The bravery game by HairNoMore

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I had just graduated from university, and had go my dream graduate job working for a big I.T. firm in Reading in the South of England. I didn't know a single other person in the area, but was ready for my big new adventure.

On my first day I was welcomed by the rest of my workgroup, but in the early days felt like a fish out of water, not fully knowing what I should be doing. Luckily another guy in the team, Alan, who was around my age, early 20's was really helpful and we got along well, and I felt that we could end up good buddy's.

At finishing time on Friday, Alan ask what I had planned. I told him I was going to go back to my flat and watch television. He said I couldn't spend a Friday night like that and invited me to the pub where he was meeting up with some mates.

In the pub I met Andy and Phil. They were so easy to get along with, and we were all soon easily chatting away and having a good laugh.

After a fair few beers, Andy then told us about how he'd recently been bungee jumping, and the conversation turned to be about being brave enough to do such things. I said that though bungee jumping was scary, really, if the organisers got thing right participants were in no real danger, and so I'd have not hesitated to have a go.

Phil then asked us all what we had planned for the weekend. When everyone said they had no firm plans he proposed a game to test our nerve.

He said that that each of us should come up with an idea of something daring, that could be achieved in the day, and write it down on a piece of paper. He said that the next day we could meet up, put our pieces of paper in identical envelopes, and that the envelopes could be used in the game.

The game would consist of two sets of four envelopes. The four envelopes containing the "tasks" and four others explaining who'd do going the task. One envelope would contain a piece of paper saying "everyone", one would say "me alone", one would say "only the person I choose" and one would say "me and the person I choose". Phil said that we'd all take one of the envelopes at random, and then we'd all agree to do whatever fortune dealt us.

Alan was the only one that seemed hesitant, but when it was pointed out that we'd all run the risk of having to do our own "task" and that nobody was likely to put in anything really bad, we all agreed to play along.

That night I thought long an hard, and I the end was really happy with my task, which was spending a night in a haunted house.

The next morning we met up. Phil gave us each an identical envelope and we each secretly put our tasks in the envelopes. Phil then gathered them and mixed them up, before holding up the sets of envelopes in each hands inviting the rest of us to take one at random from each hand.

Phil then told me to open up my "person" envelope. It said "only the person I choose".

"So, who will it be then" he asked. I looked at each of them, and then said Alan.

"Right then" said Phil, "and what's Alan got to do". I opened the other envelope and read what it said

"Get ear pierced" I read.

Alan groaned, "who put that in?" he asked, but nobody admitted to it. We all trumped off in search of somewhere where Alan could get his ear pierced. I was thinking what have I got myself into, I certainly had not expected the tasks to be anything like that.

The next person to open an envelope was Andy. It said "everyone". Everyone seemed to hold their breath as the task envelope was opened, and the piece of paper with the task was taken out.

"Get head shaved" the paper said. Phil was laughing, he already had shortly cropped hair, but the transformation for the rest of us would be much more dramatic. We trundled along to a barbers shop, and one by one each of us got into the chair and our heads shaved down to the bone. None of us daring to back out.

Outside the shop, Alan was invited to open his person envelope. "me and the person I choose" he read aloud.

He said, "I think I'll choose the person who got me this earing" he said looking at me with a big grin on his face. I was resigned to my fate. He open his other envelope and gasped. He did not read out what it said, he just handed me the paper.

"Get a tattoo covering the whole of my upper arm". I was numb with shock, as we found our way to a tattoo shop, but I was not going to back out. Within a few hours I was the new owner of a tribal half sleeve, and Alan had gone for a Chinese dragon. I had not intended spending that much money in one day, but thank goodness for credit cards.

We met the other guys back at the pub, and they admired our new tattoos (through a cling film dressing). I was finally Phil's turn, and he knew he had the envelope saying "me alone".

When he opened the envelope and read his task, he stopped smiling, and the colour drained from his face. Alan was the first to search the internet on his phone to find a place where we could deposit Phil to spend the night.

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