The Charlie Charlie Challenge is the two-pencil game: a sheet of paper divided into four, two pencils in a cross and a question spoken aloud, "Charlie, Charlie, are you here?". If the top pencil swings towards Yes, the game has begun. In May 2015 it went around the world in a matter of days, and it is still one of the most searched-for scary games today.
Where it comes from
Before it had an English name, the game already existed in Latin America as "el juego de la lapicera" or "the pencil game", especially in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, where generations of schoolchildren played it at break time. The legend says Charlie is the spirit of a boy, or according to other versions a Mexican demon, who answers whoever asks him politely.
The leap to global phenomenon came with social media. A handful of videos filmed in classrooms, with the pencil turning by itself and screams in the background, went viral under the hashtag #CharlieCharlieChallenge, and within days the challenge was in every language. That is why it is known today by its English name even in the countries where it was born.
What you need
A sheet of paper, two identical pencils, a flat table and a bit of silence. Nothing else. That they are pencils and not pens matters: the hexagonal cross-section of a pencil is what allows one to balance on top of the other.
How to play, step by step
Draw a cross on the sheet to divide it into four quadrants. Write "Yes" in two diagonally opposite quadrants and "No" in the other two. Place one pencil on the horizontal line and the other on top of it, along the vertical line, so that it balances and forms a cross. The better centred it is, the sooner it will move.
With the cross set up, the participants stand around it without touching the table and one of them asks aloud: "Charlie, Charlie, are you here?". If the top pencil turns towards a Yes, you may continue. From then on the questions are always yes-or-no, and each answer is the word the pencil points to when it stops.
To finish, you must say goodbye. You ask "Charlie, Charlie, can we stop?", wait for the pencil to point to Yes, and drop both pencils on the floor. This is the part almost nobody mentions and the one that gives the game its character: the session is not abandoned, it is closed.
Why the pencil moves
The top pencil rests on one edge of the bottom one in a very unstable balance. The breathing of those leaning over the table, a vibration in the floor, a draught of air, or a table that is not perfectly level is enough to set it turning. Because the movement is slow and appears right after the question, the brain links it to an answer. It is the same mechanism by which a pendulum "replies": physics does the work and expectation supplies the meaning.
Knowing this does not spoil the game. On the contrary, the challenge works precisely because the pencil really does move and nobody touches it, which makes it more unsettling than the Ouija, where there is always a hand on the pointer.
The online version
On Esoterium you can play Charlie Charlie from your phone or computer. The screen reproduces the sheet with its four quadrants and the pencil cross; you type your question, the pencil turns and stops on Yes or No. Each question earns points, and with them you unlock new pencils with different designs. It is the way to play without paper, without a table and without waiting for the air to do its part.
Tips and precautions
It is an entertainment game and should be treated as such. It is not recommended for small children who are easily frightened, and in a group it works best when everyone accepts the rules: polite questions, no mocking, and a farewell at the end. If anyone feels uncomfortable, you stop. Fear is part of the fun, but only as long as it stays fun.