Transcript of an interview with Terry Smith, regarding something known as ‘The Highway
Man Game’, dated September 26th, 2021.
Interview conducted by Jane Daniels for the Benefit of the Spectre Archive.
Daniels: Alright…
We’re rolling.
Smith: You’re recording?
Daniels: Yup.
So.
About the Highway Man game, that’s what it’s called, correct?
Smith: Well, that’s what I call it.
A lotta people call it other things.
Some folks call it the Candlewax Game, the Highway Game, or just the Backroads game.
Some people don’t even call it a game at all.
For them, it’s just survival.
Daniels: I see…
So what exactly can you tell me about the nature of this game?
Smith: A lot.
But can you answer some questions for me first?
Daniels: Um…
I can certainly try.
Questions like what?
Smith: Why are you interested?
No offense, but you don’t seem like the sorta lady who’d be interested in this sort
of thing.
Y’know, rituals, other worlds, occult type shit.
I guess what I’m wondering is, what’s your angle?
Daniels: I guess I’ve got a couple…
I’ve got a friend.
She asked me to keep an eye out for any information on something pretty similar to this and the
organization I work with has an interest in this sort of thing.
I guess you could say I’m trying to kill two birds with one stone.
Smith: But that doesn't answer my question though.
Why are you interested in this?
[Silence]
Daniels: I…
I suppose it’s because I’d like to understand more about the parts of the world that we
don’t always see.
Smith: You ever actually seen anything?
Daniels: Yes…
Yes I have.
More than you’d expect.
Smith: Shit…
Well, now you’ve got me curious, then.
Daniels: Tell you what, you tell me about the Game and I’ll tell you about some of
the things I’ve seen after the tape stops rolling.
Deal?
Smith: Alright…
Alright.
Yeah.
You’ve got yourself a deal, Mrs. Daniels.
Daniels: So.
The Highway Man Game.
What can you tell me about it?
What’s the point?
Smith: The point is to win.
I guess part of it is the rush.
When you’re in the car, and the game is on…
The danger is real.
At the same time though, it’s not quite as risky as some of the other games out there.
It’s dangerous, sure.
But it’s a little more friendly for the inexperienced.
So long as you remember the rules and keep your head on right.
I guess I’d say it’s sort of like…
You know how when you go to the CN Tower, you can pay to walk on the edge outside?
They put you in a safety harness and everything and tie you to the side so you won’t fall
off.
But if it weren’t for that harness, well you’re basically just hanging on the very
edge of the tower, past the point where you’d normally have fallen off completely.
You’ve heard of that, right?
Daniels: Yeah.
I’ve heard of it.
Smith: It’s exactly like that, only you get something at the end of it!
It’s a rush, it’s risky and the reward you get is usually worth it.
As long as you take the proper precautions, you should be completely fine.
Granted, if you end up playing the game without planning on it and you’re not prepared,
well then you’re S.O.L.
Daniels: How exactly does one end up playing the game without planning on it?
Smith: It’s a lot easier than you think.
The chances are slim.
You need to be in the right place, at the right time and even then, it’s a longshot.
A guy could drive the backroads all night, every night and never run into the game while
another guy can venture onto those backroads just once at the wrong time of night and never
come back.
Daniels: How do you play the game if the chances of even starting it are so slim, then?
Smith: Well, you gotta stack the deck a little bit.
If the Highway Man knows you’ve got an offering, you’re more likely to end up in the game.
Like, a lot more likely.
But it’s never a sure bet.
I’ve gone out on the roads plenty of times with the right offering in the perfect conditions,
drove until morning, and didn’t see a single thing.
Again, it’s all up to chance if you ever actually start the game or not.
Daniels: I see…
Alright.
So tell me about these offerings.
What have you got to do to increase your chances of playing the Highway Man game?
Smith: What you need is a candle made of tallow.
Some people swear by other offerings, but my friends and I have always had the most
success with a tallow candle.
You should also be on the road before it gets dark.
You don’t technically have to, but it’s best to start in the late afternoon before
dusk sets in, that way you can get far away from anywhere too populated.
The backroads are the best, especially the ones with heavy forest although I ended up
in the game while driving through farmland a couple of times too.
