This is not a fairy tale... or is it.
The caretaker was looking through a clipboard, he then turned to the audience.
" It's you lot, don't come near me, I mean it, thanks to a certain disease called COVID-19, I have to follow the voice's new regulations", said the caretaker, he then continued looking through the list.
" Let's see, stay inside as often as you can, that doesn't worry me, I rarely leave the tower anyway, what else is there, maintain social distancing of 1.5 meters apart, again, as long as you keep away from me I won't have to worry about it, let's see, where a face mask whenever you go out, ah this next one I hate, wash hands frequently, seriously, wash, no way, anyway, I thought we were going to cancel this years Halloween event due to Covid, but luckily, the voice decided to make it happen, although it's been delayed, and there have been some changes, we will have a battle today, and by the looks of it, the unfortunates are here", said the caretaker.
He then began turning a wheel, lifting a giant cage of seven unfortunates, all wearing face masks.
" Here they come, all the way from London, Sean, Lizzy, George, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles", said the caretaker.
Once then cage reached the top of the tower, the unfortunates entered the top floor.
" This is my watch tank", said the caretaker, referring to a giant glass sphere tank, with the tower in it, " This is where I get to see everything that goes on in the tower, I'm sure by now, most of you would know how the game goes, the unfortunates work together to complete challenges, and escape each floor, but one of them can't be trusted, on each floor a new saboteur will be chosen, by the voice", said the caretaker.
" FLOOR SEVEN: SANTA'S SLEIGH", shouted the voice.
" Well it's no wonder nobody's seen him up close, he's been trapped in there all this time", said the caretaker.
The team find Santa Clause, trapped in the tower, in his sleigh are presents, inside some of them are lovely delights, in others are something horrid, to pass this challenge, the unfortunates must open four good presents from Santa's sleigh, if they open four bad presents they will fail.
" Well, as usual, there's always someone who can't be trusted, but who, it's time to pick the first saboteur of the evening", said the caretaker.
Sean, Lizzy, George, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles stood on their podiums, waiting for the challenge to start, meanwhile, the voice began to communicate with one of them.
" Lizzy", said the voice, through Lizzy's whisper clip. " Do not react, you are the saboteur, and you are the only one who can hear my voice, it is your job to ensure your team fail this challenge, you must lead your team to the horrible presents, all the bad presents have purple somewhere on them, but be careful, you don't want to be detected, if you start to panic just listen to my voice, I will continue to guide you through your whisper clip".
" This is the part I love best, I know who it is, you all know who it is, and the others are clueless", said the Caretaker.
" Unfortunates, this is Santa's sleigh, to pass, you must open 4 good presents, let the challenge begin, NOW", shouted the voice.
Santa then got off his sleigh and looked at the 7 unfortunates.
" Hello their, anyone ready to go first", said Santa.
" I'll go", said Sean, he then got off his podium, and approached the sleigh.
" Remember, presents with purple on it are bad", said the voice.
" Should I go for this one", said Sean, picking up a presnt with only green and white.
" You might as well let them have this one, the least you can do is gain their trust", said the voice.
" Go for it", said Nicky.
" Yeah do what you want', said Lizzy.
Sean opened the present revealing a bag of potato chips.
" Help yourself, well done", said Santa.
Good presents: 1, Bad presents: 0.
While Sean made his way back to the podium with his chips, Lizzy approached the sleigh.
" I'll go next", said Lizzy.
" Remember, presents with purple on them", said the voice.
" I think this one looks good", said Lizzy, picking up a white and purple present.
" Okay be careful, you're being too obvious", said the voice.
Lizzy opened the box, revealing a creepy disfigured doll.
" Wow, that is disturbing.
Good presents: 1, Bad presents: 1.
" Okay it's now 1 all, but next time don't be too obvious", said the voice.
" My turn", said George, approaching the sleigh.
" See if you can persuade George", said the voice.
" What about that one", said Lizzy, pointing at a purple and black present.
" I was thinking this one", said George, holding a black and white present.
Knowing it was hopeless, Lizzy agreed.
George opened the present, revealing a chocolate bar.
" Excellent, another success", said Santa.
George made it back to his podium and Nicky approached the sleight.
Good presents: 2, Bad presents: 1.
" I'm gonna pick this one", said Nicky, grabbing a green and Purple present.
Lizzy didn't object, knowing it's a bad present.
" Excellent, and it'll look like Nicky's choice", said the voice.
Nicky opened the parcel, revealing a half eaten apple, filled with maggots.
" Wow, gross", said Nicky.
Good presents: 2, Bad presents: 2.
" Okay, we're tied again, maybe this time you can try and take the lead".
