Stories with holes

[Snukes]

Who's played this game? I have NO idea if it will work at all on a forum, but I'd kinda like to find out.

The idea is, I give you a very small piece of a story. By asking yes/no questions, you have to put together the rest of it. As an example, here is the class one:

John and Mary are lying dead on the floor in a puddle of water and broken glass. Chester can't be found.

You have to ask questions to figure out what's going on. You can't ask "how did John and Mary die?" because that's part of what you need to figure out. You can ask "does their death have something to do with the puddle?" and I would say yes.

The three possible answers to a question are YES, NO, and NOT IMPORTANT. Sometimes, you can ask a question that is very close and very important, but not quite right. That would merrit an "..." For example, you could ask:

"Did John and Mary die as the result of a fall?"

I would answer YES. If you then asked:

"Did Chester push them?"

I would answer NO...

Because he didn't push THEM, he pushed something they were IN. So you're close, but need to get closer.

(I'll probably end up giving more helpful answers as we go. ;))

Since I usually only get into the forum once a day, feel free to post as many questions as you can think of, and I'll answer all of them when I come in, and give a summary of what we know so far.

If you already know the Story, don't spoil it for everyone else. If this doesn't work at all, well... Here's hoping!

Ah yes, before we get started - John and Mary are fish. Their bowl was pushed off the counter by Chester, who was looking to have them for lunch. :D

So here's the story you can start working on:


When the music stopped, she died.

This one has a bit more to it than the last one. Have fun!

[Scheherazade]

Is she a person?

[Snukes]

Yes, she is a person.

[Scheherazade]

Was she murdered?

[Snukes]

Yes, she was murdered.

[Helga]

What music was playing?

[Scheherazade]

Is her murder related to the music?

Did she die because the music stopped?

Was she alone when she died?

[Shimbry]

Oh, I like this game! Can we only ask one question? I'm going to ask a few, and if that's not okay, I guess you'll only answer one! :D

Would she have died even if the music didn't stop?
Could she hear the music when it was playing?
Was she murdered on purpose?
Did she know she was going to die?
If so, did she know as soon as the music stopped?

Maybe I should stop and wait for more info. :D

[baddad]

Is "She" the voice on a radio, record, etc?

[ajoe]

Is she a short person?

[Snukes]

What music was playing?
Sorry Helga! I can't answer that yes or no. (But it is an important question! ;))


Is her murder related to the music?
Yes.


Did she die because the music stopped?
Yes.


Was she alone when she died?
No.


Would she have died even if the music didn't stop?
No.


Could she hear the music when it was playing?
Yes.


Was she murdered on purpose?
Yes.


Did she know she was going to die?
No.


If so, did she know as soon as the music stopped?
No longer relevant. :)


Is "She" the voice on a radio, record, etc?
Hehe. Good guess, but no.


Is she a short person?
Doesn't matter.

[Snukes]

To make the above a bit easier to read, here's a summary of what we know so far:

She is a person.
She was murdered.
She was murdered on purpose.
Her murder is related to the music.
She did die because the music stopped.
She could hear the music when it was playing.
She was not alone when she died.
She did not know she was going to die.

She was not a voice on a radio, tv, ect.

It doesn't matter how tall she is.

Yay! So far so good. Keep up the guesses! And yes, Shimbry - feel free to make as many as you'd like.

When the music stopped, she died.

[papayahed]

Was she in the room that the music was being played live?
Was the music a recording?
Was she playing the music?
Was she shot? Stabbed?

[Scheherazade]

Did the music stop naturally? I.e., end of a song etc?
Or did it stop because there was fault somewhere? Like a short circuit?

[Jay]

She wasn't listening to that 'joke' kind of music where they tell you to "breathe in", "breathe out", was she?

[Snukes]

Was she in the room that the music was being played live?
Was the music a recording?
Was she playing the music?
Was she shot? Stabbed?
Yes, she was in the place where the music was being played live.
Therefore no, the music was not a recording.
No, she was not playing the music.
No, she was not shot, nor was she stabbed.

Did the music stop naturally? I.e., end of a song etc?
Or did it stop because there was fault somewhere? Like a short circuit?
No, the music did not stop at a natural place.
But no, neither did it stop because of a fault.

and Jay - hehe! - no, it wasn't joke music. It was really musical music.

