FSoCW: Focus In or Fall | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: FSoCW: Focus In or Fall | Previous Challenge Entry
By Joshua Hunter
07/31/08
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-C-overed in Joyced’s bulky leaves, Phaithope enters a hall with blue carpet. Phaithope closes the door and his voice echoes, “heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-ha.”
Saharrichan speaks. “What’s funny?”
“I can’t help it, we’re a great team. My crew robbed banks. We’d hijack an armored car and make like we were the driver to fool the bank people. Didn’t always work but…we were so organized--never had to go crazy

-o-rb.”
The judge speaks. “Why? The other four objects at-one-point traveled with you?”
Phaithope examines his person. Joyced, Saharrichan, and Tezaiah are gone. “I want the orb because it…He-loves-me. I get it now. Power, healing, smarts, talking in unknown languages, and knowin’ the future—I don’t need that

-are- they arranged?”
“The statements are grouped in two. Ah, so these two statements describe two clues about the word…”
“No, the-backslashes, remember? The two statements describe two words ‘within’ the word. When put together they make the final word.”
Phaithope nods.

First word
-long shaft, sharp head
-unknown gender ______\______

Second word
-supervision
-hypocrite ______\______

Third word
-where nuclear fission occurs
-yellowish white fluid matter ______\______

Sixty-two-minute-discussion. The last word is written on the-whiteboard. The hall rumbles, breaks, and lifts itself up. It connects to a hall with white-carpet. The light-is-bright with no extra-heat. Phaithope follows the path; the hall grows brighter until most

-t-he words?”
Phaithope speaks. “Prisoner, Semenation, Barney, Wakssion, Walker, Still-black, T.O.U.T., Brickem. Hmm…”
Both Saharrichan-and-Tezaiah glow. “Melwhedehzoshlooco.”
“Yes, my revelation agrees. Phaithope, only-you-can-answer-this-puzzle.”
Phaithope’s eyes buck. He centers on the curtain. Three minutes pass. “It’s Walker.” Phaithope reaches out a hand and moves the curtain. He steps past and can move no further.
A judge’s stand appears to his right; a waist-high rectangular box appears around Phaithope. The judge

-c-aps, and feels his face all over. “That’s the stuff; thank you.”
Saharrichan glows purple. Tezaiah glows red. Their-light-illuminates the dim-hall to its first-curve. “Kalackkesowdeceilorrrralelldwardwadee.”
Tezaiah speaks. “Here is the

-n-o more, the challenges are over. All I want is love, and that’s all Squire has ever given-me.”
Phaithope vaults over the jury-box running to Squire. Squire rises from the ground and transforms into a man. Both embrace. Squire speaks. “I have missed you Phaithope, but how you have matured!” Phaithope-weeps, shaking in-Squire's-arms. “I love you too.”

-n-ew word in both columns. What are the words?”
Phaithope recites.

back _______ some
fair _______ ward
mét ________ land
in _________ fire
add ________ anger.

Nineteen-minute-discussion. The final word is spelt on-the-board. The ground rumbles and the path breaks, rising to another with orange-carpet. Phaithope moves forward. He glances at

-n-ow here I am with two-rocks and-a-plant,” Phaithope is shaking-his head, “and we got more skills-than-the-whole-gang.”
Tezaiah speaks. “Then I praise the triune deity. For in our unnatural unity we prove their most aberrant methods far surpass our most precise ones. Why-should-I-ever-trust-in-my-own-might?”
“Amen” comes from the three listening. Joyced speaks. “The word you have spoken is good.” She unwraps her leaves from Phaithope. “All done.”
Phaithope-extends-and-retracts his left arm several-times, rubs both knee

-a-rticulations vanish in-the-light. Phaithope stands-before a solid-red curtain, frantically glancing in all directions. Words are stitched on the curtain. “It says, which-of-these-words-does-not-belong?”
Joyced speaks. “That simple, huh? What are

-t-he windows. “Brighter in here.”
Phaithope stops at two writing-boards. “Ok, to my left a blackboard reads: ‘Which-is-the-greatest?’ Across from that, is a whiteboard with six statements; but…, there are also three-blank-lines with backslashes down the middle.”
Silence. Joyced speaks. “Sounds like-charades. The question acts-as-the topic. And the six statements…how

-i-s not seen. “Phaithope, one who has been pardoned, the valley has ended and the evidence presented. Which reward will you choose?”
Before the judge’s stand appears a coarse-red-gemstone, a slender piece of obsidian, a fancy-leafed caladium, a golden bazooka, and a pale blue orb. Phaithope’s expression is wonder. “Gimme the

-e-nd of your quest through The-Valley-of-Wails. In the judgment-hall your reward will be given. Go, but the path is an unending-circle, says my companion; the word-puzzles are the key. Solving them will cause the path to ‘shake hands’.”
Phaithope goes, walking-the-hall. Slender windows let in pale blue morning-light. Streaks of clouds reflect orange sunlight. A card-table impedes the path; on-it, a game of scrabble is set.
Joyced speaks delicately. “What do you see Phaithope?”
“I see ten words, five in one column, five in the other. Five blank lines form a center-column, the ten words on either-side.
Quiet. Joyced speaks. “It’s word-addition. One word placed in the center column will make a

-o-ver a mistake-or-a-hitch. Heh-heh

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