Solving the Riddle
"The Brain Coral?" Day asked. "What's that?"
"It's this stream here," Grundy answered.
"Yeah, we know that," Night said, rolling her eyes. "But what IS it?"
((I'm the Brain Coral)), the thing said.
"Ah!" Lyndsey shrieked again. She took two steps away from the stream, and almost tripped over the bottom of her dress. She pouted.
"Um, maybe it's best if I explain," Grundy said, seemingly talking to the Coral. He then turned to the girls. "You see, the Brain Coral is…well, it's like a storage container. People and other creatures can live in it. When they get out, it will seem to them like no time has passed. But in reality, many years, centuries even, could have passed."
"But why would anyone want to do that?" Lyndsey asked, innocently confused.
"Well, there was once a winged centaur named Cynthia in here," Grundy explained. "She stayed because she was the only creature of her kind, and no one wanted her. Recently she was released, and she now lives with a family of other winged centaurs."
"I get it," Day said. "So if you're not happy with how things are, or something, you go into the Brain Coral. It'll feel like you only blinked, but when you get out, everything's different!" She was grasping the concept.
"That's right," Grundy agreed.
"But how is it talking to us?" Night asked, still confused.
((I am conscious)), the Coral said. ((I am able to speak, the same as any other being.))
"But you're not…well, you're not a thing!" Lyndsey protested. Guinever was jumping up and down beside her, caught up in the excitement.
A giant light bulb appeared on top of Day's head. A similarly huge light bulb appeared on top of Night's head.
"It's not animate…" Day said, her light bulb flaring.
…and it's not inanimate!" Night finished, her bulb also glowing brightly.
Lyndsey caught on. "It's animatedly inanimate!"
"Or in-animatedly animate!" Day exclaimed.
"What a mouthful!" Night said. The three of them all laughed.
"Why don't you both try moving it?" Grundy suggested.
"That's a great idea!" Day said. She lifted her arm, and concentrated on moving the stream. A tiny ripple appeared in the surface of the stream. But nothing else happened. "I can't move it!" Day said excitedly. This would probably be the only time that she would be happy her talent wasn't working.
Next, Night tried. She closed her eyes, and concentrated hard. Another small ripple appeared on the surface of the water, but nothing more than that. "I can't move it either!" she squealed.
"This must be what Humfrey meant!" Day said, her face lighting up.
"But what do we do with it, now that we've figured it out?" Night wondered.
"Maybe you can put some water from it in a canteen, and take it with you," Lyndsey suggested.
"Great idea!" Day said. "Who has a canteen we can use?" She looked around. Night, of course didn't have one- they didn't bring anything with them when they entered the game. Lyndsey and Guinever were similarly short of belongings. She looked at Grundy last, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. He shook his head. No one had anything to carry the water in.
((Do not be distressed)), the Coral said. ((I would not have allowed you to take water from me, even if you did have a container. Not without a price, in any case.))
"What do you mean, a price?" Night asked.
((I see you have a very interesting specimen with you. A penguin elf, I believe? If you left the creature with me, I would allow you to take a part of me with you.))
"Not Guinever!" Lyndsey yelled, throwing her arms around him.
Day and Night looked at each other. Tears were forming in their pretty eyes. Day's bottom lip quivered. "We can't let it take Guinever from her," she said sadly.
"I know," Night said, equally distressed.
"I'm sorry," Lyndsey said, looking truly sorry. "But I just can't give him up. It would break my heart. He's been my only friend my whole life!"
"It's ok…we understand," Day said. "Besides, we still don't have a container, anyway."
"Ahem," Grundy said, speaking up. "I think you need to think a little bit harder about what the Good Magician said to you."
"What do you mean, Grundy?" Day asked. "Do you know something we don't?"
"I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that Humfrey never gives an Answer that can't be achieved."
"Ok…well, he told us that we have to bring him something that Night can't get, and I can't get," Day said, trying her best to listen to Grundy's advice.
"No!" Night protested. "He said to bring him what neither of us can get."
"Why does it matter?" Lyndsey asked, still clutching Guinever tightly.
"It matters because you can interpret words differently," Grundy said. "Each word is very important."
"Yeah, I guess that's right," Day said. "And Night's right- he said what neither of us can acquire."
"So what's the difference between Night and Day can't get, and neither of you can't get?" Lyndsey asked, her face twisting cutely into a confused look.