Christ was next, he approached the sleigh.
" I'm going to go for this one", said Chris, picking up a purple and black parcel.
Chris then opened the parcel, revealing a cobra.
Chris shrieked as he dropped the box, the snake sliding out, but then they realized it stopped moving after it was out of the box.
" It's dead, oh well, if you ain't going to take it, I'll give it to the caretaker, his pet Jub Jub, Fluffy is probably starving", said Santa.
Good Presents: 2, Bad Presents: 3.
" Excellent, just one more and you have done it", said the voice.
It was now Joan's turn, she approached the sleigh.
" Remember, get another one wrong and you fail the challenge", said Santa.
Joan picked up a black and green parcel.
" No, stop her, you'll be at risk if she opens it".
But it was too late, Joan opened the parcel, and it revealed it be a back of chewing gum.
" Okay then, cool", said Joan grabbed the gum as she returned to her podium.
Good presents: 3, Bad presents: 4.
" Lizzy, you're playing a dangerous game, the next present has to be wrong, or you're not going anywhere".
Charles then approached the sleigh, it was now down to him, he pulled out two presents, one purple and white, and one black and green.
" Tell him to go for the purple and white one".
Lizzy, Nicky and Chris suggested the purple and white one, George, Sean and Joan suggested the green and black one.
Chris made the final decision and opened the purple and white one, revealing a bundle of used socks.
" Oh boy, you guys are in huge trouble", said Santa.
Good presents: 3, Bad presents 4.
" YOUR TIME IS UP, YOU HAVE FAILED, MISERABLY", shouted the voice.
" Oh no I can't watch", said the caretaker covering his eyes, but the he moved his hands away, " Wait, they failed, well never mind then".
Sean, Lizzy, George, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles stood in line, awaiting the trial.
" You must now decide who you think the saboteur is, this time instead of voting, things are going to be a bit different, deciding on the trapped unfortunate will be formed in two stages, the nomination stage and the decider, we begin with the nomination where you nominate three unfortunates for elimination, only the three you think are the most suspicious, then we'll begin phase two, the decider where the four spared unfortunates will decide who will be trapped, the nomination round will begin, who will be the first nominee, and why", said the voice.
" I nominate Charles as the first nominee, he got the last present wrong and cost us the game", said George.
" I didn't choose it, I was asking for your help", said Charles.
" You picked two presents and asked for our opinions on which to open", said Lizzy, " They could've both been wrong".
" Any objections", said the voice.
Nobody responded.
" Very well, who will be the second nominee and why", said the voice.
" I nominate Lizzy, the first present we got wrong was her decision anyway", said Sean.
" Any objections", said the voice.
Nobody responded, not even Lizzy who couldn't think of a good rebuttal.
" Very well, who is the third nominee and why", said the voice.
" I suggest either Nicky or Chris, they also made wrong decisions, just as much as Charles and Lizzy did", said Joan.
" So you're suggesting we spare you Sean and George", said Nicky.
" Well duh, we were the only three that actually got it right, and none of us were anywhere near responsible for the wrong answers", said Joan.
" Well what do you two think", said Nicky, looking at Sean and George.
" I think Joan is right, but it's difficult to decide which of you two to decide as we can only choose one of you", said George.
" I can't make a decision either, you are both equally suspicious", said Sean.
" If you can't make a decision, the draw straws will decide, and just so we're clear, any objections on sparing Sean, Joan and George", said the voice.
Nobody responded.
" Very well, Nicky, Chris, you two will draw straws, the unfortunate who draws the short straw will be the third nominee", said the voice.
Nicky and Chris opened the case revealing 7 identical straw, each warrior removed a straw from the case, and lined them with each other.
" Nicky, you have drawn the short straw, therefore you are the unlucky one, the nominations are over, the three nominees are Charles, Lizzy and Nicky, we will now make the final vote, before we begin, each nominee will have one last chance to convince the team to spare them, we'll start with Charles, why should they spare you", said the voice.
" I don't know why you should eliminate me over Nicky and Lizzy, I got my one wrong from your opinions, they got their ones wrong from their own choice", said Charles.
" Lizzy, why should they spare you", said the voice.
" I was all just a misunderstanding, and a coincidence when I got mine wrong, just like Charles, Nicky and even Chris, no matter if Sean, George or Joan didn't get any wrong, that doesn't prove them as innocent, any of them could've possibly let us take the fall without lifting a finger", said Lizzy.
" And finally Nicky, why should we spare you", said the voice.
" Like Lizzy said, any of us are just as equally guilty, the only reason I was nominated by because of the draw straws, which spared Chris, and the saboteur could've been him", said Nicky.
