Riverlands Riddlers

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 the pebbles shake 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 no edges no fences no 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 this street
Setting six cages strong
And trapping his prisoners on this fine beach

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

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 Harry the Hedgehog.

His spikes are all covered in ice and dirt as he has been trying to dig his way out.

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 Harry, ‘perhaps you can help me?'

Are you ready?
Yes you reply
Here is the riddle

No sledging
On this carpet of white
In early spring
I push up white
A drooping head on my tiny green stem
And tiny white hats for fairy men

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 Harry.

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 Verity the vole, she is all out of hot puff. She has tried and tried to break the bars with her tiny paws, but the Wild West Wind is too cold and freezes them again before she can escape.

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 Verity, ‘perhaps you can help me?'

And Verity reads the riddle.

Paper maker black and yellow
Damn pesky persistent fellow
Fighter stinger
Sweet juice drinker

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

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 Norris the newt, all out of spring and jump. He has tried and tried to squeeze through the bars or climb over but he is properly trapped and the Wild West Wind holds him fast.

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 Silus, ‘perhaps you can help me?'

And Norris reads the riddle.

Cut me up and I'll make you cry
Fresh juices bringing tears to your eyes
Golden or red with multiple skins
Often pickled but rarely in tins

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

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 Sophie the Spider, all out spinning yarn. She has tried and tried to weave a web which can help her to escape but the Wild West Wind is too harsh and her webs are broken by his strength so she is locked inside.

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 Sophie Spider, ‘perhaps you can help me?'

And Spider reads the riddle.

What runs past the bank without a penny to its name,
but if you were to make a withdrawal you could use a bucket?

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

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.

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

Felix 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!

Every spring a new dress
To be discarded in the fall
My bark has no bite
And my dappled summer shade
Is good for one and all

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.

Martha the Mayfly is scooting about inside her cage, she has only hours to live as Mayflies don't live for very long. The sooner she solves her riddle the better, lets see if we can help her.

She spots you coming over in an instant, 'here' she says, 'this is my riddle' and she reads it out to you.

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

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 Harry the Hedgehog.

This is his riddle

No sledging
On this carpet of white
In early spring
I push up white
A drooping head on my tiny green stem
And tiny white hats for fairy men.

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A Snowdrop

Were you right?

In cage number two, we have Verity the Vole

If you answer his riddle right then she is free.

This is her riddle

Paper maker black and yellow
Damn pesky persistent fellow
Fighter stinger
Sweet juice drinker

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A Wasp

Were you right?

In cage number three, we have Norris the newt.

If you answer his riddle right then he is free.

This is his riddle

Cut me up and I'll make you cry
Fresh juices bringing tears to your eyes
Golden or red with multiple skins
Often pickled but rarely in tins

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

An Onion

Were you right?

In cage number four, we have Sophie the Spider.
If you answer her riddle right then she is free.

This is her riddle

What runs past the bank without a penny to its name, but if you were to make a withdrawal you could use a bucket.

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A river

Were you right?

In cage number five, we have Felix the Frog.

If you answer his riddle right then he is free.

This is his riddle

Every spring a new dress
To be discarded in the fall
My bark has no bite
And my dappled summer shade
Is good for one and all

If you know the answer then say it now.

The real answer is

A Tree

Were you right?

In cage number six, we have Martha the Mayfly

If you answer her riddle right then she is free.

This is her 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

A magpie

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 so the Wild West Wind can catch your breath.

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.