The Most Dangerous Games: The Music Box Ritual, Or The Shadow’s Lullaby

Previously: El Juego De La Ventana.

How much do you know about music boxes? Me, I was surprised to find that they’re a more recent invention than I would have thought: The earliest music box is thought to have been created around the 1770s in Switzerland. I was, however, not surprised to find that there’s at least one ritual game involving a music box floating around out there. It goes by the name the Shadow’s Lullaby Game, although you might also just think of it, as I do, as simply the Music Box Ritual.

What is the Shadow’s Lullaby Game or the Music Box Ritual for, exactly? It’s mostly an information-seeking game, although if performed correctly, it will only provide players with the answer to a single question. Precision of language matters here; the more specific your question, the better. Leaving room for interpretation may cause… unexpected results.

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

Some caveats about this one: I’ve only ever seen it one place, and only once in that place. That one place is TikTok, in a video from user @the.edge.of.darkness posted at the end of May 2024.

The video is made using a text-to-speech program — no actual humans are either depicted or heard in it — and both the written and spoken script have errors that suggest… well, something going awry somewhere. Think word choice errors, wherein the word used has similar sounds to what would have been the correct word, but very different meanings: “Either” used instead of “gather,” for instance. I’m not sure whether that’s a result of, say, a bad automatic transcription tool at work, or something else, but, well, I thought it was perhaps worth bringing up.

There are also some discrepancies within the instructions themselves, which again could be the result of simple poor choice or unclear language, but could also have been an error caused by a machine somewhere.

(These are curious problems to have within a game whose success is predicated in large part on the precision of language.)

In any event, there are still some interesting things at play here. The Shadow’s Lullaby Game/Music Box Ritual is a doable ritual game that isn’t too complicated and doesn’t require loads of hard-to-get supplies to play; additionally, I do love a ritual game tied to specific dates, lunar phases, etc., and this one ticks that box, as well. As such, I’ve made an effort to clean it up, address the errors, and plug up some plot holes.

Will this game work? Probably not.

Still, though:

As always, play at your own risk.

Players:

• One principal.

Requirements:

• A black candle.
• Matches or a lighter.
• A music box — old, if possible; antique, ideally. (See: Additional Notes.)
• A small hand mirror.
• A time-keeping device.
• A lunar calendar.
• Salt.
• A dark, quiet room with at least one north-facing window, and a windowsill large enough to hold the hand mirror.
• A question — just one, no more, no less. Something to which you wish to know the answer.

Instructions:

Making The Preparations:

1. First, determine when you will play: Consult a lunar calendar or almanac and identify an upcoming night on which there will be a new moon. You may choose any upcoming new moon. When you have identified this date, mark it in your own calendar or set a reminder for yourself. This is the date on which you will play.
2. Now, wait until the night of this new moon arrives.
3. While you wait, use the time to gather together your supplies and choose a suitable room to use as your playing space. If there are multiple north-facing windows inside the room, choose one to use during the course of the game.
4. On the night of the new moon, prepare yourself and your supplies and go to the location in which your chosen playing space is situated.
5. Consult your time-keeping device.
6. At 2:22am, enter the room you have chosen to use as your playing space, bringing all supplies and requirements with you.
7. Close the door behind you.
8. Close all the windows in the room.
9. Draw the curtains or otherwise cover the windows such that no light from the outside is visible inside the room.
10. Turn out the lights.
11. Place the mirror on the sill of your chosen north-facing window and position it such that it reflects the room — and the room’s darkness — back at itself.
12. Using the salt, draw a circle around yourself — and the remainder of your supplies — on the floor in the center of the room. Make sure the circle is large enough for you to sit inside comfortably, facing the window.
13. Place the black candle inside the salt circle at the northernmost edge.
14. Make sure the music box is with you inside the circle, within easy reach.
15. Is it?
16. Good.
17. Are you seated comfortably?
18. Good.
19. Now: Light the candle.