" It is now time to vote, Sean, George, Chris and Joan, you will each be given a piece of parchment and a quill, you will write by a secret ballot, who you think you saboteur is, once you have all voted the votes will be revealed, the unfortunate with the highest amount of votes will be eliminated", said the voice.
And so, one by one, Sean, Chris, George and Joan, cast their votes, once the votes are written, the parchments were folded and put in a purple urn, shortly after everyone was ready, the urn has vanished.
" Unfortunates, I have tallied the votes, and the before I decide on who is trapped, I will spare one of them, the unfortunate with 0 votes, and will be spared is...
...
...
...
... Charles", said the voice.
Charles sighed in relief.
" Now it is down to Lizzy and Nicky, and the unfortunate with the most votes is...
...
...
...
.. Both of them, the votes a tie, two for Lizzy, two for Nicky, as Charles has been spared, he will cast the deciding vote for either Nicky or Lizzy", said the voice.
And so, Charles even though was hesitant, made the final decision, and put down his vote.
" Unfortunates, the decision has been made, and the unfortunate to be trapped on floor seven is...
...
...
...
.. Lizzy", said Voice.
Nicky sighed in relief, meanwhile Lizzy went pale.
" I can now reveal the saboteur was in fact...
...
...
... Lizzy", said the Voice.
The reaction was a mix of shock, surprise and not so surprised, meanwhile, Lizzy's reaction was still the same.
" Lizzy, although you sabotaged the challenge you were detected, therefore you will not be leaving this room, the others are free to pass to the next floor", said the voice.
" The saboteur's been trapped", said the caretaker.
The trapdoor opened, and one by one Sean, George, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles hopped down to the next floor, the trapdoor then closed, leaving Lizzy in the room.
" Lizzy, why do you think the others vote for you", said the voice.
" Because I wasn't very persuasive when trying to convince the team to spare me", said Lizzy.
" How do you feel about being trapped", said the voice.
" Upset, cause I'm the first one out", said Lizzy.
" Poor unfortunate Lizzy, YOU'RE TRAPPED", shouted the voice.
The caretaker watched as Lizzy looked on through the window in despair, trapped on floor seven.
" Well, Lizzy made a dogs dinner out of being the saboteur in Santa's sleigh, and that's just about wrapped things up for her", said the caretaker.
"FLOOR SIX: CLUE", shouted the voice.
To pass this challenge, the team will have to help a detective solve a murder case, they need to solve who, what, where, when, why and how, if they guess wrong too many times, they will fail.
" A sabotage case and a murder case all in one go", said the caretaker.
Sean, George, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles stood on their podiums, waiting for the challenge to start.
" George", Whispered the voice, " Do not react, you are the saboteur, it is your job to ensure your team fail this challenge, you must lead your team to the wrong answers, I will tell you the correct answers each time, it is up to you how to use this information, but careful, you don't want to be spotted, you have to be really sneaky to get away with it".
" The detective may not be allowed to interfere with the sabotage, but the entire team could still catch the saboteur, can George make the others lose so he can win", said the caretaker.
" Unfortunates, this it Clue, to pass, you must correctly solve the murder case, without getting six wrong answers, let the challenge begin, NOW", shouted the voice.
Just then, the detective appeared.
" Good evening unfortunates, I am Sherlock Holmes, you might have heard of me in so many books and movies, anyway, I am investigating a murder, and I'll need your help, I present you with multiple possibilities and you must get the correct answer, if you get all six answers correctly, you'll succeed, get six wrong, you'll fail, we'll start with the what, what weapon killed the victim", said Sherlock, he then presented the victims with three different weapons, a gun, a knife, and a hammer.
" By the way, every time you get a wrong answer, one of you will have to sit out for the rest of the game", said Sherlock.
" George, the knife is the murder weapon", said the voice.
" I think we should start with the gun", said Chris.
" Agree with Chris".
" Okay", said George, along with a few others.
" So, you think it's the gun, well, I can tell you, you are incorrect", said Sherlock.
The team groaned.
" Well, who should sit this one out", said Sherlock.
" Chris, you got the answer wrong so it's you", said Sean.
Once Chris sat down, the remaining five unfortunates, Sean, George, Nicky, Joan and Charles continued with the case.
" Well, is it the knife or the hammer", said Sherlock.
" Why not the knife, those are very common weapons", said Nicky.
" Let them have this one, the challenge is far from over", said the voice.
After agreeing, they went for the knife.
" Correct, the knife is the murder weapon, now, there is only five of you left, and you need to answer five more correctly to win, now, the knife may be the weapon, but how was it used", said Sherlock, he then showed the three possibilities, Slit throat, stabbed chest, hit in the head with the handle.
