Fiction - Page 6

A Very Hot Day

Petra Demeter


It was a very sunny and hot day. I was on holiday in a small town. I went to explore the village. There was a lake where trout were farmed. I was really curious, because I had heard a local legend about this lake.

According to the legend, one very hot summer day, the whole lake evaporated along with all the fishes. Then the next day, the weather was overcast and suddenly it started to rain; however, not only rain fell from the clouds, but also trout. Then the people started ˝fishing˝ the trout.  So the name of this legend is trout fishing in America.

I didn’t really believe the story, I just found it funny, but suddenly the sky grew overcast and a trout fell in front of my feet.


Note from the editor: This is one of twelve pieces in the Spring 2022 issue of Folyosó that play with the concept of Richard Brautigan’s Trout Fishing in America.

Puzzle Diary

Gréta Tóth


Friday, 5 March 2021 – 5 p.m.

Today was the most interesting day at university. One of my students finally interrupted my lesson with an amazing question! Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching mathematics to university students, but in the past few years I felt as if I were giving lectures in kindergarten. At first, I always believed that at some point someone was going to raise their hand and ask something crucial about the proofs or the new theorems or about a practice exercise. After months, no, years of waiting I simply lost my faith in this generation. Apart from the cliché topics like: when are they going to write the exams or is it possible to reschedule, I never heard anything worth responding to.

The last time one of my students asked me something was around 1992. I remember that whole class just as if it were yesterday: the topic was statistics with a class of future economists, about a hundred of them in the second-largest auditorium on campus. There was this one student, Adam; he got a scholarship after high school and proceeded to keep up the good work during college as well. He passed all his exams with the best grades, but when statistics came around in his fifth semester, he miserably failed the exam twice. Before retaking it for the third time, he asked me why he always got a different result in every problem during practice, and it turned out that the battery of his calculator had been running out for the past couple of weeks and certain buttons simply refused to function.

But today, during my third lecture (by the time I was tempted to just give my students a whole page of exercises to work on by themselves), someone raised their hand, and I was beyond shocked when the girl started explaining a strange puzzle that she had found online the other day. It went somehow like this:

Suppose there are four people trying to cross a rather dodgy rope bridge in the middle of the night.

Only two of them can cross it any one time, and they only have a single flashlight between them. For this reason, one person of each pair must return to help the others get across.

But time is limited; they are being chased and need to get across within 17 minutes total. Sounds simple enough, except each person can only cross the bridge at a certain rate.

One person takes 1 minute to cross the bridge. The second takes 2 minutes, the third 5 and the last person 10 minutes.

Each pair can only cross as fast as the slowest member of the pair. How can they all cross the bridge in time?”

I decided that it might interest other students as well, so we went through the text together multiple times and started debating and trying to crack this brain-teasing riddle. Eventually, the lecture ended and no one could come up with a solution, so it made me even more curious. On my way home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I was eager to get home and set myself to work. I will update as soon as I finally solve this mystery; this sounds like an amazing way to spend my otherwise lonely weekend!

Saturday, 6 March 2021 – 6 a.m.

This puzzle is probably the trickiest one that I have ever seen. I almost stayed up all night trying to find a possible solution. Even the odds seem promising: as far as I was not mistaken last night, there are about 14 arrangements. I have already excluded 7, so I will probably be done by noon.

Saturday, 6 March 2021 – 1 p.m.

All the calculations are done, but I still wasn’t able to find a solution. At this point, I am considering if this puzzle is really possible or not. If so, I need to prove the opposite. Either way, I need to hurry; I’m having dinner with my mother at six.

Saturday, 6 March 2021 – 5 p.m.

Still nothing, though I feel like I’m on the verge of cracking it. Fingers crossed!

Saturday, 6 March 2021 – 6:15 p.m.

I canceled dinner with my mother. I couldn’t possibly have a normal conversation while the only thing I’m seeing is bridges and people. As far as I can remember, I am on my fourth cup of coffee today, but I need every cell in my brain to focus.

Sunday, 7 March 2021 – 4 a.m.

I am questioning everything. The puzzle? Well, that too, but mainly my job as a university professor. I am highly considering my retirement after this weekend, since this puzzle was totally made for elementary school students. Truth is, I always thought that there was a problem with this generation, but now I am convinced that it might just be me. Afterall, everyone in that class has probably solved it by now. And me? Well I am sitting in the middle of my living room, on the same spot where I have been sitting for at least six hours by now. All I did this weekend was procrastinate over a puzzle given by one of my students, while I had tons of assignments to correct. I think I should quit.

