14 DAY TRIAL // Just a few days back, a so-called Charlie Charlie Challenge took the online world by storm. Here’s a rundown of what this latest craze was all about: people - teenagers, mostly - started balancing pencils one on top of the other looking to make contact with a Mexican demon by the name of Charlie.
Naturally, they filmed themselves doing it and shared their videos with fellow internauts.
Now, under any other circumstances, looking people in the eye and telling them that stacking pencils is a sure way to come into contact with a demonic entity of Mexican origin would likely get you a pat on the back, maybe a visit to the head doctor and a nice room at the loony bin.
The Charlie Charlie Challenge, however, seriously freaked out some of the folks who tried it.
Mind you, a priest in the UK even came forward to ask people not to take this challenge or risk getting sucked into a vortex of wickedness and evilness. It is very dangerous to upset spirits and call them to you, priest Michael Canny warned anyone considering summoning Charlie.
The thing is that, although many claim otherwise, this challenge is complete nonsense.
How the Charlie Charlie Challenge works
We’ve already said this dare boils down to balancing pencils one on top of the other in an attempt to summon the Mexican demon Charlie.
You can use just any pencils you happen to have lying around your home, but in order for this challenge to work you have to stick to a very precise ritual.
For starters, get yourself a sheet of paper, draw two lines in the form of a cross on it and then write “yes” in the top right and the bottom left corner. The other corners are reserved for “no.”
Now, balance two pencils one atop the other at the center of the paper so that they too form a cross. The final step: ask the Mexican demon if he wants to play.
“Charlie Charlie can we play?” is the incantation you’re supposed to use. If the top pencil moves to “yes,” you’re good to go. If it switches to “no,” better luck next time.
Supposing that he’s willing to play with you, you can ask Charlie anything you want and he’ll answer you by moving the pencil.
When you’re done, make sure you ask for permission before leaving the game. “Charlie Charlie can we stop?” is the proper and respectful way to do it.
Balancing pencils is no way to summon a demon
For starters, it must be said that, contrary to what some might think, the Charlie Charlie Challenge isn’t exactly new. It’s actually been around for years now. Why it was that it took off this week is just one of life's little mysteries.
What’s clear as day is that the Charlie Charlie Challenge is utter and complete nonsense.
Summon all you want, there is no way balancing pencils will fetch you an all-knowing Mexican demon ready and willing to answer your most burning questions. Even if Charlie were real, you’d think he had better things to do than play spin-the-pencil with a bunch of teenagers.
Well, if it’s not a demon, what’s moving the pencil then? Could it be good old magic?
Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but the truth is much simpler and far less spooky. Plainly put, it’s physics that explains the movement of the top pencil. Being precariously balanced, the pencil is vulnerable to even the slightest disturbance.
A person’s breath or the slightest tilt in the surface on which it is resting is enough to make it move. It’s as simple as this.
In perfect vacuum, the pencil might remain forever balanced, supposing that it was properly arranged so that it’s center of gravity would sit precisely over the point of support, i.e. the other pencil. It’s what we call inertia.
In the real world, however, the pencil is vulnerable to disturbances bound to make it topple over.
As for people’s reaction to the movement of the pencil, this one is even easier to explain. In a nutshell, the sheer thought of summoning a demon gets people all worked up. Since they are already edgy, having the pencil swing before their very eyes naturally scares the bejesus out of them.