"Well…neither of us would mean not one or the other. I guess not Night or Day is…we just can't get it at all. I'm not making any sense, am I?" Day asked.
"Not really," Lyndsey answered.
"No wait!" Night said. "I think you're on to something! Listen again: not one OR the other. That just strikes me for some reason." Three sets of brows furrowed, pondering why that would stick out. Nobody was coming up with anything, until-
"I GOT IT!" Lyndsey cried. "Not one or the other, but BOTH! You can both get it!" She was so excited that she let Guinever slip out of her arms, but her excitement had passed to him, and he was happy too.
"What?" Day asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't get it."
But Night had caught on. "Oh! It's like the challenges we had to go through to get into the castle! She solved the first one, and I solved the second one-"
"And we solved the third one together!" Day exclaimed, having finally caught on. "Lyndsey, you're so smart!" she cried, throwing her arms around her. Night joined in, and Guinever hopped in too. Day grabbed Grundy, and it was a full-blown group hug. Lyndsey was blushing, because of the compliment. Grundy was blushing too, probably because he was being crushed by…well, he was being crushed.
"So that's it!" Day said, splitting up the hug. "We have to do it together!" She turned to Night. "Are you ready?" Night nodded. They both raised their arms.
((WAIT!)), the Brain Coral said. ((You can't do this!))
Daunted by his Voice of Control, the girls looked at Grundy. "Can we do this?" they asked him, pleadingly. Grundy shrugged.
"I think so," he said. "Try it."
So they both raised an arm, and clasped their raised hands together. They squeezed their eyes shut, deep in concentration. At first, there was just a small ripple on the Brain Coral's surface. Then, there was a little splash. Then, a tiny wave. Finally, a bubble of the water came floating up. The girls had it!
((Noo!)) the Brain Coral yelled. ((This isn't how it's supposed to be!))
"Don't worry, Coral," Grundy said. "You're going to see the Good Magician! I'm sure you'll have a good time there."
The Brain Coral looked pensive, which was a difficult thing for a body of water to do. ((Yes, I suppose I shall go willingly)), it said. Of course, it didn't' have much of a choice anymore. Not a lot can get away from two Sorceresses, especially when they have the aid of a smart little golem, and another Sorceress. The girls smiled. They had solved the riddle of their Answer!
******************************************************************
"The Brain Coral?" Day asked. "What's that?"
"It's this stream here," Grundy answered.
"Yeah, we know that," Night said, rolling her eyes. "But what IS it?"
((I'm the Brain Coral)), the thing said.
"Ah!" Lyndsey shrieked again. She took two steps away from the stream, and almost tripped over the bottom of her dress. She pouted.
"Um, maybe it's best if I explain," Grundy said, seemingly talking to the Coral. He then turned to the girls. "You see, the Brain Coral is…well, it's like a storage container. People and other creatures can live in it. When they get out, it will seem to them like no time has passed. But in reality, many years, centuries even, could have passed."
"But why would anyone want to do that?" Lyndsey asked, innocently confused.
"Well, there was once a winged centaur named Cynthia in here," Grundy explained. "She stayed because she was the only creature of her kind, and no one wanted her. Recently she was released, and she now lives with a family of other winged centaurs."
"I get it," Day said. "So if you're not happy with how things are, or something, you go into the Brain Coral. It'll feel like you only blinked, but when you get out, everything's different!" She was grasping the concept.
"That's right," Grundy agreed.
"But how is it talking to us?" Night asked, still confused.
((I am conscious)), the Coral said. ((I am able to speak, the same as any other being.))
"But you're not…well, you're not a thing!" Lyndsey protested. Guinever was jumping up and down beside her, caught up in the excitement.
A giant light bulb appeared on top of Day's head. A similarly huge light bulb appeared on top of Night's head.
"It's not animate…" Day said, her light bulb flaring.
…and it's not inanimate!" Night finished, her bulb also glowing brightly.
Lyndsey caught on. "It's animatedly inanimate!"
"Or in-animatedly animate!" Day exclaimed.
"What a mouthful!" Night said. The three of them all laughed.
"Why don't you both try moving it?" Grundy suggested.
"That's a great idea!" Day said. She lifted her arm, and concentrated on moving the stream. A tiny ripple appeared in the surface of the stream. But nothing else happened. "I can't move it!" Day said excitedly. This would probably be the only time that she would be happy her talent wasn't working.
Next, Night tried. She closed her eyes, and concentrated hard. Another small ripple appeared on the surface of the water, but nothing more than that. "I can't move it either!" she squealed.
