Scary Stories & Creepy Facts

SS&CF #183

Hide and Seek Alone is a scary Japanese game in which you play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a possessed doll.

This game is also known as Hitori Kakurenbo, One Man Hide And Seek, or One Man Tag. It is very dangerous and I recommend that you do not play this game.

To play Hide And Seek Alone, you need:

• A stuffed doll (it must have arms and legs).

• A bag of uncooked rice (enough to fill the doll).

• A sharp knife.

• A cup of salt (natural salt would be best) .

• A small room or closet which will be your hiding place.

Step 1
Cut open the doll and remove the stuffing. Fill the doll with uncooked rice. (In many Asian cultures, uncooked rice is believed to attract spirits).

Step 2
Clip your fingernails and put them inside the doll. (This binds the doll to you).

Step 3
Sew the doll up with the crimson thread, then tie up the doll with the rest of the thread. (The thread represents blood and binds the spirits with the doll).

Step 4
Fill the bathtub with water.

Step 5
Place a cup of saltwater inside your hiding place.

Step 6
Choose a name for your doll. (Naming a spirit makes it more powerful).

Step 7
At 3 AM, go to the bathroom, pick up the doll and say three times "(Your name) is the first it!"

Step 8
Place the doll in the bathtub, take the knife with you and go around the house turning off all the lights. Switch on the TV and leave it on a static noise channel.

Step 9
Go back to your hiding place, close your eyes and count to ten.

Step 10
Return to the bathroom with the knife in your hand.

Step 11
Say "I have found you (Doll's Name)!" and stab the doll with the knife.

Step 12
Say three times "Now (Doll's Name) is it!" and put the doll and the knife back in the bathtub.

Step 13
Immediately, run back to your hiding place and wait.

At this point, you may hear the pitter patter of tiny feet. If the doll is close, you will hear the white noise on the TV change.

Apart from the footsteps and things being moved around, some people have reported horrible smells, drastic changes in temperature, and the TV suddenly switching off or the volume changing dramatically.

Some have reported the sensation of being touched or pulled on. If at any time, you feel the doll is about to find you, end the game.

To end the game, take a mouthful of saltwater. Keep it in your mouth. Don't swallow it. Get out if your hiding spot and start looking for the doll. The doll is not necessarily in the bathroom.

It could be anywhere. Whatever happens, don't spit out the saltwater until you find the doll.

When you find it, pour the rest of the saltwater in the cup over it, then spit out the saltwater in your mouth over it as well.

Say three times, "I win!" and cut off the crimson thread. This is supposed to free the spirit and end the ritual.

After this, make sure you dry the doll, and burn or discard it later.

Rules:

• Do not stop the ritual halfway through. You must do it through the end.

• Do not go outside of the house.

• Do not play this game for more than two hours, or the spirit will become too powerful and will not leave the doll.

• You must be alone in the house when you play. You can play with friends, but if there is someone else in the house who is not playing, they will be mortal danger if the doll finds them instead.

• When you are returning to your hiding place, do not look behind you.

• You must turn off all lights and keep very quiet while hiding.

• Do not leave your hiding place without saltwater in your mouth. The doll will still be searching for you.

• If you are religious, bring a symbol of protection from your religion into the hiding place with you. (eg: A crucifix, rosary beads, a scapular, a Hamsa or a Buddhist amulet or talisman).

This is a very dangerous ritual and I advise you not to try it. I will not be responsible for what happens to you if you try it. If you make a mistake, you could wind up stabbed to death or possessed by an evil spirit.

In Japanese, the word for "It" in hide and seek is "Oni" which means "Demon."