Monday, 8 March 2021 – 9 a.m.

UNBELIEVABLE!!! Today started off as a usual Monday, except that I was determined to quit everything or at least skip university for a week. I decided that the first option would be it, so I got ready to visit campus and hand in my retirement application. I was already on the bus, when a family of four wanted to get on the vehicle. They had huge suitcases and bags, and while the mother helped the children, the father loaded the packages into the already crowded bus. He moved fast, climbing the small stairs up and down, just like one would the bridge from the puzzle. And it all hit me; I did  recalculations again and again, searching for the mistake, but there wasn’t any. I got 17 minutes. During my first lecture with the same class, I presented my solution and it was in fact 17 again. Maybe a key to a puzzle like this is to take a step back and observe it before jumping to conclusions.

Make or Break

Erika Szántó


“…Aaand welcome back to our favorite game show, ‘Make or Break’ where you make or break your relationships and friendships, depending on what you think their social cues mean! Today’s anonymous contestant is G! Hi, G! How are you feeling today?”

“Hi, Quizmaster. Actually, I’m kind of nervous and–”

“Perfect! Now let’s start with our first scenario today.”

You are talking to one of your acquaintances about a special interest of yours. They are slightly smiling and have been staring at you for a while now. What are they thinking?

  • A. They are bored and only smile for the sake of being polite.
  • B. They are interested in the topic, but this isn’t the best time and place for this conversation, and don’t know how to change the topic or leave the conversation.
  • C. They are giving you the death stare in order to signal you to shut up finally.
  • D. They are just listening intently.

“I- I think I’m gonna go with, uhm, C? No, A. Yes, final answer A.”

“I’m sorry to inform you, but you’re WRONG! The correct answer is: D! Now they think you are a bit weird, since you stopped talking for no reason and haven’t spoken a word in minutes! Now, let’s see our second scenario with that same person.”

You and that same acquaintance attend a school competition. In the end, you are ranked 3rd, while they are ranked 4th. They come and congratulate you, but their expression is unusual. What might that mean?

  • A. It is genuine, you’re just overthinking.
  • B. They hate you now, just won’t say it to your face.
  • C. They are sad and expect you to comfort them a bit.
  • D. They are tired and just want to go home.

“This is tough… Well… Let’s go with C. Final answer C.”

“Wrong again! The correct answer is actually A! Now they think you are strange AND a prick! They will never speak to you again! In today’s episode of ‘Make or Break,’ yet another acquaintanceship was ruined permanently! Thank you for watching, and see you tomorrow!”

Puzzle Piece

Nóra Katona


A few years ago, it was my mother’s birthday. When I got home, I gave her the flowers and chocolate that I had bought the previous day. She seemed happy and really appreciated my gift. Later on during the day, I realised that something seemed off. She wasn’t really talking much, but I knew she wasn’t just having a “bad day.” My father was out in the garden, doing his things, having a good time. When I put the pieces together, I realized that my father had forgotten my mum’s birthday. She knows very well that he always forgets literally everything, but of course she felt sad, because it was supposed to be a special day for her. I quickly ran and informed my dad. He bought some presents and said sorry to my mum. It definitely wasn’t her best birthday, but nowadays we just laugh about it.

The Mysterious Carrot-Thief

Lili Forgács


10 December, Wednesday
I can’t believe it. Snow is falling in Florida! It hasn’t snowed for about three years. Thus not a surprise that, when I arrived home from school, I built an enormous snowman in the backyard. It became really pretty with its long, orange carrot-nose and black pot-hat. I even put a striped scarf around its neck. I can see it out of my window, standing in the middle of the garden with a friendly smile made of walnuts. I hope it won’t melt away tomorrow.

11 December, Thursday
Thank God, the snowman is still alive! However, it lost its nose. In the morning, I went down looking for it, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find it, and due to the new layer of snow, I couldn’t see footsteps either. As there was no other solution, I asked for a new carrot from Mom. Anyway, I named the snowman Shawn, as its pronounciation is really similar to snow.

12 December, Friday
The case is getting more and more interesting and mysterious! Shawn had no nose in the morning, and I still can’t figure out where the carrots are. Mom gave me another, but she said it is the last one. I decided to stay up during the night and check on the snowman with my telescope.

13 December, Saturday
The plan failed as I fell asleep after 11 p.m. It seems Shawn remains noseless for the rest of his life.