" George, the answer is slit throat", said the voice.
" I think the victim was stabbed", said Nicky.
" They are just making it way to easy for you".
And so the team agreed on stabbing.
" Incorrect I'm afraid, someone is going to have to sit out for the rest of the game", said Sherlock.
" Nicky", said Joan.
And so, Sean, George, Joan and Charles, remained, to ponder on the case.
" I think it's the least possible answer, the handle hitting him", said Charles.
" Are you sure", said Sherlock.
The four nodded.
" Incorrect, the answer is a slit throat, someone's going to have to sit out now before we continue the case", said Sherlock.
And so, Charles sat out, and only Sean, George and Joan remained.
" Okay, so we confirmed it was the knife and the killer slit the victims throat, that's the what and the how, but we need to figure out the when", said Sherlock, he then showed them three clocks, one showing 8 AM, one showing 4 PM, and one showing 11 PM.
" George, 4 PM is the correct answer", said the voice.
" It could be 8 AM, the most unlikely answer", said Joan.
" Are you sure", said George.
" Yeah", said Joan.
" Sorry but your incorrect, it would be way to early, someone is going to have to sit out for the rest of the case", said Sherlock.
Joan did so, and Only Sean and George remain.
" Rock Paper Scissors for who makes the next choice", said Sean.
" Okay", said George.
And so, Sean picked Paper, and George picked Scissors.
" Okay then, well, I think it's 11 PM, because, killings usually occur at nighttime anyways right", said George.
" I'm sorry but you're incorrect, the answer is 4 PM, someone is going to have to sit out", said Sherlock.
George did so, leaving Sean on his own.
" George, now that you have sat out, you best hope Sean doesn't get the remaining three answers correct, as you now can't interfere, he's on his own now", said the voice.
" Now, Sean, all we know now is the Killer slit the victims throats with a knife at four in the afternoon, now it's time for the where", said he showed three possibilities, the victims home, the park, the alleyway.
" The park is the answer", said the voice, on Georges whisper clip.
" Well, I'm just going to guess, the Park", said Sean.
" Correct", said Sherlock.
" Wow", said Sean.
" Anyway, two more questions to go, now we know how it worked out, we need to know why the victim was murdered, here are the three motives", said Sherlock, showing the three possibilities, revenge for adultery, left for dead after being mugged, the killer killed in a self defense.
" The answer was self defense", said the voice, in Georges whisper clip.
" Well, revenge is a very powerful word, so I'm going to say Revenge", said Sean.
" Incorrect, the answer was self defense, and since you failed the case, I won't be revealing the culprit", said Sherlock.
" YOU'RE TIME IS UP, YOU HAVE FAILED, MISERABLY", shouted the voice.
" I think that went really well, but it's not over yet", said the caretaker.
Sean, George, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles stood on their podiums, awaiting the trial.
" You must now nominate three unfortunates for elimination, name your first nominee", said the voice.
" I don't know, we were all pretty bad", said Charles.
" What about me, I was there the longest", said Sean.
" And then you screwed us over in the last second", said Joan.
" All in favor of sparing Sean", said George, as He, Sean, Charles and Chris raised their hands.
" Okay, majority rules, but we still need three nominees, so, maybe we can find two more people to spare, and nominate the remaining three right away", said George.
" I think you guys should spare me, unlike the rest of you, I as well as Sean got it right earlier on", said Nicky.
" And you also got it wrong earlier on too", said Chris.
" Hey, at least I wasn't the first one to sit out", said Nicky.
" All in favor of sparing Nicky", said Sean, he, Joan, Nicky and Charles raised their hands.
" Okay, Majority rules, so that leaves George, Joan, Charles and Chris, which three do we nominate", said Sean.
" I don't know, they were all equally suspicious", said Nicky.
" How about we draw straws", said Sean.
The other four looked at the other and nodded.
The four approached the case, opened it revealing six identical straws.
" Whoever draws the longest straw will be spared, the other three will be our nominees", said the voice.
George, Chris, Joan and Charles each picked out a straw from the case, they lined each one with one another, revealing the winner.
" Joan, you have drawn the longest draw, so you, just like Sean and Nicky are safe, however, George, Charles and Chris are at risk", said the voice.
They returned to their podiums and the voice made her announcement.
" Since apparently you're all equally suspicious, I decided to skip the nominees last chance to convince you, and move on to the final vote, Sean, Nicky and Joan will vote by secret ballot, who they think the saboteur is", said the voice.
And so, the three spared warriors wrote the names of their chosen target on a parchment each, and placed them in a urn, the voice then counted the votes.