[papayahed]

Did an natural disaster occur to stop the music?

[Taliesin]

Lets mark the stopping of the music with A and her Death with B.
Now, was there any C that caused both A and B, or did A just cause B, or did B cause A?

[baddad]

.....was the music the rhythmic beat of her ventilator which someone unplugged.......???

*frustrated. 'Feels' the answer, but can't see it*

[Snukes]

Did an natural disaster occur to stop the music?No.


Lets mark the stopping of the music with A and her Death with B.
Now, was there any C that caused both A and B, or did A just cause B, or did B cause A?Taliesin, you crack me up. I've never met anyone so left brained! :p But to answer your question as simply as I can: A caused B. The fact that the music stopped caused her death. There was no single cause behind both. Her death did not make the music stop. How's that?


.....was the music the rhythmic beat of her ventilator which someone unplugged.......???No. The music really was music, not metaphoric or symbolic music.

Don't feel frustrated, baddad. :) This isn't a riddle - the answer is not the least bit obvious. When we reach the conclusion, no one will be able to look back and say "d'oh! should've seen that coming!" Rather, it is a story that you are unraveling backwards.

[ajoe]

When the music stop, was it a signal for C to come out and gag her? (Thus technically A cause B's death.)

[Snukes]

Summing up again:

In General
She is a person.
She was not a voice on a radio, tv, ect.
It doesn't matter how tall she is.

Her Death
She was murdered.
She was murdered on purpose.
She was not shot, nor was she stabbed.
She was not alone when she died.*
She did not know she was going to die.
She died because the music stopped.
The end of the music was not a signal for someone to come gag her.

The Music
She could hear the music when it was playing.
She was not playing the music.
She was in the place where the music was being played live.*
A natural disaster did not stop the music.
The music was, in fact, music in a literal sense.

*These facts are important and worth pursuing in greater detail! (So are some others, but first things first... ;))

When the music stopped she died.

[ajoe]

Were there more than 3 people with her?
Was she related to any of the music players?
Was she eating something before she died?

(All of a sudden I'm hogging the questioning.)

[Scheherazade]

Did someone intentionally stop the music so that she died at that particular moment?
Was she aware that if the music stopped, she would die?
Was she playing the music/singing?
Was she murdered by one person or more?

[papayahed]

Did the band members know she was going to die when they stopped playing the music?
Did a band member kill her?
Was she at a concert? indoors? outdoors?
Was her death planned?
Is she the only one that died?

[Snukes]

Hog away, ajoe! :)


Were there more than 3 people with her?
Was she related to any of the music players?
Was she eating something before she died? Yes, there were more than three people.
No, she was not related to any of the musicians.
No, she was not eating anything before she died. (Y'know... nothing relevant. :p She might have had a bologna sandwhich for lunch, but it has no bearing on the story. ;))


Did someone intentionally stop the music so that she died at that particular moment?
Was she aware that if the music stopped, she would die?
Was she playing the music/singing?
Was she murdered by one person or more?Yes! Someone intentionally stopped the music so she'd die at that moment.
No, she wasn't aware she would die when the music stopped.
No, she was not making the music herself.
Err... your last question isn't quite yes/no. Yes, she was murdered. :p


Did the band members know she was going to die when they stopped playing the music?
Did a band member kill her?
Was she at a concert? indoors? outdoors?
Was her death planned?
Is she the only one that died?Your first question is very good and very tricky to answer. The answer could be yes but is probably no. You might have to come back to this later...
Your second question is even better, but also very tricky! Teeeeechnically, no... but that depends on how you define "band member." :D
She was not at a concert.
She was indoors.
She was not (therefore) outdoors.
Yes, her death was planned.
Yes, she is the only one who died.

Woo! Good questions!

[Scheherazade]

Is the type of music played relevant?
Was she murdered by one person?
Was she murdered by a group of people?
Was the person who stopped the music making the music?
Is there a 'murder weapon'?
Was she stabbed?
Was her death result of an injury?
Did she bleed?