"This must be what Humfrey meant!" Day said, her face lighting up.
"But what do we do with it, now that we've figured it out?" Night wondered.
"Maybe you can put some water from it in a canteen, and take it with you," Lyndsey suggested.
"Great idea!" Day said. "Who has a canteen we can use?" She looked around. Night, of course didn't have one- they didn't bring anything with them when they entered the game. Lyndsey and Guinever were similarly short of belongings. She looked at Grundy last, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. He shook his head. No one had anything to carry the water in.
((Do not be distressed)), the Coral said. ((I would not have allowed you to take water from me, even if you did have a container. Not without a price, in any case.))
"What do you mean, a price?" Night asked.
((I see you have a very interesting specimen with you. A penguin elf, I believe? If you left the creature with me, I would allow you to take a part of me with you.))
"Not Guinever!" Lyndsey yelled, throwing her arms around him.
Day and Night looked at each other. Tears were forming in their pretty eyes. Day's bottom lip quivered. "We can't let it take Guinever from her," she said sadly.
"I know," Night said, equally distressed.
"I'm sorry," Lyndsey said, looking truly sorry. "But I just can't give him up. It would break my heart. He's been my only friend my whole life!"
"It's ok…we understand," Day said. "Besides, we still don't have a container, anyway."
"Ahem," Grundy said, speaking up. "I think you need to think a little bit harder about what the Good Magician said to you."
"What do you mean, Grundy?" Day asked. "Do you know something we don't?"
"I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that Humfrey never gives an Answer that can't be achieved."
"Ok…well, he told us that we have to bring him something that Night can't get, and I can't get," Day said, trying her best to listen to Grundy's advice.
"No!" Night protested. "He said to bring him what neither of us can get."
"Why does it matter?" Lyndsey asked, still clutching Guinever tightly.
"It matters because you can interpret words differently," Grundy said. "Each word is very important."
"Yeah, I guess that's right," Day said. "And Night's right- he said what neither of us can acquire."
"So what's the difference between Night and Day can't get, and neither of you can't get?" Lyndsey asked, her face twisting cutely into a confused look.
"Well…neither of us would mean not one or the other. I guess not Night or Day is…we just can't get it at all. I'm not making any sense, am I?" Day asked.
"Not really," Lyndsey answered.
"No wait!" Night said. "I think you're on to something! Listen again: not one OR the other. That just strikes me for some reason." Three sets of brows furrowed, pondering why that would stick out. Nobody was coming up with anything, until-
"I GOT IT!" Lyndsey cried. "Not one or the other, but BOTH! You can both get it!" She was so excited that she let Guinever slip out of her arms, but her excitement had passed to him, and he was happy too.
"What?" Day asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't get it."
But Night had caught on. "Oh! It's like the challenges we had to go through to get into the castle! She solved the first one, and I solved the second one-"
"And we solved the third one together!" Day exclaimed, having finally caught on. "Lyndsey, you're so smart!" she cried, throwing her arms around her. Night joined in, and Guinever hopped in too. Day grabbed Grundy, and it was a full-blown group hug. Lyndsey was blushing, because of the compliment. Grundy was blushing too, probably because he was being crushed by…well, he was being crushed.
"So that's it!" Day said, splitting up the hug. "We have to do it together!" She turned to Night. "Are you ready?" Night nodded. They both raised their arms.
((WAIT!)), the Brain Coral said. ((You can't do this!))
Daunted by his Voice of Control, the girls looked at Grundy. "Can we do this?" they asked him, pleadingly. Grundy shrugged.
"I think so," he said. "Try it."
So they both raised an arm, and clasped their raised hands together. They squeezed their eyes shut, deep in concentration. At first, there was just a small ripple on the Brain Coral's surface. Then, there was a little splash. Then, a tiny wave. Finally, a bubble of the water came floating up. The girls had it!
((Noo!)) the Brain Coral yelled. ((This isn't how it's supposed to be!))
"Don't worry, Coral," Grundy said. "You're going to see the Good Magician! I'm sure you'll have a good time there."
The Brain Coral looked pensive, which was a difficult thing for a body of water to do. ((Yes, I suppose I shall go willingly)), it said. Of course, it didn't' have much of a choice anymore. Not a lot can get away from two Sorceresses, especially when they have the aid of a smart little golem, and another Sorceress. The girls smiled. They had solved the riddle of their Answer!
******************************************************************