Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Fidelity by Regina Spektor.
Considering my last post, I thought we needed something more upbeat and I've been wanting to share it for quite a while. I started this a long time ago and forgoet that I never finished it. Some of the questions in the comments were "awaiting moderation" and I never received them. This is long overdue for a resurrection.
This is an adventure that literally hearkens back to my elementary school days. I was in a... unique class. I don't know what else to call it. We took a test (I was bribed with doughnuts to take it. I'm not kidding. That was the only way I agreed since it was optional. That and they said I didn't have to catch up on any of the work I missed during the test so it was bonus points for me).
Those who tested high enough were put in an accelerated program of sorts. In my fifth and sixth grade year, we were put on an experimental program (it may have been a grant. I'm not sure. Kids really don't pay attention to that kind of thing) where we got to do all sorts of projects to stretch our minds and creativity and stuff like that. We did a lot of art projects, and we also played a stock market "game" where we actually bought real stocks, tracked the figures and figured out each week whether we had made or lost money (that was one of our math assignments). We researched the companies ourselves and tried to guess which ones would make the most money. (I know we had Disney. I mean, how could it not make money to us?) :) We ended up taking second place both years and the money we received bought us a bus, pizza, and a day exploring museums and parks downtown. We each had a bus row to our selves. It was most posh by our elementary school standards.
I remember the art projects the most. We did them everywhere. It was fun and to me, in every what, they stimulated my creativity and stretched my mind. I don't know what the results of the test said at the end of those two years, but I know it had a huge impact on me. Our teacher also read to us everyday for a half an hour after lunch. I think that was absolutely critical to my development as a reader.
I know my curiosity and passion for life increased because of that. This is something I hope for. I really hope that kids are still being taught these "non-essentials" in school and given every opportunity to see the possibility of their own limits. It was one of the best times I can remember. I know I started reading books on my own and questioning life and wanting to find out answers myself because of those experiences.
But one of the things I remember and loved best was another "game" we played. It happened every day right after lunch (right after reading). It is called a Story with Holes. The story is a mystery and you have to solve it by asking yes or no questions. Once you fill in all of the holes, you see the whole story. I loved it, as did everyone in my class. It kept us busy and guessing for upwards of an hour. I loved them so much and think they are fantastic to this day. And now I'm going to share them with you.
Remember - it's a short story (very short story) and you have to fill in the holes. Ask any yes or no question and I will answer with a "yes," "no," or "irrelevant" to the story. And to make this more fun, first person to get the entire story right wins a book. :)
Are you ready?
Here is the story*
Aaaaaannnnnd - go!** :D
*and incidentally, this is the first story with holes I ever heard too. Seems appropriate. :)
**and yes, I've already deleted the first post, so you can't go back and cheat. The only ones with a distinct advantage are the ones who were hardcore participants the first time. :)
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30 comments:
Oooohhhh! The possibilities!
Was she a ballerina in a music box?
Or a tight rope walker?
Or someone silly who had the radio playing near her shower and when she went to change the station the radio fell in electrocuting her? (which you know, is a kind sad way to go)... ;)
Did the music signify something for her? (ie. if she was a tightrope walker perhaps the music would let her know when she had crossed the tightrope- since she couldn't see because she was blindfolded- and when the music stopped she figured that she was done when in actuality she wasn't).
Was she blonde?
Just wanted to say that I was in a program like that as well and loved it!
Did she die by falling off of something?
Was the music a cue to kill her?
I remember having all these questions from last time, but I never wrote them down... silly me. I'll just have to figure it out again.
Was she about to be executed and the stoping of the music was the signal for the drop of the axe or the pull of the lever?
Was she in a coma and the music was keeping her brain awake?
Avery:
No, she was not a ballerina in a music box (but MAN, I LOVE that one! That has the great making for it's own story with holes!)
Yes, she was a tightrope walker.
And no, she was not electrocuted by a falling shower radio. ;)
Avery:
Yes, the music does signify something for her.
Is she is blond? Irrelevant. (That is the other response you can give, if it has no bearing on the story at hand).
Kaitlyn - Really? That's fantastic! Was yours really similar? I really miss those classes.
Pica:
Yes, she did die by falling off something.
Yes, the music was a cue to kill her. (Good luck from last time! You have an edge!) :D
Kimberly:
No, she was not about to be executed, nor was the music a signals for the drop of an axe/lever.
Addictedtolife:
No, she was not in a coma (but that is a very clever guess!)
Was the music keeping her alive (the music was telling her to breathe in and out and when the music turned off she forgot to continue breathing)?
Oh! I totally just saw your responses to our questions now (after posting my last question).
I love hearing everyone's different ideas! The coma one is pretty cool!
Okay, so she was a tightrope walker and she died by falling off of the tightrope and the music was the cue to kill her.