14 December, Sunday
The mystery has been solved!  Tomorrow in P.E. lesson we will sledge in the yard of the school, and we were asked to bring sledges. My sledge is kept in the carport. I was looking for it, when I heard a fumbling noise. I thought it was nothing, but when I told Dad, he became really scared. “What if a mumbler lives there, and destroys the cables of the car?” he said. This is why we went back and followed the sounds. It came from a box full of clothes. Fighting off all my fears, I looked into that box, and found the culprit. The carrot-thief was nothing other than a little cutie hedgehog. It was so cold inside the carport, I couldn’t let that little guy just stay there during the winter. With Mom’s permission, I created a home for it in my room in a cage, and according to our arrangement I will set it free when the weather becomes warmer. (I hope it will never happen.)

A Missing Piece

Mercédesz Gerda Einwag


Once, when I was seven years old, I got a puzzle for Christmas  with barbies on it; of course at that time it was a priority for me that everything have to do with barbies and girly things. On that day I opened it and started to solve it, but I found something else that was more interesting, so I left it in the middle of the living room.

The next day, I woke up and started to solve it again. It was an easy one with thirty pieces in total. I was getting close to finishing it, when I realized that one was missing. Of course the whole family started looking for it, but we couldn’t find it. I started crying, because it wasn’t done. Later my mom put it away, because I forgot it existed. A few weeks later my mom found an article on the internet saying that the manufacturer of this company had sold some puzzles with missing pieces, so they replaced them.

It was a puzzle in itself, that I got it but there was a missing piece that we had to find; it was complete chaos.

The Silence Before the Storm

Áron Antal


I arrived at the construction site at 6 a.m. We (and by “we” I only mean Jack and Walt) were working on this mechanic station, where we were given the task to renew buildings with the crew. My uncle Jack said that he would appreciate my help because I had worked here before, and the crew was severely understaffed because most of them had got the flu.

—Today we will dig the ditch—said Jack before taking a huge bite out of his sandwich.

I just nodded and Walt lit a cigarette, as usual, while he started to walk towards the trencher.

As he walked, my uncle was staring at the old gas pipe peeking out of the wall of hangar 2, which was to be left alone, even though no equipment in the building will work with gas.

—What do you think, how deep does it run?— I asked Jack.

—Deep enough that we shouldn’t disturb it—he replied.

—Won’t there be any problems with it? Have you called the authorities about this?—I asked.

—Don’t worry about it. This is not some sort of puzzle or problem that you have to crack. This isn’t school. It will be fine. When we dug there you see, we didn’t see any sign of it, and then we dug deeper than we will now, this will turn out to be just a sewage pipe, for God’s sake.

When he replied, the trencher, although hesitantly, started up and began to approach us.

—We will be done with this by 11 a.m.—Jack said. We have to. See the clouds gathering? Hey Walt!

—What now!—said Walt with a freshly lit cigarette in his mouth.

—Start here, right at the edge of the building, and we will move towards the pit there, you see!

—Right—said Walt and enabled the stabilizer hydraulics on the trencher.

—Now go get the loader—said Walt to me. —We will put all the dirt we dig up in the grab bucket, and you will take it to the heap, okay?

—Okay—I said. I walked to the loader and climbed into it. The terrible smell of the smoke-soaked cabin invaded my nose. I started the engine and rolled next to the trencher. I put down the grab bucket next to the trencher, and got out of the cabin to see how the trencher was doing. The bucket bit into the ground, and took out a huge chunk of the ground. And from the ground, a pipe became visible.

—Stop the trencher you moron!—shouted my uncle to Walt.

—Why?—and while he was asking that, he pushed down the button of his lighter.

At that instance, a fireball started expanding from the open window of the trencher. It engulfed Walt, whose face just blankly stared at the end of his cigarette. The fireball continued to expand, like the Universe when it was born, in an astonishing yet devastating way. The screaming of the gas became quiet as the sound of the flames dominated the air.

—It wasn’t as deep as you thought it would be, Jack. It wasn’t nearly as deep as you thought it would be. If you would have just let me investigate a bit…— I thought to myself as I closed my eyes and put my arms in front of my head, thinking that it would protect me from the rapid gas explosion four meters away from me.

Brushstrokes

Matilda Flóra Ősz


Oh, my back hurts so much, I sighed while opening my eyes. I heard the murmuring ocean near my head and the quarrel of the seagulls. I did not really understand where I was, my memories were twisted, my mind was blank and my migraine increased as I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

I shouted “Hey, anyone here?” through the forest, but no one answered me.