Playing The Music:

1. Pick up the music box, but do not open it. Keeping the music box closed, wind it three times. You MUST turn the key three full revolutions.
2. Do NOT open the music box.
3. Hold the music box in your left hand.
4. Do NOT open the music box.
5. Remain seated, facing the window, inside the salt circle.  
6. Close your eyes and speak aloud the following words: “By shadow’s edge and moonless night, I seek the truth: Reveal your sight.”
7. Keeping your eyes closed, repeat those words aloud two more times, for a total of three recitations.
8. Now: Open your eyes and look at the mirror.
9. Do not move, no matter what you see.
10. Do not speak, no matter what you see.
11. Remain silent, no matter what you see.
12. Remain still, no matter what you see.
13. Now: Pay attention to the music box, but do NOT open it, and do NOT look away from the mirror.
    • If the music box remains silent: The ritual has failed; do not proceed. Refer to Emergency Procedures (see below) and enact the appropriate procedure. For you, the game ends here.
    • If the music box begins to play on its own: The ritual has succeeded; you may proceed.
14. You may now ask one question, and one question only. Do NOT look away from the mirror while the music still plays.
15. Look. Listen. Take in the answer to your question, however it presents itself.
16. Look, and listen, and remain still and silent until the music ceases to play.

Ending The Song:

1. When the music box falls silent, it is time to end the game.
2. Speak aloud the words, “I renounce the shadows.” Then, extinguish the candle.
3. Place the music box on the ground.
4. Exit the room, closing the door behind you.
5. Keep the door to the room closed until the sun has risen.
6. Once the sun is up, return to the room and clear up your supplies. Dispose of the candle and the mirror. Place the music box somewhere safe.
7. Did you learn what you wanted to know?

Additional Notes:

Due to the use of candles and open flames, this game should be considered a fire hazard. Should you choose to play, it is recommended that you exercise commonsense fire safety precautions, including removing flammable items from the area, ensuring you have one or more fire extinguishers available and within easy reach, etc. We are not responsible for anything that may befall you, should you choose to play this game.

Regarding the hand mirror: In order to perform its intended function, the mirror must be able to stand up on its own. A compact-style pocket mirror, opened at a right angle and set upon the windowsill to look out over the playing space, is ideal.

Regarding the music box: Although this game may be attempted with any music box, it is recommended that any attempts made utilize an old music box — ideally one considered an antique. Should you not achieve the desired results using a new or newer music box, it is suggested that you acquire an older music box, should you wish to try again.

Additionally, the music box should be a box — the kind with a hinged lid that can open and close, and which causes the music to play only when the box is open.

Emergency Procedures:

Should any of the following situations occur, please enact the associated emergency procedure.

• If, in Playing The Music: Step 13, the music box remains silent: Speak aloud the words, “I renounce the shadows”; then extinguish the candle. Exit the room and close the door behind you. Do not return to the room until the sun has risen. You may try again another time, if you wish. If you do, it is recommended that you use a different music box.
• If, at any point, the candle flickers, but remains lit: Speak aloud the words, “I renounce the shadows”; then extinguish the candle. Exit the room and close the door behind you. Do not return to the room until the sun has risen. You may try again another time, although it is not necessarily recommended that you do.
• If, at any point, the candle extinguishes itself: Exit the room immediately and close the door behind you. Do not look back. If possible, vacate the premises entirely. Do not look back. Do not open the door to the room until the sun has risen. Do not return to the room at all until the sun has risen. Ideally, do not return to the location itself until the sun has risen. Dispose of the mirror, the candle, and the music box as far away as possible. Do NOT try again another time — not ever.

Failure to enact emergency procedures when required may result in less-than-desirable outcomes. Proceed with caution. Proceed at your own risk.

A Final Warning:

Remember:

The answer to your question had to have come from somewhere.

It had to have come from someone.

And even if you successfully close out the game — that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ve left.

In fact, if you ever hear the music box play again… you’ll know for a fact that they haven’t.

***

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

[Photos via Zlouiemark45546, Museumsinsulaner/Wikimedia Commons, available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons license and/or public domain; frankieleon/Flickr, available under a CC BY 2.0 Creative Commons license]