Double Magic – Chapter 1

Sylvia

Sylvia placed one finger on the spoon swirling around in the clay coffee mug to make it stop. She could see that the food stains were still visible on the tunic in the nearby washtub.

She rose from stooping over and stretched her back. The little aches and pains had become more persistent of late, and that had her worried. She was not all that old; in her late twenties. But the life of a do-everything servant was in no way like the pampered existence of the women living on top of the hill.

Looking down into the water in the tub, she saw a clear reflection. Midnight-black hair, wide-set blue eyes under long lashes, a button of a nose over a mouth too wide for her narrow face. She was possibly average, she told herself. Not a head-turner, but surely one of the craftsmen along the street would eventually notice - if only they would summons enough courage to visit the home of a wizard. She straightened and stretched because it felt good, but then immediately slumped. Yeah, she would be noticeable to a brave man who stood seven feet maybe. Why was she so damn tall?

“Where is my robe?” A raspy voice thundered through the curtains leading to the front room. “The one with the logos that shows clearly that I am a wizard.”

“It’s not ready yet,” Sylvia yelled back. She resumed twirling the spoon, and the water in the washtub resumed sloshing in response. 'Like produces like.', she thought. So much easier than wrestling with the full load in the tub. “You have to put on a fresh undertunic as well. The other one is too smelly.”

“They will be too distracted by the imps to notice,” the wizard, Rangoth, said as he limped into the scullery. He was short and thin with loose flesh hanging like empty hammocks from seldom used arms. The skin on his pockmarked face looked like old leather that had outlived its use. 

Through rheumy eyes, he scanned the room. “Thaumaturgy!” he spat, pointing at the clay mug. 

“You know I do not care for the exercise of any of the other crafts here. They detract from my performances.”

Sylvia sighed. “We have been over this many times, Master. The days in which all the five arts were shrouded in secrecy have long since passed. Now, even children can cast a spell or two.” She waved her hand over the pile of dirty clothes still to be washed. “And without a few simple aids, a lone person such as myself cannot cater to all your needs.”

“Aids? Wizardry is not a sling around a broken arm. It takes strength of will, a fundamental belief in oneself.”

“Yes, yes,” Sylvia sighed again. “Wizardry is the most elegant craft of them all. Far better than mastery of alchemy, magic, or even sorcery. All four of the others are inferior arts.”

“The most elegant here in Procolon,” Rangoth began repeating the patter he made Sylvia suffer through daily. “The most elegant in Procolon, Ethidor, and the other kingdoms to the south.”

“And Arcadia across the great ocean,” Sylvia chimed in. “Everywhere on Murdina,  wizardry is best. I remember, Master. I really do.”

“To be a great wizard, desire alone is not enough,” Rangoth continued.

“No, as you always say, most important is a belief in oneself.”

“Ah, the days of yore,” Rangoth continued with a far-away look in his eyes. “Did I tell you of the time I summoned up not only one but two lightning djinns at the same time? One is a challenge for anyone, of course. But two, each determined to dominate my will rather than the other way around. Remarkable! The first was the stronger. He ...”

“Yes, yes. Many times, Master, you have told me. Wizardry is best, and you are the best of wizards.  Now, please go back and study the notes I have transcribed for you on how your presentation is to proceed. The one this afternoon could be important. A performance for no less than one of the more prominent nobles on the hill. We don’t want the same thing to happen as the last time you faltered.”

Rangoth mumbled something incoherent and shuffled back out of the scullery. Sylvia stared at the pile of clothing still to be washed, contemplating what to do next. She wrung out the garments and put them into a drying basket before throwing in another load of soiled clothes. It shouldn’t matter, but to be sure, she emptied the mug and refilled it again from the tub. 

“Once together, always together,” she said to herself. “The Principle of Contagion.” Finally, she voiced the simple charm that activated the spell.