Once the sun starts going down and it starts getting dark out, pull over to the side of
the road and light the candle.
It should have a particular smell to it as it burns.
It’s not a great smell, but I’m pretty sure it’s the scent of the offering that
draws him in.
Let the candle burn for a little bit, until it starts to look melted and the wax is running
down the sides.
Then you take some dirt from the side of the road, and pour it over the fire until it goes
out.
Once it’s snuffed, you light the candle again, put it in your car and keep driving
until it’s either dawn, the candle burns out, or the Highway Man comes.
Daniels: And…
That draws him?
Smith: It makes your chances of drawing him a whole hell of a lot higher.
Maybe…
I dunno, one in ten, maybe?
As opposed to one in a million.
Like I said before, it’s never a sure thing.
There’s a good chance that he won’t come at all.
If morning comes or the candle burns out, then the game’s basically over.
Honestly, you’d probably best hope that morning comes first, cuz if your candle goes
out and you’re in the middle of nowhere at 3 in the morning, that can put you in some
real shit.
That’s when the game is the most dangerous because if he comes for you, you won’t have
anything to offer him.
My advice if that ever happens, haul ass to the nearest patch of civilization you can
find and wait until the sun comes up.
Gas station, hotel, a McDicks.
Doesn’t matter.
Just get off the backroads and don’t drive again until it’s morning.
Daniels: I see…
I take it, not having an offering is a bad thing, then.
Smith: It’s a really bad thing and I’ll tell you why in a minute…
See, if you’re lucky and the Highway Man comes for you, then you’ll know it.
The first thing you’ll probably notice is how your car goes all wonky.
The radio, the clock and the dials stop working right and start going all over the place.
You might get some cell reception, but don’t count on it.
You might also notice that the road gets really dark too.
Heavy trees on either side of the road, street lights are few, far between and always on
the left hand side.
Even if you turn around, they’ll still be on the left hand side and under those streetlights…
That’s where you’ll see him.
Daniels: The Highway Man?
Smith: Yeah…
He might be out in the darkness at first.
But he’ll be there.
If you wait around, he’ll probably show himself.
Best not to wait around at the first streetlight though, or the second.
Just keep driving until he comes out on his own.
He’ll always be there.
Under every streetlight you pass.
Sooner or later, you’ll see him.
Daniels: I see…
So, I assume that you’ve seen the Highway Man, then, right?
Could you tell me what he looks like?
Smith: Yeah…
Yeah, I’ve seen him.
He…
He looks mostly like a man.
From a distance.
The skin isn’t quite the right color.
He doesn’t wear clothes, not that there’s anything to see and…
I dunno.
Maybe he used to be a regular guy or something but his features they look…
Warped.
Like they’re melting off his face.
Everything’s in the wrong place…
I don’t like looking at him for too long, honestly.
Even the noises he makes.
These tinny rasping sounds…
Fuck…
Usually he stays by the side of the road, under the streetlight.
Sometimes he’ll just watch you.
Usually he’ll wave, like he’s saying hello.
Daniels: I see...
Smith: Anyway…
Once you start seeing him under the streetlight, keep count.
The road you’re on, it sorta loops.
It doesn’t turn or anything.
But it keeps going.
It doesn’t change much.
Occasionally you might find a wrecked car or something, but no matter what, you’ll
always come back to the streetlight and you’ll always come back to the Highway Man.
Anyways, you have to keep going once you see him.
When you see him the first time, you have to pass him.
Same drill when you see him the second time.
It’s when you see him the third time, that it’s important.
See, once you’ve passed him the third time, you’ve got to turn around.
You never pass him a fourth time.
Never.
Daniels: May I ask why?
Smith: I was told that he doesn’t like it.
I dunno if that’s true.
But it’s what I heard.
When you pass him the third time, you turn around and drive until you see the streetlight
again.
It’ll still be on your left side, even though you turned around and he’ll be there.
That’s when you stop.
When you stop, he’s probably going to approach the car.
He’s slow, but you’ve still gotta be quick.
See, when you stop and see that he’s coming, you’ve got to take the candle out of your
car and place it in the middle of the road.
Then you get back into your car and wait.
If your candle burned out, then you’re fucked and there’s nothing you can really do but
keep driving and hope to find a way out…
Not that I think there is one.