[Snukes]

Is the type of music played relevant? Mmm. Yes and no. Yes, because finding that out will further your understanding of the story, but No, because no matter what type of music they were playing, she still would have died when it stopped. How's that for an answer? :)


Was she murdered by one person? Yes.


Was she murdered by a group of people? Ummm... No.


Was the person who stopped the music making the music? Oh dear. See my answer to Papaya above about how you define "band member."


Is there a 'murder weapon'? No.


Was she stabbed? No.


Was her death result of an injury? Heh heh. You could say that, yes.


Did she bleed? Eeeyuck. I imagine so.

[Scheherazade]

Did she have a fall?
Were there any instruments played to make the music?
Was an instrument used to murder her?
was there a choir? Like a church choir?
Is her age relevant?

[Snukes]

Did she have a fall? OH yes.


Were there any instruments played to make the music? Yes.


Was an instrument used to murder her? Not unless you count the fact that it was making music and she died because of the music.

was there a choir? Like a church choir? No.


Is her age relevant? Nope.

Gah. Bed time bed time!

[Scheherazade]

Was her fall result of a push?
Was a music instrument used to kill her?
Did she fall because the music stopped?
Did the music stopped because she had a fall?
Did she fall from a balcony?
Did she fall from a window?
Is the place she fell from relevant?

[ajoe]

Was her murder carefully planned or someone else not her could've died instead?
Even though not related, does any of the band members know her?
Were the people nearby her (i.e. within a 3-m radius) involved?
Was she an important person? (Did people really care when she died?)
What was she wearing? :p

Hmm, maybe there should be a limit to the number of the questions that can be asked. People ask irrelevant questions otherwise.

[Snukes]

Was her fall result of a push?
Was a music instrument used to kill her?
Did she fall because the music stopped?
Did the music stopped because she had a fall?
Did she fall from a balcony?
Did she fall from a window?
Is the place she fell from relevant?No, not the result of a push.
No, the physical instrument was not physically used to kill her.
Yes, she fell because the music stopped.
No, the music had already stopped she she fell.
No, not a balcony, nor a window.
Yes! The place she fell from is very relevant.


Was her murder carefully planned or someone else not her could've died instead?
Even though not related, does any of the band members know her?
Were the people nearby her (i.e. within a 3-m radius) involved?
Was she an important person? (Did people really care when she died?)
What was she wearing?Yes, it was carefully planned. No one else could have accidentally died instead.
It still depends on how you define "band member." :p
I can't answer your next question, because it makes an assumption. :D Which is important.
If you mean important like "King of England," then no. But lots of people would have cared if she died, yes.
Oops! Last question isn't yes/no. But it's not especially relevant. Knowing might help you figure out some other important information, but there are easier ways to do that. :D

I figure not to limit questions, because the story is so complex and I'm so inconsistent with when I might check in next that I'd hate for this to go on and on foreeeever. Irrelevant questions are okay, and bound to happen. Sometimes they're as important as the relevant ones, in terms of limiting your frame. Coming next: Daily sum-up! :)

[Snukes]

Summing up again:

In General
She is a person.
She was not a voice on a radio, tv, ect.
It doesn't matter how tall she is or how old she is.
Her eating habits for the day are unimportant.
Her clothing is not especially important.
She was indoors.
She was not at a concert.
She took a fall.
She fell because the music stopped.
She was not pushed.
She did not fall off a balcony or out a window.
Where she fell from is important.*

Her Death
She was murdered.
She was murdered on purpose. It was a murder planned by only one person.
There were more than three people present when she died.*
She did not know she was going to die when the music stopped.
She died because the music stopped.
Someone intentionally stopped the music so she'd die at that moment.
She is the only one who died. No one else was at risk.
There is no murder weapon - musical instrument, knife, gun, etc.
She died as the result of injury. It was possibly messy (bloody, etc).
Her death would have been significant/important to some people.

The Music
She could hear the music when it was playing.
She was not playing/making the music.
She was in the place where the music was being played live.*
The music was made by instruments.
She was not related to any of the musicians.
A natural disaster did not stop the music.
The end of the music was not a signal for someone to come gag her.
The music was, in fact, music in a literal sense.
The type of music is not relevant.

