The Gifted Riddlers of Frome

Welcome one and welcome all
To my broad and brightest hall
A hall with neither roof nor floor
A hall without walls nor doors
A hall where all seasons meet
A hall where grass grows beneath your feet
A hall where daily weather unfolds
A hall where the nights are sharp and cold
A hall where the sky tops the ceiling
A hall with edges marked by railings

This is where I come to play
This is where the innocent stray
This is where I set the test
And I am the Wind and I come from the west.
But before we begin and make our introductions
I think it best you follow these instructions

Make a camera with your hands
And turn it up towards the sky
Find an animal in the clouds
It might be worm, walrus, fish or fly
And if the clouds have run away
Then frame tree bark or a crack in a wall
And spot your creatures shape today

Now in a moment of quiet reflection
Consider your creature with deep inspection
And imagine it sitting upon your palm
Quite content and very calm
Purring if pur it can
And happy to either sit or stand

(When all have an animal then we will progress)

The Wind is fickle the Wind is shrill
The Wind blows warm and the Wind blows chill
And on his path around the world
He stings the cheeks of all boys and girls
And he's stolen six innocent folk
Whose shapes were spotted in his cloak
These kidnapped creatures are now in cages
It's up to you to rescue in stages
He's snatched them from the world around
And sets you six riddles to confound

With a click and a flick of his glassy fist
Bolts of ice skewer the earth
Setting six cages strong
And trapping his prisoners inside the turf

Now cross quickly to your first container
Will the riddle be a no brainer?
But if this riddle be too complex
Then these prisoners will be lost to the test
And set to wander over icy plains
Where cockerels spin on weather veins
And the Wild West Wind chases about
And he whips up storms and delivers drought

So thinking caps on and smarts required
For the Wild West Wind wants you fired
And if you can't solve the riddles below
Then perhaps it's the cages that you'll go
And there you'll be trapped for a year and a day
Until that is the next come to play
And run the riddles set in this test
And try and save prisoners from the Wild West

Amidst an icy chamber there sits Boris the Buffalo.

His hooves are raw with pawing at the earth trying to dig his way out from the icy cage, but the bars are too strong and he is trapped.

Then he sees you and he brightens up immediately.

‘Here let me read the riddle' he says, ‘I've been trying to work it out but just don't know the answer' says Boris, ‘perhaps you can help me?'

Are you ready?
Yes you reply
Here is the riddle

This school has no pupils
Nor can you weigh on their scales
In pond or stream or ocean dream
Searching for Davey Jone's tale

The Wild West Wind whips back and forth, he knows the answer and if you are correct Wild West Wind will have no choice but to release Boris.

But this is not the place to recall it, remember the answer for the end.

Now over to the next cage for your next friend needs rescuing too.

Inside the cage sits Doris the Damselfly, all out of dodge. She has tried and tried to fly around the icy bars but the wild west wind just blows her back again.

Then she sees you and hope is in her eyes again.

‘Hello, let me read the riddle' she says, ‘I've been trying to work it out but just don't know the answer' says Doris, ‘perhaps you can help me?'

And Doris reads the riddle.

Brushes black
In your stack
Pole upon pole upon pole upon pole
Until they pop out the house top hole
Now soot is collected
Nothing is neglected

‘Oh that's so confusing, I have no idea' says Doris.

If you know the answer then remember it as you will need it at the end, where you'll get a chance to release your friends.

Now on to the next cage.

Inside the cage sits Ned the Mule, all out of kick and jump. He has tried and tried to push the bars open but the Wild West Wind just freezes any cracks shut.

Then he sees you and hope is in his eyes again.

‘Hello, let me read the riddle' he says, ‘I've been trying to work it out but just don't know the answer,' says Ned, ‘perhaps you can help me?'

And Neds reads the riddle.

No baker sells my pie
Lost jewels is where I lie
Tail suit flashes monochrome queen
Full of chatter bold and keen.

‘Oh that's so confusing, I have no idea' says Ned

If you know the answer then remember it as you will need it at the end, where you'll get a chance to release your friends.