" The votes have been tallied and the decision is final, before I reveal the unlucky unfortunate, I shall reveal who has the least votes, with only 0 votes, the unfortunate joining the others is...
...
...
... Charles", said the voice.
Charles sighed in relief, meanwhile is was now down to George and Chris.
" George and Chris, one of you will be trapped, and by a unanimous vote, the unfortunate trapped on floor six is...
...
...
...
... George", said the voice.
Chris was relieved, knowing he's still in the game, meanwhile George was terrified, knowing it's over for him.
" I can now reveal the saboteur was in fact... George, George you will not be leaving this room, the others are free to pass to the next floor", said the voice.
" Well, thumbs up for a successful sabotage, but thumbs down for getting caught", said the caretaker.
The trapdoor then opened, and Sean, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles hopped down it, the door then closed, leaving George in the room.
" George, how do you feel about being trapped", said the voice.
" Gutted, because I'm out too early", said George.
" Poor unfortunate George, YOU'RE TRAPPED", shouted the voice.
The caretaker watched as George stood by the window in despair, trapped on floor six.
" Well, for Lizzy and George, sabotaging didn't go well for any of them", said the Caretaker.
" FLOOR FIVE: THE WIZARD OF IQ", shouted the voice.
" Oh god, not him again, I am sick of that old croak given me useless information, he might as well turn himself into an encyclopedia", said the caretaker.
To pass this challenge, the team will be given riddles by a wizard the voice keeps locked up in the tower, and they must answer three riddles correctly, if they answer three riddles incorrectly, they will fail.
" Well, as usual, not everyone can be trusted, so, who's up next", said the caretaker.
Sean, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles stood on their podiums, waiting for the challenge to start.
" Charles, do not react, you are the saboteur, it is your job to ensure your team fail this challenge, you can do this by leading your team towards the wrong answers, I will tell you the correct answers each time, I will guide you though out this challenge", said the voice.
" So, the next saboteur is Charles, can he be a successful saboteur, unlike the recent saboteurs trapped before him tonight", said the caretaker.
" Unfortunates, this is the wizard of IQ, to pass you must correctly get three riddles right, let the challenge begin, NOW", shouted the voice.
The wizard then opened his book, revealing the first riddle.
" The first United States president was George Washington", said the Wizard.
" The answer is true, hopefully the others haven't studied American history".
" I think it's false", said Nicky.
" Agree with Nicky".
" I think Nicky's right, I don't know much about american history so I wouldn't be much help", said Charles.
" Don't overdo it".
" So you think the answer is false, incorrect, it is true, he was the first president since 1789, till 1797", said the Wizard.
Correct: 0
Incorrect: 1
The wizard then read the second riddle.
" A frog is a type of reptile", said the Wizard.
" It's false, convince them it's true".
" I think it's true, there's snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs", said Chris.
" I think we can agree with Chris on true", said Charles.
" Excellent, what you did, probably threw Chris under the bus".
" So you think it's true, incorrect, it is false, a frog is an amphibian", said the wizard.
Correct: 0
Incorrect: 2.
" Excellent, you only need one more and you've done it".
The wizard then read the third riddle.
" Tea was first discovered in India", said the Wizard.
" The answer is false, if you convince them it's true you've done it".
" I think it's false, it was made in China", said Chris.
" Let them have this one, you only need one more anyway, the least you could do is gain their trust so they won't nominate you", said the voice.
And so, the team agreed on false.
" Correct, the answer is false, tea was invented in China", said the wizard.
Correct: 1.
Incorrect: 2.
The wizard then gave out the third riddle.
" It'll take less than 8 months to get to Mars from Earth", said the wizard.
" The answer is false".
" I'm sure it's true, I'm not sure, but I feel like it is", said Nicky.
" Yeah, these riddles do tend to fool us sometimes", said Charles.
" So you think it's true", said the wizard.
The group nodded.
" Incorrect, the answer is false, it'll take more than 8 months to get to mars from here, 9-10 months to be excact.
Correct: 1.
Incorrect: 3.
" YOUR TIME IS UP, YOU HAVE FAILED MISERABLY", shouted the voice.
" I think the saboteur did an amazing job, but has he been spotted", said the caretaker.
Sean, Nicky, Chris, Joan and Charles stood at their podiums, waiting for the trial to start.
" Unfortunates, you have failed miserably, therefore the saboteur has succeeded, but have they remained undetected, you must now nominate two unfortunates for elimination, two of who you think the saboteur is, who is the first nominee", said the voice.
" I suggested we nominate Nicky first, she kept leading us to the wrong answers, and she got the last one wrong costing us the game", said Charles.
