Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board

The longtime slumber party classic is still popular today with tweens and teens. For a Halloween party, it is important to create an eerie atmosphere for this game. The mood should be that of an old ritual, not a science experiment.

Directions

Lead your party guests into a dark room with a large open space and close the door. Light a few candles as you explain to them that when a person dies, their soul is carried up to the afterlife by the love of their friends and family. Too prove this, you are going to show them how to perform an ancient ritual that allows them to do the impossible. They will lift up a person using only two fingers.

Select one participant to be the dead body. Their job is to lay on the floor perfectly still and since rigor mortis has already set in, remain as stiff as possible. Place two guests on either side of the body and one at the head. You can easily lift the person with four people, but it is a good idea to have someone supporting the head just in case there is an accident. The five people surrounding the body place their index and middle fingers under the body which is still laying on the floor. Some people recommend doing it with your eyes closed, but why do all of this set up and then have your guests not see the magic?

All living guests, even those that are not participating in this turn chant Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board five times. At the end of the fifth chant they start to slowly lift the person playing the dead body off of the floor as they continue to chant. The first time it is best to stop them after they get the body a foot or so off of the ground, at which point they will slowly lower the person back to the floor as they continue to chant. If they are doing well it is pretty easy to keep lifting and even stand up while lifting the body.

Keep repeating until everyone has at least one turn and all who want to be the body get a chance.