Summoning a Watcher

In the myriads of summoning rituals you can find, a large percentage of them promise awful or even fatal consequences for errors or failure to adhere strictly to the instructions. This is not one. You'll be summoning a relatively good-natured creature with a very easy ritual. You'll be summoning a Watcher.

Watchers are about three feet tall with spindly limbs and grey skin. They have no facial features save two massive black eyes with spotted red pupils. Their purpose is to gather information for whoever summons them. They are loyal to their summoners and invisible to everyone else, which helps them move about the world.

To call a Watcher, go to a large field at dusk. It should not be in use for growing crops. The best is one with tall grass in it that still leaves the soil accessible. For each Watcher you want to summon (you can have more than one), make a mound of dirt in the field. It doesn't have to be massive, but make it at least as tall as your hand.

Bury a doll's eye in each mound like a seed. Spill a few drops of blood to "water" the mound. The blood lets the Watchers know who they'll be serving. Once this is completed, you are done with the first part of the ritual. Go home and enjoy the rest of your night.

For best results, come back to the fields the next day before noon. A grey hand will be sticking straight out of the mound like a flower. Grasp the hand and pull. Your Watcher will come up extremely easy. Please note that you do not have to go back for your Watcher; it will dig itself out eventually and come to your house. It is highly suggested that you help it along, however, as this shows the Watcher your good intentions.

Once your Watcher is out of the ground, congratulations! You may now tell it to go wherever you want. You can use it to spy on people, or send it to a foreign country to learn about the culture. Every day you will simply wake up with the knowledge it has collected for you.

I said there's no fatal consequences for wrong moves. That's true, but be mindful that you treat your Watcher well. It will never ask you for food, clothing, shelter, or anything, but it is recommended that you give these things anyway. At the very least, give it some time off. A few days per month are enough. If your Watcher becomes disgruntled, you will begin to forget small things during the day---nothing important, just big enough to cause minor annoyances. Then will come the nightmares. They'll be just bad enough to make sleeping unpleasant. After a couple weeks of this, the nightmares and memory loss will suddenly cease. You will not wake up with new information. If this happens, you'll know that your Watcher became so fed up with your ingratitude that it left.

If for any reason you want to get rid of your Watcher or no longer require its services, write your first and last name on a chalkboard and erase it one letter at a time. When the last letter is erased, you will not receive any new information, nor will you receive a penalty for letting your Watcher go.