The other nodded in agreement.
" Okay then, who is the second nominee and why".
" What about Sean or Joan, to my understanding, they weren't that much help", said Nicky.
" Honestly, Charles and Chris are more suspicious, Chris lead us to a wrong answer, and Charles was just agreeing", said Joan.
Sean and Nicky agreed upon nominating either Chris or Charles.
" I think it should be Chris, both his and Nicky were leading us to the wrong answers", said Sean.
" So you have nominated Nicky and Chris for Elimination, the two nominees will now make their final plea, Nicky, we'll start with you", said the voice.
" I'm not the saboteur, at least I have been cooperating in this challenge, more than anyone else has", said Nicky.
" Chris, why should we spare you", said the voice.
" I have been very reliable, we both may have had wrong answers, but Nicky had more wrong answers than I have, plus unlike her, I was able to get one right", said Chris.
" Very well, Sean, Joan, and Charles you will each cast your vote, for either Nicky or Chris", said the voice.
And so, the three unfortunates each wrote down the name of their chosen unfortunate, and place their ballots in an urn.
The voice then counted them.
" Unfortunates, the votes have been tallied, and by a unanimous vote, the unfortunate to be trapped on floor five is...
...
...
...
.. Nicky", said the voice.
Nicky looked shocked, first she nearly got trapped on the top floor, now she's trapped on the fifth floor.
" You have voted for Nicky, I can now reveal the saboteur was in fact... Charles", said the voice.
The others were shocked.
" Charles, as you have sabotaged the challenge and remained undetected, you have been given immunity from being trapped on floor four, Nicky, as you have been chosen as the unlucky unfortunate, you will not be leaving this room, the others are free to pass to the next floor", said the voice.
" Brilliant, the saboteur sabotaged that challenge like a pro, and nobody even spotted him", said the caretaker.
The trapdoor opened, and Sean, Chris, Joan and Charles hopped down it, the trapdoor then closed, leaving Nicky in the room.
" Nicky, why do you think the others voted for you", said the voice.
" Because I mainly lead the team to the wrong answers", said Nicky.
" How do you feel about being trapped".
" Bummed out, because I was nearly the first one eliminated, and now this", said Nicky.
" Poor unfortunate Nicky, YOU'RE TRAPPED", shouted the voice.
The caretaker watched as Nicky stood in front of the window in despair, trapped on floor five.
" Watch a challenge, Nicky made a fool of herself, and is now trapped, meanwhile, Charles was successful and has earned immunity from the next challenge, which means, that he is guaranteed a spot in the final three", said the caretaker.
" FLOOR FOUR: THE DARK FOREST", shouted the voice.
" Uh oh, the dark forest again, they'll have to face those creepy elves, they're so terrifying, they'll give Miss Mutternott a run for her money", said the caretaker.
To pass this challenge, the team will search in a forest, looking through trees to find crystals, but they must be careful not to find evil elves, if they find three crystals, they'll pass, if they find three elves, they'll fail.
" Well, four remain, who will it be, it's time to pick the final saboteur", said the caretaker.
Sean, Chris, Joan and Charles stood on their podiums, waiting for the challenge to start.
" Chris", said the voice, " Do not react, you are the saboteur, it is your job to ensure your team fail this challenge, you can do this by lead your team to the trees where the elves hide in, all the trees with the elves inside will have acorns on them, it is up to you how you use this information, but be careful, you don't want to be detected, I will guide you through your whisper clip".
" Come on Chris, show em who's boss", said the caretaker.
" Unfortunates, this is the dark forest, to pass, you must avoid the elves and find three crystals, let the challenge begin, NOW", shouted the voice.
Sean got off his podium, and approached the trees.
" Remember Chris, trees with acorns are bad", said the voice.
" This one looks good", said Sean, pointing a a tree.
The others agreed.
" That tree Sean is going for doesn't have any acorns, but let them have this one, they'll trust you at least, remember to look pleased".
Sean grabbed a crystal and made it back to his podium as the team cheered.
Crystals: 1.
Elves: 0.
" Okay, it's now your turn, remember, trees with acorns".
Chris then approached the trees, and looked around.
" Go for that one", said Sean.
" This one", said Chris, heading for a tree that only had peaches in it.
" What are you doing, that'll be two to them if you grabbed it".
But it was too late, Chris grabbed the crystal and went back to his podium.
Crystals: 2.
Elves: 0.
" Okay, you're playing a dangerous game, the next tree must be a wrong one, or you're trapped".
Joan got off her podium, and approached the trees.
" Go for that one", said Chris, pointing at a tree with acorns on it.
