The scene
Harbour Arts Centre · Short-story competitionThe winning story was to receive an antique pen. At the end of the ceremony, they discover that someone put it in one of three private boxes. A photograph shows the blue box, but its name is outside the frame.
Each participant had prepared a box of a different colour. Two setup notes and a size comparison allow the allocation to be reconstructed without trusting anyone’s explanations.
What we know for certain
One of these people put the pen in their own box, without help. There is exactly one red box, one blue and one green, and their sizes—small, medium and large—are all different. Nobody exchanged boxes. The clues are reliable.
The three accounts
Raül Font
Reader«My box was not the largest.»
Sara Marín
Writer«I did not use green cardboard.»
Toni Vidal
Bookbinder«I took the box I had prepared.»
Examine the evidence
0 of 5 openedOpening these five clues does not cost points.
01The prize photograph
The pen goes into a blue box. The image shows a single container and one person, although it does not identify them.
02The green box
The setup sheet states that the green box was the smallest of the three. No two boxes were the same size.
03Raül’s and Toni’s boxes
A photograph allows their boxes to be compared: Raül’s was smaller than Toni’s.
04Sara’s box
Sara’s receipt corresponds to the largest box. Its cardboard is red; both colour and size are verified.
05Ownership
Each box remained in its owner’s possession from setup to departure. The three sizes were clearly distinguishable and were not altered.