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[JayJay]

[WATER] #224 - Once Upon A Time

[hannah]

Transcription for those without the card:

IT was 8 in the morning....

when Little Red Riding Hood set out for her grandmother's with a basket of 10 cakes. The grandmother was 127 years old and lived far away out in the woods. Her cottage had been in her family for 184 years and she refused to leave it, even after her only daughter moved away.

181 feet from her house, Little Red Riding Hood looked back at her mother who had made her promise to take great care and not walk by herself in the woods. Waving goodbye, she set off on the 39km journey to the cottage.

She rode on a cart for the first 22km with an old man on his way to the hilltop castle, but as they drew nearer, the wood thickened and she was forced to continue on foot. Barely 48 yards in there was a suddent movement in the shadows. Looming out of the darkness came a tall grey wolf, its fangs glistening in the moonlight.

"I have lived in these woods for 59 years and never seen a girl so pretty as you," it growled.

"I am off to my grandmother's to take her these cakes. Would you like to try one?"

"You are most kind," whispered the wolf, as he reached into her basket. His paws were large and he snatched up several, leaving only 7 cakes behind. "I'd best let you be on your way."

Little Red Riding Hood set off again on her journey, not realising the wolf had circled around her and was racing ahead to her grandmother's house.

When she eventually arrived at the cottage, there was smoke rising from the fire and the smell of baking bread in the air. The door was old and battered and the number 78 on the front door had long since rusted. As the door creaked open, Little Red Riding Hood could just make out her grandmother lying on the bed. Moving closer she saw there was something strange about the old woman.

"Oh, grandmother, what big ears you have!" she said as she moved a little closer.

"All the better to hear you with, my child," rumbled the figure on the bed.

"And what big eyes you have!" she said as she moved even closer still.

"All the better to see you with, dear," the deep voice answered back, almost smiling in its tone.

"But grandmother, what a terribly big mouth you have!"

"All the better to eat you with!" snarled the wolf as it lept from the bed and devoured the poor girl in a single bite.

Full from his meal, the wolf lay down to sleep, but a passing huntsman heard the loud snoring and entered the cottage to investigate. Seeing the wolf, he knew it had eaten the old woman who lived there, and so took a pair of scissors and cut open its stomach whilst it slept. Inside he saw Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, still alive and whole. Crawling out from the wolf's belly, Little Red Riding Hood quickly rushed out to fetch 26 stones to fill the wolf now empty stomach.

Soon the wolf awoke, and seeing the huntsman tried to run away, but the stones were so heavy he collapsed at once and fell dead.

All three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it; the grandmother ate the cakes and lived for another 29 years; and Little Red Riding Hood thought to herself, "I will never go into the woods by myself when my mother has told me not too."

note: all typos are from the card, not me

[Purdy]

Sorry to disagree

[Sophiecat]

[Kradlum]

Notice how all the numbers are in numerals, except the "three" in the last paragraph.

For reference the numbers are:
8 10 127 184 181 39 22 48 59 7 78 26 29

[anansi]

Take the 8th, 10th etc. word/letter in the story? Will do this to see if anything comes out.

Jack

[Edward Nigma]

[BBuck]

[Bendover]

Could this be a number series? In that we may need to put them in ascending order/as they are, and figure out the next number in the series? the answer box asks: What is the answer?

[hendo77]

Von's Hint:

[ramsfan]

I thought it was worth looking at the start of the puzzle cards which corresponded to the numbers.

The letters are
MSCLDF(for 4)CPUAEPEB

Don't think it helps

[aliendial]

Two solves up on the PXC site - Scribe and Typhin. Anyone know them?

[hendo77]

No, but one has an e-mail address. I've e-mailed and asked them to put a hint if possible here... fingers crossed!

[Typhin]

Well, I don't know what sort of hint to give, without making it too easy for you...

[hendo77]

Finally solved it! Thank you.

Idea to help as requested...