention to your feet:
   • If you feel one touch, tug, or wiggle on your fourth toe: The answer to your question is yes. You may proceed.
   • If you feel two touches, tugs, or wiggles on your fourth toe: The answer to your question is no. You may proceed.
   • If you feel nothing: The answer to your question is inconclusive. (See: Additional Notes.) You may proceed.
   • If you feel one or more touches, tugs, or wiggles on any toe BUT your fourth toe: DO NOT PROCEED. See: Terminating The Ritual.
9. Do not remove or look out from beneath the blanket.
10. Now, ask your fifth and final question. Pay attention to your feet:
    • If you feel one touch, tug, or wiggle on your pinky toe: The answer to your question is yes. You may proceed.
    • If you feel two touches, tugs, or wiggles on your pinky toe: The answer to your question is no. You may proceed.
    • If you feel nothing: The answer to your question is inconclusive. (See: Additional Notes.) You may proceed.
    • If you feel one or more touches, tugs, or wiggles on any toe BUT your pinky toe: DO NOT PROCEED. See: Terminating The Ritual.
11. Do not remove or look out from beneath the blanket.

The Farewell:

1. When you have finished asking your questions, speak aloud the following verse: “I am glad we could play as night fades to day,/ But now it is time to go./ My questions I asked, for that was my task,/ And now all the answers I know.”
2. Now — and only now — may you remove the blanket from your body and head.
3. Extinguish the candle.

Additional Notes:

Many players choose to perform this ritual in their own homes. Should you, too, choose to do so, your bedroom may be used as the quiet room, and your bed the spot upon which you lie down.

The toy or sweets may be used to provide additional incentive for your correspondents to appear. If you play once without them and do not achieve success, it may be worthwhile to try again later, this time employing one or both of these items. You need not position them in any particular spot, should you choose to use them; the only requirement is that they be in the quiet room with you when you commence The Conversation.

When answering your questions, your correspondents should always touch, tug, or wiggle your toes in order, starting with your big toe and finishing with your pinky toe. However, they may not always touch, tug, or wiggle your toes on the same foot from question to question—that is, if your correspondents touch your left big toe in response to your first question, they may choose to touch the second toe on either your left or right foot in response to your question. Pay careful attention to which toes are touched, tugged, or wiggled as you ask your questions; if they are not touched in order, you will need to terminate the ritual prematurely. (See: Terminating The Ritual.)

If you feel nothing in response to any of your questions, it may signify one or more of the following:

• Your correspondents do not know the answer to your question;
• Your correspondents do not wish to answer;

Additionally, if you feel nothing throughout the entire duration of the game, it may signify any of the above, or that the ritual has failed and no correspondents have chosen to appear.

You may play this game as many times as you like, but do NOT play it more than once in a single night.

Do not play this game while under the influence of any recreational or medical substances.

Do not play this game in a location known to have experienced… unusual activity at any point in its past.

Do not fall asleep while playing this game.

Do not allow the game to go on past 4:00am. Note, though, that as no electronic devices may be turned on throughout the duration of the game, you may have to estimate the time as you play — and simply hope that your estimate is correct.

Additionally, it is not recommended that you play this game in a location in or near a cemetery, or in a location in which at least one person is known to have died. It is not forbidden to play this game in such locations — but it will be safer for you if you do not.

Terminating The Ritual:

The following events and occurrences should be considered RED FLAGS and are grounds for terminating the ritual prematurely:

• The toe touched in response to a question does not correspond to the number of that question — for instance, your middle toe being touched in response to your first question.
• A toe is touched without a question having been asked at all — for instance, any of your toes being touched before you have asked even your first question.
• The touch of a toe is experienced as pain — for instance, if, instead of a gentle tug or wiggle, your toe feels as if it has been pinched, pricked, stabbed, or burned.
• Loud or disturbing noises are heard outside the quiet room — for instance, a knocking or rapping sound or the sound of one or more doors slamming shut.
• The blanket is removed from your head or body without you being the one to remove it.

Additionally, should you yourself perform any of the following actions, that is also grounds for terminating the ritual prematurely:

• You say anything other than the invitation verse, the farewell verse, or your five questions to your correspondents.
• You ask your correspondents a question that is NOT a yes or no question.
• You remove the blanket from your head or body at any time before Step 2 of The Farewell.

Should it become necessary to terminate the ritual prematurely, follow the instructions detailed in The Farewell. Then, immediately after extinguishing the candle in Step 3, vacate the premises and do not return until after 4:00am. Upon your return, ensure at least one window is open; then retrieve the salt and use it to draw a line across the threshold of any and all doors in the location.

Most Importantly:

Do NOT fail to complete the ritual, either by achieving a successful result or via an early termination.

No matter the outcome, you MUST fully close out the ritual in order for it to be considered complete.

If you don’t…

…Well, let’s just say you might have a hard time saying goodbye to your visitors.

Especially if they decide to stay indefinitely.

The Little Piggy Game: FAQ.

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[Photo via kylewilliamurban/Unsplash]