TINKLE IN THE LOOP

TINKLE IN THE LOOP

This one just flashed in a dark moment of despair. I normally remember paradoxes in these circumsances. The Chicken and Egg situation highlighted itself in this case and then it eventually led me to a silly trick Raghu played on his smart-alec friend at school to elicit a treat and to put him in his rightful place. For those who came in late, Raghu is a character who figures in Tinkle Digest. An indianised version of Henry, the boy who doesn't speak. But smarter of course. :D

The friend is a maths whiz and for some reason he can't seem to stop making complex calculations. This spills over; well, after all he is just a little kid. Raghu, who happens to be in the neighbourhood, decides it is time to let his friend suck brick. He comes up with a puzzle for the friend to solve.

Well the puzzle is this, in Raghu's own words, "There are three ducks walking; The first duck says - there's a couple of ducks behind me, the last duck says there are a couple of ducks ahead of me and the duck in between says there are two ducks behind me and two ducks ahead of me. How do you think that's possible?" Raghu, of course, lets his friend digest the question. The poor friend gives up on it at long last and reluctantly parts with five rupees, which Raghu uses up, eventually, to buy an ice-cream. Raghu, with a twinkle in his eye, is only too quick to answer "The second duck lied", after having collected his winnings!

The ducks could be walking in a circle and the second duck needn't have lied. ;) Whats wrong with good-ol' smartie-pants?