" This one", said Joan, pointing at a tree next to it, that also has acorns.
" Okay", said Chris.
Joan place her hand in the tree, and an elf grabbed her, she pulled out of the tree and ran back to her podium.
Crystals: 2.
Elves: 1.
" Excellent, that's one to you, but it's not over yet".
Charles then approached the podium.
" I have immunity so I'm just going to guess, this one", said Charles, pointing at a tree that has apples on it.
" No, stop him, that tree has no acorns on it, if he goes for that one it's all over".
But it was too late, Charles reached in the tree and grabbed a crystal, and returned to his podium.
" You blew it".
Crystals: 3.
Elves: 1.
" YOUR TIME IS UP, YOU HAVE PASSED", shouted the voice.
" Well that was epic, epic fail", said the caretaker.
" You have passed, therefore the Saboteur is automatically locked in the room, but before I reveal the unlucky unfortunate, who do you think the saboteur is", said the voice.
" I think it's either Joan or Chris, those two look suspicious", said Sean.
" I agree, it's either one of those two, and I believe it's Chris, he lead us to one of the wrong answers", said Charles.
" You have voted for Chris, I can now reveal the saboteur was in fact... Chris, Chris, you failed miserably to sabotage the challenge, and you were detected, therefore you will not be leaving this room, the others are free to pass to the next floor", said the Voice.
" It's no fun being the saboteur when you are caught", said the caretaker.
The trapdoor then opened, and Sean, Joan and Charles hopped down it, the trapdoor then closed, leaving Chris in the room.
" Chris, why do you think you failed as the saboteur", said the voice.
" I think I failed because I wasn't very communicative", said Chris.
" How do you feel about being trapped", said the voice.
" Frustrated, because I was so close", said Chris.
" Poor unfortunate Chris, YOU'RE TRAPPED", shouted the voice.
The caretaker watched as Chris stood by the window in despair, trapped on floor four.
" Well, it's looks like Chris got his just desserts, after making a dogs dinner in that challenge", said the caretaker.
" FLOOR THREE: THE ONE EYED WATCHER", shouted the voice.
" Wait, the one eyed watcher, he's the one making the return, what about Madam Deux Visage, or Miss Mutternott, or the Moonhowler, or any of the Botherers, but the one eyed watcher, I know we're looking for a challenge to replace the ghostly maze, but she chooses this one", said the caretaker.
To pass this challenge, the team must find the one eyed watcher's eyeball, which will be hidden under three gold cups, they must find the eye two times to pass, if they get it wrong two times, they will fail.
Sean, Joan and Charles stood on their podiums, waiting for the challenge to start, as this is the second last challenge, and the first half of the fight for freedom, there will be no saboteurs, if they pass the challenge, all three unfortunates will take part in the final challenge, if they fail, one of them will be trapped and the other two will take on the final challenge.
" Unfortunates, this is the one eyed watcher, to pass, you must guess the location of the eyeball, two times out of three, let the challenge begin, NOW", shouted the voice.
The team watched as the one eyed watcher, who's face was covered with a purple cloth, placed his eyeball in the middle cup, he then began to move them around and then he stopped.
Where was the eye, the left, middle or right cup.
" I think it's in the middle", said Sean.
" Are you sure", said Joan.
" Yeah, I saw it, I didn't take my eye of it", said Sean, and so, he pointed at the middle cup, the one eyed watcher lifted the cup, revealing it empty, he then revealed it was in the left cup.
" Sorry guys", said Sean.
" If we get the next one wrong we fail", said Joan.
The watcher then shuffled the cups again after hiding the eye, again, he then stopped and the unfortunates began.
" I think it's the right cup", said Charles.
" Middle can't be wrong twice now could it", said Sean.
" It was in the left one last time", said Joan.
" I doubt it'll be in the same cup twice", said Sean.
" Well, then let's go for the right cup", said Joan.
She then pointed at the right cup, the watcher lifted it up, revealing the eye.
It was now one all, it was down to this final round.
After the watcher hid the eye and shuffled the cups for the last time, Sean, Joan and Charles chatted among themselves.
" The middle", said Sean.
" Definitely the middle", said Joan.
" Yep", said Charles.
Charles then pointed at the middle cup, the watcher lifted the cup, revealing...
...
...
...the eye,
The team cheered as they got 2/3 correct and passed the challenge.
" YOUR TIME IS UP, YOU HAVE PASSED", shouted the voice, " As you have passed, all three of you may proceed to the next floor, congratulations Sean, Joan and Charles, you three are just one floor away to freedom".
The trapdoor opened, and Sean, Joan and Charles hopped down it, the trapdoor then closed revealing an empty room.