Then she sat back down and twirled the spoon in the refreshed mug again. The water in the washtub swirled and swished in synchrony. Sylvia smiled with satisfaction. “Like produces like,” she said as the washing resumed. “The Principle of Sympathy.” Thaumaturgy was not daunting like wizardry. It was so easy.

#

Sometime later, Sylvia slumped into the scullery chair. Rangoth had his clean robe, and the rest of the washing was finished but there was still so much more to do. Ironing the better robe and changing the bed linens. Sweeping the cobwebs out of the ceiling corners in all the rooms. And then, after the performance, preparing an evening meal.

There were scant prospects for things to get better. She had been in Rangoth’s service for almost a decade. At first, she had felt fortunate. For an orphan with only a talent for play-acting, it was a welcome alternative to a life on the street. A live-in servant to a master wizard, no less. One with a reputation for keeping his hands to himself.

But there was a reason Rangoth lived on an out of the way street. He was no longer employable at any of the great houses that ruled the land. Far too soon, his mental abilities had begun to falter. He could no longer summon demons of great power. Nor even control lesser ones to perform useful tasks. Each year, he sank deeper into dotage, able to control only the most simple of imps. There were fewer and fewer performances. And lower prices to attract more customers. What was happening could not go on much longer.

That is why I wrote the letter, Sylvia tried to convince herself. I had to try, right? It was rumored that in one of the southern kingdoms there was another wizard, one who was unique. Like Sylvia herself, she was a woman!

All five of the magical crafts were performed almost universally by men. Indeed, all society was male-dominated. But with a female wizard, a fairly young one at that, Sylvia thought she would be a perfect match as a servant. And who knew. Rather than a mere lackey, she might be able to learn some of the craft of wizardry ... 

There was a tap on the door. 

The lord! Was he already here? She hadn’t time to do a final thorough check on all the props. The small branches of wood that would be burned. The incense holder with the aroma the imps liked so much ...

The tapping became more insistent. She brushed away the dust from her dress, straightened her hair, put a big smile on her face, and marched to the door.

“You are early, Milord, but this is perfectly ...”

Sylvia stopped abruptly. There was no noble standing there. A gnome-like man with smelly clothes squinted up at her with a crooked grin. A third of his teeth were missing, and those remaining were twisted and stained. A foul odor rose from him like that of week-old garbage.

“Are you the one called Sylvia?” he asked.

“What do you want? I’m busy. Not interested in buying any hair-jumbler imp repellant today.”

“If you are, then I have a letter for you. I have brought it all the way from Brythia in the south.”

The little man squinted at the envelope, grimy with dirt and stains.

“From someone named ‘Phoebe’, it looks like. Are you interested or not?”

Phoebe! Sylvia brought her fist to her mouth to prevent herself from shouting. Phoebe, the female wizard! She had answered! Against all odds, she had answered the letter. Maybe there would be a way out of all this for her.

“Give it to me!” Sylvia reached out to snag the envelope.

“Not so fast. I had to travel many leagues and suffer outrageous hardships to get this to you.”

“Didn’t the wizard pay you for the transport? That is what I did to send my letter to her.”

“Well, yes, but you see I have expenses that must be met and ...”

“I have no more money of my own,” Sylvia said. 

The little man slowly examined Sylvia from head to toe. He had to crane his neck to see her hair. “Payment in kind would be acceptable.” He leered. “I am a reasonable man. Even a quick one would do.”

“No, no quicky.” she scowled. “Nothing like that. How much are we talking about here?”

“Only one gold brandel. A bargain at half the price.” The little man paused a moment and then smiled. “See what I did there? Think about it. I said ‘A bargain at half the price.’ Usually, the patter goes like ‘A bargain at twice the price.’ No one ever catches on. The joke sails right by them.”

“Half a brandel it is,” Sylvia blurted. She was surprised at the words that had flown out of her mouth. But this was justified. The trap she was in would never end. Finally, there was a path to a better life. 

The little man shuffled from foot to foot. “That was only a small joke. My clients chuckle at it when I explain to them what happened.”