*These facts are important and worth pursuing in greater detail! (So are some others, but first things first... ;))

Additionally, there were several questions asked which are difficult for me to answer because I am uncertain how you define "band member." Might help to clear that up. ;)

Rah rah!

When the music stopped she died.

[papayahed]

Are the musicians famous?
Is it an orchestral band? Rock band?
Is the number of people playing music relevent?
Were the other people in the room watching the band? Was the music the main attraction?
Was the woman wearing a special outfit? Was the woman performing something?
Did people see her fall?
Did the woman come to see the band?
Was there a full moon?

[Monica]

I know this story! We played it at school. I loved it but I just remember some parts of it so I won't interfere unless I remember something more. Have fun :D

[Taliesin]

Was she in a tube of the organ where the air flow kept her up there, but when it stopped, there was nothing to keep her there so she fell down?

Was the murder caused by some clever system (something in the style of those cartoon mousetraps or smth that is described above)?

Would the coroner say that she was murdered (or commited a suicide)?

Was she with a very black death metal band who sacrificed her at the end of the song?

Was she performing in any other ways a la dancing ballet?

Does her death happen in the present day? Not in, say, the Middle ages?

Is she a real, nonmythical character?

Is her sex relevant?

[Scheherazade]

When you say 'live music', do you mean a band? I.e., like a pop band?
Do you mean an orchestra?
Is the fall the cause of her death?
Did she fall due to some other reason? Like fainting?
Did she fall into an empty pool?
Did she not realise that if the music stopped she would fall?
Was she blind?
Was she blindfolded?
Was the music the main event?
Was the music part of another show?
Was she a performer herself as well?
Was she relying on the music to guide her?


Sorry I was thinking about this all the while I sewing, so too many questions!

[Snukes]

Are the musicians famous?
Is it an orchestral band? Rock band?
Is the number of people playing music relevent?
Were the other people in the room watching the band? Was the music the main attraction?
Was the woman wearing a special outfit? Was the woman performing something?
Did people see her fall?
Did the woman come to see the band?
Was there a full moon?No, the musicians are not famous.
It is not a rock band. I'm not exactly sure how you define orchestral band, but if it's the kind that has lots of stringed instruments and requires people to dress in fancypants, then no, it isn't that kind of band either. :P
The *specific* number of people playing is not relevant...
The music was not the main attraction.
Other people may have been watching the band.
Yes the woman was wearing a special outfit.
"Performing" is an interesting choice of word... I'd say yes, she was performing.
Yes, people definitely saw her fall.
No, the woman was not there to see the band.
The status of the moon is not relevant. ;)


Was she in a tube of the organ where the air flow kept her up there, but when it stopped, there was nothing to keep her there so she fell down?Taliesin, I'm officially dubbing all of you my favorite people in this forum. :D No, she was not in the tube of the organ.


Was the murder caused by some clever system (something in the style of those cartoon mousetraps or smth that is described above)?

Would the coroner say that she was murdered (or commited a suicide)?

Was she with a very black death metal band who sacrificed her at the end of the song?

Was she performing in any other ways a la dancing ballet?

Does her death happen in the present day? Not in, say, the Middle ages?

Is she a real, nonmythical character?

Is her sex relevant?

No, there were no grand mousetrap-like contraptions involved in her death.
Judging solely from her dead body, the coroner would not be able to tell she was murdered.
Yikes! No, she was not with any sort of death metal band. Nor was she sacrificed in any way...
Yes, she was performing.
Yes, her death happens in a society contemporary with ours.
She is a real, non-mythical character.
The fact that she is female is not especially relevant.

[Snukes]

When you say 'live music', do you mean a band? I.e., like a pop band?
Do you mean an orchestra?
Is the fall the cause of her death?
Did she fall due to some other reason? Like fainting?
Did she fall into an empty pool?
Did she not realise that if the music stopped she would fall?
Was she blind?
Was she blindfolded?
Was the music the main event?
Was the music part of another show?
Was she a performer herself as well?
Was she relying on the music to guide her?Hehe! Never too many questions. :)

Yes, I mean a band. But no, not a pop band.
Not an orchestra.
YES, the fall is the cause of her death.
She did not fall because she fainted.
She did not fall into an empty pool.
She did not have any reason to connect the stopping of the music with falling.
She was not blind.
YES, she was blindfolded!
The music was not the main event.
YES, the music was part of another show.
Yes, she was a performer. (Great minds...)
YES, she was relying on the music to guide her.

