Japanese New Year Ritual

There is a ritual that originated in Japan, that allows you to get the answer to any question you ask.

On the last day of the year, do not partake of any food or water for twenty four hours. Do not go outside, and close all of your curtains. Do not sleep, either. At the stroke of ten o'clock, two hours before the new year, you must prepare a fruit basket with exactly one pineapple, three bananas, two apples, and thirty grapes. When you prepare the basket, you must cut your hand and allow yourself to bleed onto the fruit. Make sure you get blood on all of the pieces. Do not close your eyes while doing this. Do not dress your wound.

At the stroke of midnight, you must find the nearest forest, and walk deep into it until you find a clearing. Build a fire, and sit by it with the basket of fruit in front if you. You must sit there, and make sure the fire doesn't go out.

When the time is right, the wise one will appear out of the forest. He will be very tall and thin, almost twice as tall as you. He will have two large, black eyes. His mouth will be very wide, with jagged sharp teeth sticking out of his lips. He will have no neck, and will be naked. His expression will be blank. When you see him, don't scream, or run away. He will chase you down and kill you. Don't even say anything. He will always be staring directly into your eyes. Do not break eye contact or he will kill you. After he sees that you are brave enough to stay, he will kneel down, still making eye contact, and eat the fruit. Do not break eye contact, even as he is eating. When he is finished he will get up, kneel down at your side and whisper into your ear "What would you like to know?" This is the only time you can speak to him, so choose your words wisely. You can ask him anything from who you will marry to when your death date is. He has all the answers to those questions and more, but you only get one question. When you ask him, stare directly into his eyes. When you are finished, he will whisper the answer into your ear. After this, he will get up and walk away from you, and back into the trees. Do not look away from him until he is completely out of your view. You will then doze off, and wake up in your bed the next morning.