So was the music the cue to let her know that she was done walking across the line and when she heard it was finished she thought that she was finished, when in fact she really wasn't, and therefore she fell to her death? Perhaps a lovers quarrel or something (I totally keep thinking of the movie trailers I have seen for Water for Elephants)? ;)
Was she a tightrope walker at a circus? Was she a theif?
Did she die on the tightrope? Did she want to die?
Was she wearing a blindfold (cuz that would explain why she would have to have music cues while on the tightrope, to know when she was to the end)?
Did she die by falling off the tightrope?
Was the killer a single person?
Was that person someone else in the circus?
Did she die while performing?
Was she an actress/stunt woman listening for a cue to fall off and play dead for the cameras?
Something crazy from Cirque Du Solei comes to mind...but I doubt.
I was in amazing team program in 6th grade where we got to do tons of enriching things related to writing and the environment...one of my teacher's from that year inspired to me go into teaching!
Avery:
No, the music was not telling her to breathe in and out and she "forgot." (no, this is not the start of a blond joke) :)
Yes, the music was her cue to let her know she was finished with her act, and it ended too early and she fell to her death.
Kimberly:
Yes, she was a tightrope walker at the circus.
No, she was not a thief.
Ruthie:
Yes, she died FROM the tightrope. No, she did not want to die.
Avery:
No, she was not wearing a blindfold.
Pica:
Yes, she died from falling from the tightrope.
Yes, the killer was a single person.
Yes, the killer was someone else in the circus.
Yes, she died while performing.
Meg:
No, she was not an actress or stuntwoman for the cameras. :(
(I love Crique Du Soliel!) And that is so cool about your teacher and our program!
You guys are getting GOOD. :D
Was the killer a musician?
Was the killer another performer?
Was the killer someone else performing in her act?
Did the killer have a reason to kill her?
Is the reason for the killing important for figuring out the story?
Did the killer give a signal to stop the music or did he/she stop it him or herself?
Was the killer male or female (so that I don't have any more trouble with pronouns like in the last question)?
Are we going to have to figure out a whole complicated backstory?
Am I overanalyzing this?
This game is fun! :D
Was it for revenge?
Was it for money?
Was the tight rope walker the owner or partial owner of the circus?
Would bumping her off give the murderer a high pay day?
Pica:
Was the killer a musician? Irrelevant.
Was the killer another performer? Yes.
Was the killer someone else performing in her act? No.
Did the killer have a reason to kill her? Yes.
Is the reason for the killing important for figuring out the story? Not particularly (at least not for the key point still missing, namely why did the music kill her? But the story won't be complete without it) :)
Did the killer give a signal to stop the music or did he/she stop it him or herself? Yes, the killer stopped the music him/herself.
Was the killer male or female (so that I don't have any more trouble with pronouns like in the last question)? Yes, the killer was male or female. ;)
Are we going to have to figure out a whole complicated backstory? No. Just the motivation for killing her.
Am I overanalyzing this? Not at all! I love this and you're doing fantastic! :D
Kimberly:
Yes, it was for revenge.
No, it was not for money.
No, the tightrope walker was not an owner/partial owner.
No, killing her did not give the murderer a higher pay day. :)
Mmm Did the person kill her a former boyfriendtyperson who was angry because she left him?
And was the music telling her to move a certain way so that she knew where to step back on the platform so therefore it ended up making her step off too soon...uhhh...because she was a blind tight walk roper ( I was going to go with eyes closed but figured that would be the same as her being blindfolded)? (Slightly long-winded...)
Ugh, sorry that first question should read "Was the person who killer her a former...."
Did the killer kill anyone other than "her"?
Did the killer know her personally?
Was the end of the music a signal for her to do something?
Was the end of the music a signal for someone else to do something?
Was the killer female?
Did she want to be the star of the show?
Was the killer male?
Was he an ex-lover?
A rejected lover?
Meg:
Yes, the killer killed her because she left him.
No, the music was not a specific stage direction telling her how to move, just a cue that her act was complete.
(you may want to look through your questions and ask one again since the clue is there, but it was technically not part of the question you asked, or was only partially right).
Pica:
No, the killer did not kill anyone else (but good line of thinking).
Yes, the killer knew her personally.
Yes, the music was a signal for her.
No, the music was not a signal for anyone else.
Kimberly:
No, the killer was not female.
Did she want to be the star of the show? Irrelevant.
Yes, the killer was a male.
Yes, he was an ex-lover.
Yes, he was also a rejected lover. :)
You guys are really close! And then someone will just have to piece it all together in a comment to win. :)
Was she blind?
Was she a blind tightrope walker who rejected another member of the circus who was once a lover so in revenge he stoped the music early so she fell to her death?
Because the music was her cue to finish her act? Sorry, forgot to put that in.
Dang, Kimberly got there first. I agree with Kimberly.
Agreed with Kimberly! :)
A blind tightrope walker killed by her ex when the music stopped because that was a signal for the end of the act...or the end of the line/rope so to speak.
Was she supposed to jump off into someone's arms and they weren't there? Was she supposed to jump into a net and he had taken it away?
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