There’s apparently this new thing all the kids on fleek are doing (that means the cool kids, not the ones on drugs… although probably most of them are also on drugs). It’s a game called “Charlie Charlie.” I heard about it last week in an article that showed up on my Facebook feed.
If you’re not under 15 and on fleek (I’m sorry if I”m overusing this term, but I”m old, and it makes me feel nice about myself to use it correctly), you may not have heard about this yet, but it’s a game in which a demon named Charlie is summoned to answer questions; think of it as a simpler version of Ouiji in which no one is actually touching anything. You draw two perpendicular lines on a piece of paper, intersecting them in the middle to make a cross, and then write the words “yes” and “no” in each of the four spaces created. You then put a pencil on each line of the cross, balancing one pencil on top of the other.
In this game, you’re supposed to ask: “Charlie, Charlie, can you play?” or “Charlie, Charlie, are you here?” and the top pencil will begin to spin and point to either yes or no.
This game has picked up so much social media attention in the past week, that a Vatican-approved exorcist has actually weighed in on the subject and warned youngsters of the dangers of summoning demons.
A story written in a British newspaper explained that the game is only a combination of gravity and the positioning of the pencils that make the pencils move. I fully believe that, but needed to try it for myself to check it out. I don’t actually think demons are coming to move the pencils, but I also didn’t want to play around with that weird stuff. I just wanted to prove that the pencils will move with or without demon summoning.
The hardest part about this game was finding wooden pencils. Who even owns pencils anymore? Out of four people in my house, nobody had a pencil. I texted V, who was coming over to watch The Bachelorette, and asked her to steal some from work, but she had already left, so she said to check the bins she left in my carport. The girl is moving to Guatemala for two years, and getting rid of almost all of her stuff, yet she’s still good for a package of number-two pencils which she is storing until she returns. What am I going to do without her?
I set out with a hypothesis. I could balance the pencils, say whatever I wanted, or nothing at all, and the pencils would still move, just as they did in the countless vines and youtube videos out there.
I gathered my supplies and began my challenge. On one attempt, the pencil actually did move a little bit, but I realized the ceiling fan directly above me was on high speed. Not fair. My roommate, Emily walked in from work during one of my attempts and was completely confused, “I don’t get it…” and Ginge was in the carport where I locked him, with instructions of not speaking while I was videoing.
Later on, a few more of the ladies came over for our Monday night viewing of the Bachelorette (yes, I’m 32, and yes, I still have Bachelorette viewing parties). When I filled Lexi in on my evening activities, it was immediately, “Court, I really forgot how weird you are.” Can I be weird? Maybe a little… but five minutes later, who was the one begging me to try the Charlie game again?! (Lexi)!
There we went again…. Here is a compilation of my attempts of debunking the Charlie demon:
What do I have to take from this? I’m not sure. All I know is that I couldn’t completely say this game is BS. I really wish I could have. Charlie, if you’re out there, I really hope you’re enjoying this media attention, and I also really hope you make peace with yourself and transition from “demon” to “loving, sweet boy of the afterlife.” I mean if Bruce Jenner could transition from Olympic male gold medalist to beautiful older woman, “Caitlyn” in this crazy world, I have faith in you. And THAT’s a story for another day.
Goodnight my muffins.
xoxo
Gossip Girl
breathe in, laugh out 