watching him. The old man had played this game for years, and young
children had disappeared from these woods from time to time. Police
investigations had turned up nothing of note. Oh, they questioned the old
man, but he appeared frail and unable to perpetrate any form of violence
on anyone, most especially on fleet-footed children, who could easily
elude capture by such a crippled, slow-moving octogenarian. He was
never considered a serious suspect.
The old man approaches the boy. He’s a friendly sort, almost
grandfatherly. He asks if the boy would like something to drink, and, being
quite thirsty, he answers in the affirmative. The old man leads him to his
cabin in the woods. Once inside, he locks the door, invites the boy to sit
at his table, brings him a glass of water. He immediately drops the
grandfatherly visage.
“Has no one ever told you never to talk to strangers?” he asks. Before the
young boy can answer, he continues, “You are about to find out why!”
With that, he brings out an small wooden box and a black bag and dumps
its contents onto the table: Six miniature skulls, each a different color.
“We are going to play a little game for your freedom, my boy. If you pick
the right skull, you may go home with a lesson learned. But, if you pick
one of the wrong skulls, the lesson will be of no further use to you.
Several children before you have been forced to choose a skull. All have
sought the right skull. All have failed.”
Will you be the first to succeed?
What you receive:
- Six 3D-printed skulls of different colors
- Two 3D-printed skulls, each of a different color, that match one of the
six skulls above
- One small box in which to hide one of the duplicate skulls
- One instruction manual, complete with suggested patter, printed on
parchment-like paper