Sylvia scowled. “Half a brandel and that is all.” She felt conflicted about the honesty of what she was doing, but at the moment, the lure of freedom was too strong. Freed from more years of drudgery yet to come. “Make up your mind now, and be off with you.”

Sylvia stared at the little man, unblinking. She lost track of time. But after what felt like an eon, he spoke again.

“All right, all right. Half a brandel it is. Can you give it to me in small change?”

Sylvia did not hesitate. She opened the coin pouch hanging from a peg on the wall and extracted the payment. Quickly, the exchange was made. For a moment, she clutched the letter to her chest.

“Are they here yet?” Rangoth lumbered into the presentation room. “I thought I heard someone at the door.”

Sylvia thrust the letter down the front of her smock. Damn the law that said women could not have pockets. She looked at Rangoth smiling at her, and her thoughts tumbled.

Rangoth. The aging wizard. He had been so very easy to get along with. No innuendos, no leering hints. Forgetful, of course, but never a cross word. If she left, what was going to happen to him? He was incapable of handling finances any more. And even if that was figured out somehow, in the long run, there would be no one to take care of him after she was gone. To keep track of things. Cook the meals, do the washing, make sure he was ready for the next presentation.

The next presentation! Sylvia ran to the window in the west and squinted at the sun. As near as she could estimate, it would be soon. In less than an hour, what was his name... Yes. Royal Impresario Lord Mason would be arriving with his three little sisters for their first glimpse at cavorting imps.

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

The birthday paradox

Ever be at a large birthday party and discover that two of the attendees have the same birthday? No, it is not cosmic karma. It happens more often than one would think.

The math that proves it is not supernatural is not overly challenging.

1. When you meet a random person, what is the chance that he or she has the same birthday as you do?

Well, without any other information, their birthday could be any day of the year. (Here we ignore that there are variations in the number of births between the days of the year. And we ignore leap year, too. Doing so will not impact the final result much.)

So the chance of the same birthday as you is one chance in 365. 1/365 = .00274 – a little less than three-tenths of one percent! The chance of no match is 1 – .00274 = .99726. This is why the result is a “paradox”. We intuitively expect no match happening to be almost certain.

2. Yes, the chance of one no match with your birthday is quite large. The thing is that at a gathering there are many people you might match with. And to have no match over all, you must not match with any of them.

Say, for example you are at a party with 23 attendees. Then, for each of the other 22, the chance of no match is .99726. The probability to match with none of them is .99726 x .99726 x .99726 .. x .99726. That is to say .99726 multiplied by itself 21 times. Using the superscript notation of algebra, this can be represented as (.99726)22 — the base probability raised to the twenty-second power.

So, at a party of 23, your chance of not finding a match is .941423. (If you have Microsoft excel, you can get this result by typing “power(.99726, 22)” into a cell.)

.941423 is still a very large probability. What more are we missing?

3. What we are missing is that the problem is not finding the chance of you having no match at the party, but of anyone there not having a match. This difference is the root of the paradox.

With 23 people, there are (23 x 22)/2 = 253 pairings. Each attendee can be matched with any of the other 22, but we have to divide by 2 to compensate for each pairing showing up twice. (That is to say, Tom paired with Sally is the same as Sally paired with Tom).

It is this factor of 253 that drives down the probability of there being no matches between any of the two people at the party.

4. So, our final probability is not (.99726)22 but (.99726)253 – a bucketload of more comparisons! This produces the final result of .4995. At a party of 23, the chances are roughly 50-50 that one pair of attendees to have the same birthday. (Actually, this result is not quite correct. It does not properly take into account when there are three or more people with the same birthday)

For larger groups, the steps above produce results that plummet even faster. For 35 attendees the chance of no match is only 19.55%. For 50, it is a mere 3.47%!

This is explained in a slightly different fashion at: https://betterexplained.com/articles/understanding-the-birthday-paradox/

As a bonus, near the bottom of the post is a calculator you can play with. And it discusses the approximations used in getting to the answers.

