An empty cup of tea

An object that used to be for chewing, poking and banging may start being used the way they have watched you use it — and the cup is the one they have watched most. So the cup goes round: your sip, their turn, no corrections and no expectations. It stays empty the whole time, which makes this a game with no consequences attached to it.

🛡️ The cup is unbreakable and it stays empty — no glass, no ceramic, and no hot drink of yours on the table or within a stretched arm of it, because a scald from a pulled-over mug is the real risk in this game rather than the pretending. Use a short spoon of one solid piece: a long handle in the mouth is a hazard the moment they wobble, and a spoon that comes apart is another. Keep this one sitting down and within arm's reach, not carried off across the room.