WAY on the right track, Scher!

[Scheherazade]

Was she part of a circus act?
Was she a trapeze artist performing blindfolded relying on the music for the jumping time?
Was she an acrobat walking on the tightrope blindfolded and relied on the music to know that she reached the other side?

[Snukes]

Yow!

YES, she was part of a circus act.

YES, she was a blindfolded tightrope walker depending on the music to know when she'd reached the other side.

You wanna take a stab at finishing the story, Scher? Or shall I just give you the cookie? :D

[Scheherazade]

I will take KitKat if that is OK with you, please! :D

So, she was a tightrope walker... As part of her act she walked blindfolded on the rope and she knew she reach the other side when the music stopped. However, on that ill-fated night, the musician (a jealous ex? ) stopped the music while she was still in the middle. She took a final step, thinking she was on the other side; alas, she fell down to her horrible death. Ironically, they asked the ex to identify the body.

Please you fill in the gaps, snukes! I am going to enjoy my KitKat now! :D

[Snukes]

You are oooh so close! The only thing I could add is that the man who stopped the music was the *conductor* of the band - hence my hesitance over the question about whether a band member was her murderer. I like your twist about the body ID.

[FallenMegami]

So, she was a tightrope-walker, and the conductor stopped the music, making her think she was at the other side. Too bad, so sad, she fell to her death, and the net that is supposed to be under them "just happens" to not be there. So it looked like she just took a wrong step, instead of someone killing her, 'cause the band had to follow the conductor. (I'm a band geek myself, haha). Am I close?

[Dogs0cks]

I know what happened:

The girl was a blindfolded tightrope walker a man was conducting music when the music stopped she would get off onto a platform; the musician's baton fell out of his hands and the music stopped the girl thought this was her cue to get off but it wasn't because the music stopped on accident and she died from falling!!! :eek:

[luvjetz]

Would it help to know what "she" was killed with?

Was "she" shot?

[xkajix]

i think i got this..john was a cat knocked over the fish tank and broke the glass and made the puddle, and marry was the fish xD, right?

[Mililalil XXIV]

A co-worker used to play this with me at work, at an earlier job. He called these riddles, and I objected: "People don't ask riddles in this manner!" But I love this game.

[Lil Stras 007]

Did it have to do with the power going out?
Was she in the hospital?
If she was was she on life support?

[Lil Stras 007]

sorry I skipped the page before this and didn't know people had already figured it out. Sorry, ignore those questions! Are you going to do another story with a hole?

[Jean-Baptiste]

Hello, Stras! :wave: Welcome to the forums! There is a new thread for this game here (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21408). That game is still active, if you'd like to join in. :)

[LisaTee]

I believe dog to be right, can we start a new one?

[x1cmb11]

was she is a tight rope walker at the circus and she was blind folded and the music was to tell her when she reached the other side and because she heard the music stop she tried to step on the platform nothing was there and she fell to her death?

[allygator08]

i think it got it. she has some kind of medical problem and the power goes out and so the radio turns off and so does her medical support and she dies in turn!!!

here is the questions if i got this all wrong:
*did she have a medical condition, problem etc...
* did the power turn off

[To Write Love]

Was SHE playing the music?

[36643xaf]

This is a new riddle. I need help solving this. Little Mark was on a boat and was afraid when he saw the doc arriving.
These are the clue i already got.
the doc is a doctor
the boat is a real boat
mark is a person

[Zackery]

Was the music the music of her life

[avenge]

She Was In A Circus Act. She Was A Blindfolded Tightrope Walker. The Music Was Letting Her Know To Keep Walking. When The Music Stopped That Means That She Was At Her Platform And She Could Step Off. And If That Isn't Right I Say All Of That, But The Conductor From His vIew Thought She Was There. But She Wasnt So She Feel To Her Death. And If Not That All Of The First One But The Conductor Was Jealous That Everyone Was PAying Attention To Her And Not His Great Work. So He Made Her Fall Off On Purpose. Thats All! Did I Get It?