Happy party-going!

How to get your book into a library

A problem for most authors, especially self-publishing ones, is to generate exposure. Get the word-of-mouth machine enough seeds so that a following can blossom.

One of the ways of doing this is to get one’s books into libraries. There is no cost barrier for readers to try out a new discovery. And then, who knows? The rise to best-sellerdom just might happen.

As most authors know, however, getting one’s books into library is no easy thing. Local libraries are besieged by authors donating free copies of their books. There just is not enough physical space for them.

Well, that is a generalization that is not totally true. Recently, thanks to the generosity of a friend, I was able to be added to his public library shelves.

Little Free Libraries is a great idea! https://littlefreelibrary.org

The librarian keeps weird hours. To get your own copy quicker, visit one of these links:

Master of the Five Magics

Secret of the Sixth Magic

Riddle of the Seven Realms

The Archimage’s Fourth Daughter

Situation Puzzle 8

The situation:

The truck driver should have been paying attention, but he didn’t. The bridge was old, and the clearance not all that great. Half way through the underpass,he was stuck. Going forward, even in low gear did not work. Neither did trying reverse.

The job looked like a complex one with a lot of welding equipment in order to remove the top of the cab. A long backup was already starting. The driver was on his phone explaining what had happened, when a motorist in the lane behind get the truck unstuck. How did he do it?

Input your name and email to get the free download of the solution.

Click for Solution Download

 

Situation Puzzles are ones in which the poser sets forth a, well, situation that on the surface does not make sense or has a mystery about it. These descriptions usually are enigmatic enough that one cannot merely ponder for a while and then blurt out the answer as what is going on.

Instead, the solver gets to ask the poser questions to bring more clarity to the situation. These can only be ones answered by either Yes, No, or Immaterial. The last answer is used when either a Yes or No contributes nothing to the correct conclusion. Good questions help define the direction of inquiry. For example, “Is it important that we learn the vocation of the woman?”

This brief description does not give this puzzle type the accolades it deserves. It works best with a group of solvers rather than only one, all contributing to finding the solution. A warm feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie results when everything makes sense. In my experience after a frustrating hour or so that it might have taken to solve the puzzle, someone in the crowd will say, “Let’s do another.”

When I was much younger, I enjoyed working with others on situation puzzles and started collecting them. Recently, I came across my collection. The quality of these puzzles vary. Some were as simple as:
The police burst into the room. Fred and Marsha were dead on the floor surrounded by broken glass and water. Tom sat unperturbed on the couch, but he was not even questioned. Why not?

Others are more intriguing. Most are macabre – dealing with death by unusual means.
Anyway, I have decided to start posting the best of my collection here on my blog. One every week.

If you want to see the answer to this week’s puzzle, click on the button below. That will take you to another webpage from which you can download the solution.

I am not looking for comments to this and other posts of the same type that reveal what the answers are. If you email me one, I merely will not post it. On the other hand I would be delighted to receive comments on how a session of playing the game went.

Some in my collection are popular enough that you may recollect their solutions yourself or they might show up on another site. By whatever means you get involved, my intent is to have you try the puzzles on your friends and get the same enjoyment out of it that I did.

Click for Solution Download

Situation Puzzle 7

The situation

After so many weeks at sea in the small life raft, the rescue had been miraculous. Only one of their little party had already not survived the ordeal — found dead in the morning of the very day that help finally had arrived. Now a month later, fully recovered and discharged, Mike decided to celebrate. He went to the fanciest restaurant in town and ordered a sumptuous meal. But after he took the first bite, he shot himself.

How come?

Input your name and email to get the free download of the solution.

Click for solution download

 

Situation Puzzles are ones in which the poser sets forth a, well, situation that on the surface does not make sense or has a mystery about it. These descriptions usually are enigmatic enough that one cannot merely ponder for a while and then blurt out the answer as what is going on.