Now on to the next cage.

Inside the cage sits Winnie the Woodlouse, all curled up in an armoured ball. She has tried and tried to sidle under the icy bars but they are frozen shut.

Her only way out is to answer the riddle, let's hope you can help.

Then she sees you and hope is in her eyes again.

‘Hello, let me read the riddle' she says, ‘I've been trying to work it out but just don't know the answer,' says Winnie the Woodlouse, ‘perhaps you can help me?'

And Winnie reads the riddle.

Don't plant me in the ground
In every room I can be found
When I've gone you won't be able to see So search for a socket to change me

‘Oh that's so confusing, I have no idea' says Winnie.

If you know the answer then remember it as you will need it at the end, where you'll get a chance to release your friends.

Now on to the next cage.

Arthur is looking very glum inside his cage, could you brighten up his day by solving his riddle perhaps?

Arthur sits really still in a hope that he can focus all his brain power on solving the riddle and escaping this cage.

This is his riddle which he has been staring at for a long time!

I'm no Robin Hood
But you can draw my bow
With a fiddle and fret, and a scroll on my neck
And a sound which can grow and grow

Do you know the answer?
If you know it then remember it as you will need it at the end, where you'll get a chance to release your friends.

Now on to the next cage.

Shelly the Squid is scooting about inside her cage which looks like a solid block of ice, but by the way she is moving it's obviously still liquid inside. On the top is a small opening and she pops out and says 'this is my riddle, I hope you can help'

So she reads it out to you.

Burning bright on a string of fire
Waxy wick slow to retire
Light me up and I will light your night
But I am no electric bright

Do you know the answer?

If you know it then remember it as you will need it at the end, where you'll get a chance to release your friends.

Now on to the next cage.

The Wind whips East then the Wind whips West
Ready for the riddlers to step up to his test
He steels through the tree tops
And slices through the town
Now the West Wind wants
the answers you have found.

Solve the riddles and your friends will go free.

In cage number one we have Boris the Buffalo.

This is his riddle

This school has no pupils
Nor can you weigh on their scales
In pond or stream or ocean dream
Searching for Davey Jone's tale

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A fish

Were you right?

In cage number two, we have Doris the Damselfly

If you answer her riddle right then she is free.

This is her riddle

Brushes black
In your stack
Pole upon pole upon pole upon pole
Until they pop out the house top hole
Now soot is collected
Nothing is neglected

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A Chimney Sweep

Were you right?

In cage number three, we have Ned the Mule

If you answer his riddle right then he is free.

This is his riddle

No baker sells my pie
Lost jewels is where I lie
Tail suit flashes monochrome queen
Full of chatter bold and keen.

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

Magpie

Were you right?

In cage number four, we have Winnie the Woodlouse.

If you answer her riddle right then she is free.

This is her riddle

Don't plant me in the ground
In every room I can be found
When I've gone you won't be able to see So search for a socket to change me

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A light bulb

Were you right?

In cage number five, we have Arthur the Owl.

If you answer his riddle right then he is free.

This is his riddle

I'm no Robin Hood
But you can draw my bow
With a fiddle and fret, and a scroll on my neck
And a sound which can grow and grow

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A Violin (or similar)

Were you right?

In cage number six, we have Shelly the Squid

If you answer her riddle right then she is free.

This is her riddle

Burning bright on a string of fire
Waxy wick slow to retire
Light me up and I will light your night
But I am no electric bright

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A Candle

Were you right?

For every correct answer you give, the ice of their cage melts and the animal is set free.

How many were you able to free?

But the Wind is Wild
And he comes from the west
And he asks one last thing
for the end of his test
What were the beasts you saw in the sky
Was it Worm or Walrus or Fish or Fly?

Speak your animals out loud.

And then Wild Wind is gone again to search for your folk
And snatch the ones you spotted in his cloak.
And gather them here for the next round of his test
To see if the new riddlers are as good as the last.

So what is your animal and what is their name and how do they try to escape from the cage?

When you know these things then you must find or make a riddle.