Smee: A Creepy Game
Smee is not only the name of the funny guy who is also pirate Hook´s trusted lieutenant. This word is also the name of a game described in a story by the British writer, A.M. Burrage (1889-1956), a game that is heavily based on "Hide and Seek" which we know can be fun but not all the time.
The story goes like this: a group of youngsters gather together at night at an abandoned house to plas Smee which is actually another way to write the expression "It's me" (Soy yo). The participants in this game begin playing in one of the rooms. Silently they all receive a piece of paper and only one of those pieces has the word SMEE written on it. At that moment the person who receives that paper becomes Smee but must not reveal his/her identity to the other players. After the papers are given, all of them, without any candle or lamp, have to leave the room and go sseparate ways beacuse first they have to hide from one another. After a while those who are not Smee start looking for Smee who must have searched for a place where he or she will remain hidden. When one player runs into another person he or she must ask:"Smee?" and if the other person answers: "Smee" that means that person is not Smee and the search must continue. When one actually finds Smee that perosn will not answer after hearing "Smee?" Not answering indicates that person is the real Smee and then the player has to remain with Smee without saying a word because then both are Smee. The game continues as more and more players come along and finishes when the last participant arrives. Then there is a head count and everybody goes home.
Sounds simple and a bit creepy. But in the story something creepy truly happens when the players who were originally twelve (I cannot recall the right number) initiate the head count and when they finish they find out, in the middle of the dark of the house, that there are not twelve players but thirteen.
Is it not frightening? Of course there is more to it but to know everything I recommend you to read the whole story. You won't regret it.
The story goes like this: a group of youngsters gather together at night at an abandoned house to plas Smee which is actually another way to write the expression "It's me" (Soy yo). The participants in this game begin playing in one of the rooms. Silently they all receive a piece of paper and only one of those pieces has the word SMEE written on it. At that moment the person who receives that paper becomes Smee but must not reveal his/her identity to the other players. After the papers are given, all of them, without any candle or lamp, have to leave the room and go sseparate ways beacuse first they have to hide from one another. After a while those who are not Smee start looking for Smee who must have searched for a place where he or she will remain hidden. When one player runs into another person he or she must ask:"Smee?" and if the other person answers: "Smee" that means that person is not Smee and the search must continue. When one actually finds Smee that perosn will not answer after hearing "Smee?" Not answering indicates that person is the real Smee and then the player has to remain with Smee without saying a word because then both are Smee. The game continues as more and more players come along and finishes when the last participant arrives. Then there is a head count and everybody goes home.
Sounds simple and a bit creepy. But in the story something creepy truly happens when the players who were originally twelve (I cannot recall the right number) initiate the head count and when they finish they find out, in the middle of the dark of the house, that there are not twelve players but thirteen.
Is it not frightening? Of course there is more to it but to know everything I recommend you to read the whole story. You won't regret it.
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