Instead, the solver gets to ask the poser questions to bring more clarity to the situation. These can only be ones answered by either Yes, No, or Immaterial. The last answer is used when either a Yes or No contributes nothing to the correct conclusion. Good questions help define the direction of inquiry. For example, “Is it important that we learn the vocation of the woman?”

This brief description does not give this puzzle type the accolades it deserves. It works best with a group of solvers rather than only one, all contributing to finding the solution. A warm feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie results when everything makes sense. In my experience after a frustrating hour or so that it might have taken to solve the puzzle, someone in the crowd will say, “Let’s do another.”

When I was much younger, I enjoyed working with others on situation puzzles and started collecting them. Recently, I came across my collection. The quality of these puzzles vary. Some were as simple as:
The police burst into the room. Fred and Marsha were dead on the floor surrounded by broken glass and water. Tom sat unperturbed on the couch, but he was not even questioned. Why not?

Others are more intriguing. Most are macabre – dealing with death by unusual means.
Anyway, I have decided to start posting the best of my collection here on my blog. One every week.

If you want to see the answer to this week’s puzzle, click on the button below. That will take you to another webpage from which you can download the solution.

I am not looking for comments to this and other posts of the same type that reveal what the answers are. If you email me one, I merely will not post it. On the other hand I would be delighted to receive comments on how a session of playing the game went.

Some in my collection are popular enough that you may recollect their solutions yourself or they might show up on another site. By whatever means you get involved, my intent is to have you try the puzzles on your friends and get the same enjoyment out of it that I did.

Click for solution download

Situation Puzzle 6

The situation puzzle for week six is:

Sirens were heard in the distance. The highway patrol was coming. Someone had tipped them off so that daredevil could not make the jump off of the high bridge into the river. He spotted the two cars closing in but they would not get there in time. The video cameras would record everything, and he would get another successful jump into his growing list of records. Without hesitating he jumped over the barrier and formed his body into a perfect dive. Unfortunately, this time he died in the attempt.

How come?

Input your name and email to get the free download of the solution.

Click for solution download

 

Situation Puzzles are ones in which the poser sets forth a, well, situation that on the surface does not make sense or has a mystery about it. These descriptions usually are enigmatic enough that one cannot merely ponder for a while and then blurt out the answer as what is going on.

Instead, the solver gets to ask the poser questions to bring more clarity to the situation. These can only be ones answered by either Yes, No, or Immaterial. The last answer is used when either a Yes or No contributes nothing to the correct conclusion. Good questions help define the direction of inquiry. For example, “Is it important that we learn the vocation of the woman?”

This brief description does not give this puzzle type the accolades it deserves. It works best with a group of solvers rather than only one, all contributing to finding the solution. A warm feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie results when everything makes sense. In my experience after a frustrating hour or so that it might have taken to solve the puzzle, someone in the crowd will say, “Let’s do another.”

When I was much younger, I enjoyed working with others on situation puzzles and started collecting them. Recently, I came across my collection. The quality of these puzzles vary. Some were as simple as:
The police burst into the room. Fred and Marsha were dead on the floor surrounded by broken glass and water. Tom sat unperturbed on the couch, but he was not even questioned. Why not?

Others are more intriguing. Most are macabre – dealing with death by unusual means.
Anyway, I have decided to start posting the best of my collection here on my blog. One every week.

If you want to see the answer to this week’s puzzle, click on the button below. That will take you to another webpage from which you can download the solution.

I am not looking for comments to this and other posts of the same type that reveal what the answers are. If you email me one, I merely will not post it. On the other hand I would be delighted to receive comments on how a session of playing the game went.

Some in my collection are popular enough that you may recollect their solutions yourself or they might show up on another site. By whatever means you get involved, my intent is to have you try the puzzles on your friends and get the same enjoyment out of it that I did.

Click for solution download

Situation Puzzle 5

The situration:

The traffic is snarled as usual, but the commuter does not mind. It is like this every morning. He hums along with the popular song playing on his radio. A few seconds after the tune concludes, his sense of well-being turns to rage. He rushes home and kills his wife.

