[Hobbsicle] Does it Make a Sound?

[Hobbsicle]

A man stands on a fallen log, alone in the forest, in the middle of a cold night, for two or three hours, before walking home. Why?

[Doriana]

Log = tree log?

Has the log fallen because the tree was rotten? because it was hit by lightning? because someone had cut it down? If the latter, had the man cut it down?

WAG: Is the man an entomologist using a moth trap? (My stepdad sometimes stands alone in the forest, in the middle of the night, for several hours, doing that)

Is the man waiting for something to happen? Is he hiding from something? from someone?

[Hobbsicle]

Log = tree log? Yes

Has the log fallen because the tree was rotten? because it was hit by lightning? because someone had cut it down? If the latter, had the man cut it down? Irrel, but assume natural causes

WAG: Is the man an entomologist using a moth trap? (My stepdad sometimes stands alone in the forest, in the middle of the night, for several hours, doing that) No but I like that this isn't really so weird after all. There's something I've always liked about imagining these patient sorts of jobs. I've always thought I would like to be an exotic animal photographer, hiding for days at a time just to get a few shots. I'm guessing I would actually not like it so much, but I can romanticize like the introvert I am.

Is the man waiting for something to happen? Yes Is he hiding from something? No from someone? Not exactly, but explore

[GalFisk]

WAG: is he waiting for some water to freeze solid enough to support his weight?

[Hobbsicle]

WAG: is he waiting for some water to freeze solid enough to support his weight? No, but somewhat OTRT

[LemonCurry]

Are any animals involved?

[GalFisk]

Is he waiting for something to cool off? Freeze? Something living to die? To get cold and leave? A bear to hibernate? Is he in mortal danger? Any danger? Is he stuck? Is he thawing something? If so, with his own body heat?

[Hobbsicle]

LemonCurry

Are any animals involved? No

GalFisk

Is he waiting for something to cool off? Freeze? None of these, really, but this one is closest Something living to die? To get cold and leave? A bear to hibernate?
Is he in mortal danger? To some degree... Any danger? ...and another kind of danger as well Is he stuck? No Is he thawing something? No If so, with his own body heat? No

[trebor]

Is he on the run? Being chased by someone? Aside from mortal danger, is he in financial danger? Emotional danger? Is there something on the ground he's trying to avoid? Is his footwear relevant? Is the temperature below freezing? Relevant what season it is? Does this happen in modern times? In North America? Is his profession relevant? Is something happening at his home that necessitates him being away? Is someone there whom he wishes to avoid? Is his home in the forest? Is it relevant how far away his home is? Can he see it from the log? Does he live alone? Relevant? Is he spying on someone? Does he do anything relevant while standing on the log? Does it matter whether or not the moon is out?

[GalFisk]

Are other humans relevant? Are animals relevant? Is someone looking for him? Would it be physically possible for him to leave eralier of he chose to? Would it have bad consequences for him if he did? Is he waiting for someone to give up? Is the log on the ground? In water? Above ground? Above water? Could he sit instead of standing? Could he be on a rock instead of a log? Is he on a log in order not to touch the ground?

[Hobbsicle]

trebor

Is he on the run? Yes-ish Being chased by someone? Yes-ish Aside from mortal danger, is he in financial danger? Possibly, but not primarily Emotional danger? Same Is there something on the ground he's trying to avoid? No Is his footwear relevant? Not specifically, no Is the temperature below freezing? Yes Relevant what season it is? Only as it relates to temperature Does this happen in modern times? It could happen in most time periods, I would think In North America? irrel Is his profession relevant? No Is something happening at his home that necessitates him being away? No Is someone there whom he wishes to avoid? Yes Is his home in the forest? mostly irrelevant, assume within walking distance anyway Is it relevant how far away his home is? Within reasonable walking distance Can he see it from the log? Likely not, not especially relevant Does he live alone? Yes Relevant? Somewhat, yes Is he spying on someone? No Does he do anything relevant while standing on the log? No Does it matter whether or not the moon is out? No

Galfisk

Are other humans relevant? Yes Are animals relevant? No Is someone looking for him? Perhaps not at this moment, but... Would it be physically possible for him to leave eralier of he chose to? Yes Would it have bad consequences for him if he did? In an indirect sense, yes Is he waiting for someone to give up? No Is the log on the ground? In water? Above ground? Above water? This, good question
Could he sit instead of standing? Perhaps, but standing may have been a bit more effective for his purposes Could he be on a rock instead of a log? Maybe, if it was in a similar position (above water) Is he on a log in order not to touch the ground? He certainly doesn't want to fall into the water, but that's not the primary reason for being on the log

[trebor]

Is the log part of a man-made structure? Part of a natural structure? Has he placed the log above the water? Is the log more than a foot above the water? Five feet? Ten? Twenty? Is the mortal danger he faces from falling into the water? Is anyone in the water waiting (or wading, ha ha ha) for him?