" Well, nobody trapped in that room, which means all three unfortunates will verse each other in the final challenge", said the caretaker.
" FLOOR TWO: FIGHT FOR FREEDOM", shouted the voice.
" It's time, the fight for freedom, the grand finale", said the caretaker.
The finale, the final chance for the remaining unfortunates to earn their freedom, they must answer questions about their time in the tower, win and they'll escape, lose and they'll be trapped.
" Oh boy, I'm so excited, I could drink an arsenic", said the caretaker.
Sean, Joan and Charles each stood on their podiums.
" Unfortunates, this is your fight for freedom, in the next sixty seconds, I will ask you questions about your time in the tower, the first unfortunate to press their buzzer will answer it, and if they are correct, they'll earn a point, if they answer incorrectly, they'll lose a point, the unfortunate with the most points in the end will be the winner, let the challenge begin, NOW", shouted the voice.
The time began.
" First question, who was the saboteur on floor seven", said the voice.
Charles buzzed in, " Lizzy".
" Correct".
Sean: 0, Joan: 0, Charles: 1.
" Question two, what color where the cups in the one eyed watcher".
Charles buzzed in, " Silver".
" Incorrect, gold".
Sean: 0, Joan: 0, Charles: 0.
" Question three, what was the name of the challenge on floor five".
Charles buzzed in, " The wizard of IQ".
" Correct".
Sean: 1, Joan: 0, Charles: 0.
" Question four, how many presents were opened in total on the first challenge".
Charles buzzed in, " Seven".
" Correct", said the voice.
Sean: 1, Joan, 0, Charles: 1.
" Question five, two unfortunates did not get nominated at all for elimination, who were they".
Joan buzzed in, " Sean and I".
" Correct".
Sean: 1, Joan: 1, Charles: 1.
" Question six, only one saboteur was successful, who was it".
Charles buzzed in, " It was me".
" Correct".
Sean: 1, Joan: 1, Charles: 2.
" Question 7, which three unfortunates were nominated for elimination on the first challenge", said the voice.
Joan buzzed in, " Nicky, Lizzy and Chris".
" Incorrect, Nicky, Lizzy and Charles".
" Even I knew that", mumbled Charles.
Sean: 1, Joan: 0, Charles: 2.
" Final question, who was trapped on floor six".
Sean buzzed in, " George".
" Correct, unfortunates, your time is up, Joan, you have a total of 0 points, Sean and Charles, you two are tied with 2 points, congratulations you both escape the tower, but there must be a victor, whoever answers this next question correctly is the winner, how far are you from the podiums next to you", said the voice.
Sean buzzed in, " 1.5 meters".
" Correct, congratulation Sean, you are the first place winner, Charles, although you escape the tower with Sean, you will only do so as a second place runner up, Joan, you are two points behind the two, so I will present you two questions as your final chance, answer them both correctly, you'll escape the tower with them, answer one incorrectly, you'll be trapped", said the voice.
Joan was nervous, but nodded, ready for the final moment.
" First question, name the order of elimination from who got trapped on floor seven, to floor four", said the voice.
" Lizzy was trapped on floor seven, George was trapped on floor six, Nicky was trapped on floor five, and Chris was trapped on floor four", said Joan.
" Correct, you're now one question away to freedom, get it right, you go free, get it wrong, and you are trapped, how many challenges have you failed", said the voice.
" Four", said Joan.
" Incorrect, three, which were Santa's Sleigh, Clue, and the wizard of IQ, Joan, you have failed miserably, how do you feel about being trapped", said the voice.
" Gutted, I was so close to victory, but glad to make it first far", said Joan.
" Poor unfortunate Joan, YOU'RE TRAPPED", shouted the voice.
" Sean and Charles, for escaping the tower, you both go home with prizes, Sean, for being the victor, you get the ultimate gold prize, Charles, for being the runner up, you get the Silver prize, both prizes are waiting for on the boat, take the key and leave the tower, before I change my mind", said the voice.
Sean grabbed the key and hopped down the trapdoor, meanwhile, Charles followed down after him, the trapdoor then closed, leaving Joan alone in the room.
At the first floor, the door opened, and Sean slid out, Charles went out afterward, both unfortunates were out of the tower.
" I'M FREE", shouted Sean.
" SONG LONG SUCKERS", shouted Charles.
Both Sean and Charles then made their way back to the boat.
" Well good riddance, both Sean and Charles leave the tower, meanwhile the others remain trapped for sometime, but on the bright side, they won't have to catch the disease, well, you best get out of here, because, even though Covid is a serious matter, you don't want to be trapped in here", said the caretaker.
THE END.