#curse and hex
I’ve been seeing a lot of great pop-culture inspired spells, particularly curses, bouncing around recently, and I’ve been wanting to try one of my own. So, what happens when some ghastly somebody decides to cross me after I’ve been running and screaming my way through Silent Hill Downpour? Why, a Silent Hill themed curse of course! This is my first attempt at writing a curse, so it’s not perfect, but it worked a treat.
This little nugget o’ nastiness is designed to rain down all the horrors of everybody’s favourite haunted town on your target. It won’t literally call Pyramid Head and a hoard of Nurses to your target’s door, but what it will make life pretty unpleasant for them. In true Silent Hill style it is only be broken once your target realises what they’ve done and shows true remorse. The words are adapted from lines from Silent Hill 2, 3, 4andDownpour. You don’t have to do impersonations of the characters, but I did.
You will need:
- Rage
- A jar with a lid (preferably one that seals well)
- A piece of paper and a pen
- A token item (something that represents your target, be it a lock of hair, a scrap of clothing, an object that was in the room when they slighted you, or even an email address)
- At least two pins
- Some sharp things (pins, tacks, thorns, glass, whatever you have around)
- Some high-proof alcohol (I used gin) and any other mind-altering or poisonous items you can find (I’m not telling you what I used for reasons)
- Some mouldy (or at least out-of-date and smelly) cheese
- Barbed wire (if you don’t have any, you can knock up something similar with craft wire)
- Urine (or spit, if piss isn’t your thing)
- Anything gross and unpleasant (extra points if it reminds you of Silent Hill, e.g. rust, mould, or dirt, or is linked to your target, for example I used cigarette ash since my target smokes)
- (Optional) A picture of a suitable Silent Hill monster (I used an image of a Lying Figure since its straightjacket-like appearance reflected my target’s discrimination against those with mental illness)
- (Optional) Two print-outs or drawings of the Halo of the Sun symbol from the games (use whichever version strikes your fancy)
Prepare as you normally would for this sort of thing, cast any circles and light any candles you want. If you fancy some mood-enhancers, the playlist of suitable Silent Hill music I used is here.
Take the two “halo of the sun” signs. Stick or draw one on the inside of the lid of the jar and the other on the inside of the bottom of the jar, to trap your target in the world of the town.
Hold the paper in your hands.
“I was weak, that’s why I needed you. But that’s all over now.” (Tear the paper so that your name is separated from your target’s)
“You need someone to punish you for your sins,” (stab the target’s name with a pin and drop it into the jar) “Now it’s time to end this,” (stab the token item with a pin and drop it into the jar.)
“Suffering is a part of life. I learnt to deal with it but you’ll go under,” (drop the sharp things into the jar.)
“Your whole world will turn insane,” (pour the alcohol/mind altering stuff into the jar, along with any poisonous things.) “You will be trapped in a nightmare,” (drop the mouldy cheese into the jar, representing bad dreams) “There will be no escaping for you until you are wracked with remorse,” (start winding the barbed wire into the jar) “Until you’ve realised what you’ve done.”
(Now start dropping all your assorted yuck into the jar)
“Nowhere left for you to run
Every fault left bare in the open
Along with your skin, splayed out from within
Once the monster has his fun” (drop the monster image into the jar, if you’re using one, making sure it faces down toward your token item.)
“Take heed it’s not too late
Mistakes needn’t haunt you forever.
But until you regret, you can’t just forget
I alone decide your fate.” (Pour the piss into the jar, or spit into it if you’d rather)
“You can stay in that little dream world,” (seal the jar) “until you learn to stop hurting other people.” (Give the jar a good shake. Watch the sharp objects, the monster and all the rest of the yuck attack the token item and the name. It doesn’t help the magic to watch it, but damn does it feel good!)
(When you’re satisfied, lick your finger and anoint the lid.
Finish off with your best sassy Vincent impersonation: ) “If Gods will it, my sister, if Gods will it.”
And you’re done! Clear up your space, purify it and yourself if you want to, and keep the jar somewhere where you can get to it and shake things up if you need to. Now sit back and laugh evilly as your target gets lost in Alessa’s nightmare!