Has he committed a crime? Has he behaved unethically? Is there more than one other relevant human? Are the relevant people related to him? Are they friends? Co-workers? Enemies?

[Hobbsicle]

Is the log part of a man-made structure? No Part of a natural structure? Not anymore than just a fallen tree Has he placed the log above the water? Assume no Is the log more than a foot above the water? Five feet? Ten? Let's say somewhere north of this Twenty? Is the mortal danger he faces from falling into the water? Yes Is anyone in the water waiting (or wading, ha ha ha) for him? No

Has he committed a crime? Yes Has he behaved unethically? In so doing, yes Is there more than one other relevant human? No specific individuals, but more of a group Are the relevant people related to him? No Are they friends? Co-workers? Enemies? I suppose you could put it this way

[trebor]

Has he committed theft? Murder? Assault? Arson? Is his crime financial? Is it violent? Has he committed less than an hour before he starts standing on the log? Less than a day? month? year? before standing there?

The mortal danger he faces is from falling into the water, but avoiding the water is not his primary reason for being on the log? Is he waiting on the log for the water to recede/come in further? Does waiting enable him to obfuscate the timeline of his crime? Does it give him an alias? Confuse his whereabouts for potential investigators? If he were to enter the water would he die? If so, quickly? Is he weighted down? Are the people that are yes-ishly chasing him law enforcement?

[hoodie]

Is the log acting as a bridge over the water?

If so, is he waiting so that it will eventually be safer to cross? If yes, safer because otherwise the log could break? Or the log could slip?

Or does the act of waiting just help with evading detection? Does he want to avoid leaving tracks or marks of any kind?

[Hobbsicle]

trebor

Has he committed theft? Murder? Assume this...actually, the particular crime is not that relevant, but assume a serious one like this Assault? Arson? Is his crime financial? Is it violent? Has he committed less than an hour before he starts standing on the log? Less than a day? This month? year? before standing there?

The mortal danger he faces is from falling into the water, but avoiding the water is not his primary reason for being on the log? He certainly wants to avoid falling, but he could leave at any time, so he is there for a purpose Is he waiting on the log for the water to recede/come in further? No Does waiting enable him to obfuscate the timeline of his crime? No Does it give him an alias? No Confuse his whereabouts for potential investigators? Yes! If he were to enter the water would he die? Let's assume that the combination of temperature, fall, and movement of the water is such that it would be highly dangerous to fall If so, quickly? Is he weighted down? No Are the people that are yes-ishly chasing him law enforcement? Yes

hoodie

Is the log acting as a bridge over the water? Yes

If so, is he waiting so that it will eventually be safer to cross? No If yes, safer because otherwise the log could break? Or the log could slip?

Or does the act of waiting just help with evading detection? Yes Does he want to avoid leaving tracks or marks of any kind? NO!

[GalFisk]

Does he want to leave his scent on the log? A visible trace? Does he want to give the impression that he has fallen into the water?

[Hobbsicle]

Does he want to leave his scent on the log? No A visible trace? Yes Does he want to give the impression that he has fallen into the water? YES, how?

[GalFisk]

Does the impression he wants to create rely solely on marks on the log? Is he waiting for a layer of snow to fall, and then he walks backwards from the log, leaving foot prints leading to it and disappearing?

[Hobbsicle]

Does the impression he wants to create rely solely on marks on the log? Is he waiting for a layer of snow to fall, and then he walks backwards from the log, leaving foot prints leading to it and disappearing? Precisely

************SPOILER*************

A man in a small town has just committed a serious crime that he knows will be discovered soon and for which he will be the prime suspect. That winter night, he goes to stand on a fallen tree that crosses a ravine with a river beneath. He waits there while a fresh snow falls, and when it stops snowing, he walks backwards off the log and back to his house, where he hides under the floorboards. When the crime is discovered the following morning and the police arrive, they trace his footprints from his house, through the woods, and onto the log, where they stop halfway. Assuming he fell, they conduct a search of the river, and though they find nothing, they assume he died from the fall and freezing water. Once the snow melts, the man makes his escape.

Good solve, Galfisk, and good questions asked by all.