How come?

Input your name and email to get the free download of the solution.

Click for solution download

 

Situation Puzzles are ones in which the poser sets forth a, well, situation that on the surface does not make sense or has a mystery about it. These descriptions usually are enigmatic enough that one cannot merely ponder for a while and then blurt out the answer as what is going on.

Instead, the solver gets to ask the poser questions to bring more clarity to the situation. These can only be ones answered by either Yes, No, or Immaterial. The last answer is used when either a Yes or No contributes nothing to the correct conclusion. Good questions help define the direction of inquiry. For example, “Is it important that we learn the vocation of the woman?”

This brief description does not give this puzzle type the accolades it deserves. It works best with a group of solvers rather than only one, all contributing to finding the solution. A warm feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie results when everything makes sense. In my experience after a frustrating hour or so that it might have taken to solve the puzzle, someone in the crowd will say, “Let’s do another.”

When I was much younger, I enjoyed working with others on situation puzzles and started collecting them. Recently, I came across my collection. The quality of these puzzles vary. Some were as simple (and poor) as:

The police burst into the room. Fred and Marsha were dead on the floor surrounded by broken glass and water. Tom sat unperturbed on the couch, but he was not even questioned. Why not?

Others are more intriguing. Most are macabre – dealing with death by unusual means.

Anyway, I have decided to start posting the best of my collection here on my blog. One roughly every week.

If you want to see the answer, click on the button below. That will take you to another webpage from which you can download the solution.

I am not looking for comments to this and other posts of the same type that reveal what the answers are. If you email me one, I merely will not post it. But your experiences in playing the game are most welcome.

Some in my collection are popular enough that you may recollect their solutions yourself or they might show up on another site. By whatever means you get involved, my intent is to have you try the puzzles on your friends and get the same enjoyment out of it that I did.

Situation Puzzle 4

The situation:

A burglar is startled by a loud noise outside the small dwelling he is trespassing in. Before he can react, the roof bursts into flame. There are no windows, and a single door leads to the outside. It is unlocked, but despite this, the burglar burns to death. How come?

Input your name and email to get the free download of the solution.

Click for solution download

 

Situation Puzzles are ones in which the poser sets forth a, well, situation that on the surface does not make sense or has a mystery about it. These descriptions usually are enigmatic enough that one cannot merely ponder for a while and then blurt out the answer as what is going on.

Instead, the solver gets to ask the poser questions to bring more clarity to the situation. These can only be ones answered by either Yes, No, or Immaterial. The last answer is used when either a Yes or No contributes nothing to the correct conclusion. Good questions help define the direction of inquiry. For example, “Is it important that we learn the vocation of the woman?”

This brief description does not give this puzzle type the accolades it deserves. It works best with a group of solvers rather than only one, all contributing to finding the solution. A warm feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie results when everything makes sense. In my experience after a frustrating hour or so that it might have taken to solve the puzzle, someone in the crowd will say, “Let’s do another.”

When I was much younger, I enjoyed working with others on situation puzzles and started collecting them. Recently, I came across my collection. The quality of these puzzles vary. Some were as simple (and poor) as:

The police burst into the room. Fred and Marsha were dead on the floor surrounded by broken glass and water. Tom sat unperturbed on the couch, but he was not even questioned. Why not?

Others are more intriguing. Most are macabre – dealing with death by unusual means.

Anyway, I have decided to start posting the best of my collection here on my blog. One roughly every week.

If you want to see the answer, click on the button below. That will take you to another webpage from which you can download the solution.

I am not looking for comments to this and other posts of the same type that reveal what the answers are. If you email me one, I merely will not post it. But your experiences in playing the game are most welcome.

Some in my collection are popular enough that you may recollect their solutions yourself or they might show up on another site. By whatever means you get involved, my intent is to have you try the puzzles on your friends and get the same enjoyment out of it that I did.

