The game is called Street Haunting, and in it we will try to move from what is animal to what is animated. In 1930, Virginia Woolf wrote about leaving at home the “objects which perpetually express the oddity of our own temperaments and enforce the memories of our own experience”, and in 1975, Gary Dahl became a millionaire by selling Pet Rocks. Some of the things we surround ourselves with hold the potential for animation, generally, through their proximity to other living beings: the 50000-year-old tip of a mammoth’s tusk may keep a library safe.

In Spanish, many people refer to their domestic animals as mascotas. The word “mascot,” in turn, is related to talisman or amulet: inert objects endowed with some special power, usually something to carry around for protection. This sentiment is mirrored by comedian Bill Burr when he calls his late Pitbull “a gun you can pet.” Aren’t we a lot more comfortable speaking to things now than ever before?

To Street Haunt, you will need an object of your choosing, organic or artificial. It could be a plant, a crystal, or a ball of yarn; the only condition is that it should be impractical or made so by bypassing its common use. Representational and useful things either resist animation or are intrinsically spirited, avoid pictures, books or digital things (unless their only purpose is to be a pet). It can be small, but you’re not allowed to put it in your pocket, wear it, or otherwise forget that you’re carrying it.

Once you have it, take it for a dutiful walk. You may document your outings, consider the thing’s point of view, cancel plans, make new ones, give it a prominent place by your side, knit pajamas for it and answer in earnest any questions people may have. Is it good company?