[Puzzle 012]

[hisapprentice]

[For some unfathomable reason, in all the stories Luke knows about fishermen, they go out at the crack of dawn to catch fish. That's not for him, no sir! He meanders along the river headed south to the lake at a decent hour, just after breakfast, intending to bring a gift to a dragon or two living in the village. It's cold but he doesn't seem to mind, bundled up and with a spring in his step. A few hours later, he returns bearing the scaly treats in a bucket, off to locate Hiccup and Astrid and their terrifying but awesome dragons.

That afternoon he works in the stables. After what feels like plenty of cleaning up and conversation, he realizes he might have a quiet moment alone and looks around. Nobody here. Good.

The boy completely forgets he left the journal open on a nearby stool, and so it records: Luke Triton, a little dirty and rough around the edges, turning with determined steps and pointing hard at...nothings.]

Aha! It's you! [Step, raise hand, point!] It's you! The guilty party... [Oh, he can almost hear the swish of authority as he turns and points at the book.] is you! Ha- ...Wait a minute... [Footsteps on dirt and straw draw closer, and then-]...Oh no!

Comments

3/3

[hisapprentice]

[Then he figures there is probably some logic to this answer (even if the answer is no) and tries a different method. With better results.]




No, Professor, I don't think you can get everyone a new seat that way. One of the odd students would have to move to an odd chair, but she wouldn't be able to reach it.

[reminded]

[Layton attends to his tea while Luke is working the puzzle out.]

Thank you, my boy. It seems we'll need to find another way to rearrange.

Another way of solving this would have been to think of the classroom as a chessboard; each student needed to move to a new color, but the uneven number of light and dark squares made it impossible.

[hisapprentice]

If it was a chessboard, I would have had to put them all into rows and columns that didn't line up with each other.

[reminded]

Hmm. Desks arranged in different shapes... An interesting idea for variations of the puzzle.

[If he gets distracted in the middle of a lecture because of this, he's blaming it on you.]

[hisapprentice]

[It will be Luke's favorite lecture. He already can't stop smiling, forgetting all about that little mishap with the pointing.]

We've done so many like that I don't know if there are any more.

[reminded]

Why, Luke! That sounds like a challenge.

[hisapprentice]

A challenge? I think I know better than to challenge you with puzzles by now.

[reminded]

You never know, my boy. Even the most grizzled puzzler isn't infallible. In any case, I'll see if I can't think of a worthy sequel to the first puzzle. Maybe it'll be ready by the time you return.

[hisapprentice]

A worthy sequel is going to be twice as hard, isn't it? [A good-natured sigh. It's better than discussing what he was just doing with another twenty people.] Somehow I'll survive, I guess.

[reminded]

[He's not sure he wants to know what you were doing with twenty other people, Luke.]

Oh, I'm sure you'll have survived worse. I have complete faith in your puzzle solving ability. Now, don't tarry for too long or this puzzle will be in my head all day!

[hisapprentice]

I doubt that, Professor. You'd find someone else to tell it to before then, and I'd just get a new one.

[reminded]

Come now, I think I have a little more self-restraint than that.

[Disclaimer: may or may not be true.]

[hisapprentice]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to share puzzles with other people here the way you do at home.

[reminded]

I should think not. But as the inspiration for the puzzle, it's only fair that you have the first crack at it, wouldn't you say?

[hisapprentice]

Well, I guess you're right. [As always. Luke grins into the journal and gathers up his few things.] I'll come right home then!

[reminded]

All right. I'll be right here.

[hisapprentice]

[He knows.

It's what makes Luceti pretty darn okay in his book now.

Luke practically sprints home. Combine that with working in the stables and being caught off-guard, and he looks quite disheveled by the time he arrives.]

I'm back, Professor!