Situation Puzzle 3

It is morning. The caretaker performs his daily inspection of the cemetery grounds. He sees a young woman crumpled near one of the graves. 911 is called, but she cannot be revived. There are no visible marks on her.

How did she die?

Click for solution download

 

Situation Puzzles are ones in which the poser sets forth a, well, situation that on the surface does not make sense or has a mystery about it. These descriptions usually are enigmatic enough that one cannot merely ponder for a while and then blurt out the answer as what is going on.

Instead, the solver gets to ask the poser questions to bring more clarity to the situation. These can only be ones answered by either Yes, No, or Immaterial. The last answer is used when either a Yes or No contributes nothing to the correct conclusion. Good questions help define the direction of inquiry. For example, “Is it important that we learn the vocation of the woman?”

This brief description does not give this puzzle type the accolades it deserves. It works best with a group of solvers rather than only one, all contributing to finding the solution. A warm feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie results when everything makes sense. In my experience after a frustrating hour or so that it might have taken to solve the puzzle, someone in the crowd will say, “Let’s do another.”

When I was much younger, I enjoyed working with others on situation puzzles and started collecting them. Recently, I came across my collection. The quality of these puzzles vary. Some were as simple (and poor) as:

The police burst into the room. Fred and Marsha were dead on the floor surrounded by broken glass and water. Tom sat unperturbed on the couch, but he was not even questioned. Why not?

Others are more intriguing. Most are macabre – dealing with death by unusual means.

Anyway, I have decided to start posting the best of my collection here on my blog. One roughly every week.

If you want to see the answer, click on the button below. That will take you to another webpage from which you can download the solution.

I am not looking for comments to this and other posts of the same type that reveal what the answers are. If you email me one, I merely will not post it. But your experiences in playing the game are most welcome.

Some in my collection are popular enough that you may recollect their solutions yourself or they might show up on another site. By whatever means you get involved, my intent is to have you try the puzzles on your friends and get the same enjoyment out of it that I did.

Situation Puzzle 2

A man walks into a store, approaches a counter, and asks a question. The clerk reaches beneath the counter, pulls a gun, aims it at the man and yells, “Stick ‘em up!” A minute passes. Then the man lowers his hands, says, “Thank you,” to the clerk and leaves the store. What is going on here?

Click for solution download

 

Situation Puzzles are ones in which the poser sets forth a, well, situation that on the surface does not make sense or has a mystery about it. These descriptions usually are enigmatic enough that one cannot merely ponder for a while and then blurt out the answer as what is going on.

Instead, the solver gets to ask the poser questions to bring more clarity to the situation. These can only be ones answered by either Yes, No, or Immaterial. The last answer is used when either a Yes or No contributes nothing to the correct conclusion. Good questions help define the direction of inquiry. For example, “Is it important that we learn the vocation of the woman?”

This brief description does not give this puzzle type the accolades it deserves. It works best with a group of solvers rather than only one, all contributing to finding the solution. A warm feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie results when everything makes sense. In my experience after a frustrating hour or so that it might have taken to solve the puzzle, someone in the crowd will say, “Let’s do another.”

When I was much younger, I enjoyed working with others on situation puzzles and started collecting them. Recently, I came across my collection. The quality of these puzzles vary. Some were as simple (and poor) as:

The police burst into the room. Fred and Marsha were dead on the floor surrounded by broken glass and water. Tom sat unperturbed on the couch, but he was not even questioned. Why not?

Others are more intriguing. Most are macabre – dealing with death by unusual means.

Anyway, I have decided to start posting the best of my collection here on my blog. One roughly every week.

If you want to see the answer, click on the button below. That will take you to another webpage from which you can download the solution.

I am not looking for comments to this and other posts of the same type that reveal what the answers are. If you email me one, I merely will not post it. But your experiences in playing the game are most welcome.

Some in my collection are popular enough that you may recollect their solutions yourself or they might show up on another site. By whatever means you get involved, my intent is to have you try the puzzles on your friends and get the same enjoyment out of it that I did.