I’ve never heard of anyone who came back without giving him an offering…
But I dunno...
Maybe there’s a way.
Anyway.
He’ll take the candle.
Sometimes, he’ll just pick it up, turn around and walk back into the woods.
But I’ve also just seen him swallow the thing whole, flame and all before he leaves.
That’s how you know that your offering was accepted, and that’s how you know you’re
allowed to leave.
Daniels: And how do you leave?
Smith: You’ve got a window.
See, the Highway Man is supposed to still be waiting for you the next time you pass
the streetlight in either direction.
So you’ve got to get off the road before you get there.
My advice is to drive slowly.
Sooner or later, you’ll see a narrow path through the trees.
There’s no light.
It’s hard to see and it might be blocked by a busted old car…
But so long as your offering was accepted, it’ll be there.
That’s your ticket out.
You take the path and you keep driving until it ends.
When it ends, you’ll be on a different road.
No Highway Man.
No more glitches in your car, and it should be dawn, so you’re safe to drive home.
That’s it.
That’s how you win the game.
Daniels: That seems like a hell of a lot of trouble to go through just for an adrenaline
rush, if you ask me.
Smith: It’s not just the rush!
Like I said before, there’s a reward for it.
Every time you make it out alive, there’s a reward.
You’ll find it when you get home, waiting right outside the door to wherever it is you
live.
Daniels: What kind of reward?
Smith: It varies.
But they say that it’s always something that was lost.
Sometimes, it’s something of yours that was lost.
Something valuable.
A relic of your childhood, a keepsake, some sort of personal treasure.
But other times, it’s something that belongs to someone else.
Sometimes it’s valuable.
One time, I got this stuffed dog I had when I was a baby, Rufus.
Another time, I got a set of solid gold cufflinks.
Those brought me a half decent payday.
Once, I just got a hat…
Although I guess it was a hat that was important to somebody.
It’s hit and miss on what you get, but play it enough times and you’ll make some decent
money.
Daniels: Still seems like a lot of trouble to me…
Smith: Hey, it ain’t for everyone.
Like I said, if you’re smart and you take precautions, everything should be just fine.
My friends and I, we play all the time.
We’ve all got stories!
Daniels: I’ll bet…
Have you ever lost anyone?
Smith: Have we…
Well…
Yeah…
Yeah, there was Nick, a couple years back…
We…
Uh…
He went out one night.
Didn’t come back.
We figured that something went wrong.
Either his candle had gone out or or he’d passed too many times…
Something.
I dunno…
Daniels: And that doesn’t worry you?
Smith: When you deal with this kinda thing, there’s always a risk.
The world we can’t see, it’s not a safe place.
There’s no lifeguard on duty.
There’s just rules.
People make mistakes.
Nick fucked up and he…
Look, I didn’t wish anything bad on him.
None of us did.
It could’ve just as easily been me, and Nick would’ve said the exact same thing.
You said you’ve seen some of this shit firsthand, so you know what I mean, right?
Daniels: Yeah…
Yeah, I do.
But I also don’t take risks like that.
I’m sorry.
I’m not judging you.
I’m really not.
I suppose…
I suppose I just don’t think I’d be as calm about it as you are.
Smith: Yeah, well…
Every few years, it’s someone…
Usually someone on the forums.
Sometimes you see their cars out on the road, doors torn off, windshields smashed.
I recognize some of them from the pictures they posted…
I’ve stopped a couple of times.
Picked through them, tried to see if there was anything they left behind…
Letters, phones, something…
Y’know.
To get to the people they cared about.
I don’t usually find anything.
Daniels: Did you ever see Nick's car, out there?
Smith: I…
Y-yeah…
Yeah, I’ve seen it…
Couple of times…
Never in the same place.
The road shifts.
Everything moves…
I try to make sure it reminds me to play it smart.
Remember the rules.
Don’t get cocky and stay focused…
Yeah…
Yeah, that’s it…
Daniels: I see…
That’s all I had.
Thanks for your time, Terry.
Smith: Yeah, yeah.
No problem…
Hey, you said that if I told you mine, you’d tell me yours.
What exactly is it that you’ve seen, huh?
Daniels: Right.
A deals a deal.
Here…
Let me just turn this-