I knocked. No one answered. I knocked again and again. I opened the door in rage and fear. The landscape changed every few minutes, my clothes’ started to switch colours, and the house I walked into was like a labyrinth.

After walking for hours I stopped, because I saw a badly executed part of the wall. My intuition was right, it was a secret door that led to a bright spot.

The room was built from different coloured cubes and a person was sitting in the middle of this madness of a place.

Are you alright? I asked. They answered with only two words: never better.

Can you tell me where am I? I said.

You are in a painting. To be exact in all of the paintings in the Lorenzo Museum. You are trapped, they said calmly.

How can I get out? I panicked. I could not even breath properly, I do not even think I articulated all of the words.

You cannot. I tried. For 172 years. You will not feel hunger or fatigue, but in exchange you will not feel anything. You will forget you. But until it happens let’s have a good time, shall we? Tell me about yourself.

They pointed to the corner of the Piet Mondrian, indicating that I should sit down for this.

Satin

Kitti Lili Tupi


It’s been dark … dark for a few minutes but it feels like eternity. As I squint my eyes, I feel some kind of pressure. It’s pretty heavy yet it feels good, at least for a couple of minutes. I am in an idyllic state. The soft touch of a fabric which has a light pink wash is actually pleasant. However, the pressure it puts on my lungs is unbearable. I try to lift up my arms to help myself, but I can’t. Suddenly I stop thinking about the pressure, time slows down, the light dims and my breath is getting slower by the second. I think about little things in life, the little butterflies in my stomach when we go up a hill and suddenly down; as I feel the butterflies I get a hit on my head. And reality hits, my life is flashing down my eyes as my heart rate drops from the sky to the floor in a matter of seconds. I start to panic, I can’t focus on breathing, I actually skip a few minutes, my thoughts feel heavy. It is like I am storing thousands of kilograms in my head while trying to remember how I used to breathe. My mouth is shut, the heavy silk is on top of it. My nose … I cant feel it, not sure if it is present or just a silly nonexistent memory that i used to have one. Suddenly I drop a few meters down my bed, the silk is all over my body. The pretty pink fabric is now lightweight, just like feathers. Now I can take deep breaths, which finally provide enough oxygen to survive. Enough to make me stay alive. I think I am in the happiest state of life; as I hold the peace of satin my heart drops once again. Now I open my eyes and can see my own room. I am in pink satin pajamas and feel like I am finally living.

The Oral Examination Game

Lilla Kassai


“Welcome, students, to the Oral Examination Game,” said a female voice in the loudspeaker. “You will need to get out of this labyrinth. At the end of every segment you go through, you will have to answer a question shortly. If a student doesn’t know the answer, the student gets disqualified.”

After the announcement, the loudspeaker started to play the Blue Danube Waltz as the 33 students stood in a circle, each facing a door, an entrance towards the labyrinth. After a gunshot, every door opened, and each student stepped into the labyrinth.

As the students walked into the endless corridor, the lights grew dim. As they approached the first corner, the lighting instantly became so bright that they had to hold their hands before their eyes. When they reached the end of the corridor, each of them found themselves face to face with a tall, hooded figure.

“When did the Battle of Mohács take place?” asked the man calmly.

“Ts … I have no clue.”  Student Number 6 started laughing nervously.

“Wrong answer,” the hooded man said, then pulled out a gun.

“Man, are you kidding me? ” Number 6 started to shiver. He knew that this wasn’t a joke anymore. He turned and started to run towards the entrance, when suddenly he heard a gunshot and began to feel an immense pain in his back throughout his chest. Then he fell on the floor and never got up again.

“How do you define (a+b)²? ” another hooded man asked Number 32. She was about to anwer, when she heard a gunshot, and not much later, another one.

“Student Number 6 and Student Number 8 couldn’t answer the question. They are now disqualified. According to the rules, if a student can’t answer a question, this student gets disqualified,” the toneless wobbly voice professed.

Then chaos broke out:

“Wait, what is happening here?” Number 9 and Number 11 started to panic, but tried to remain as tranquil as possible.

“Why did we hear gunshots?” Number 1, Number 3 and Number 4 cross-questioned the hooded man in front of them.

“I am the only one asking questions here,” snapped the disturbing figure in a throaty voice “So how do you define (a+b)²?

“Someone’s been shot?”

“What is happening with the others?”

“Is everyone okay?”

Interrogations started to multiply exponentially. Slowly, everyone started to yell and demand answers. The chaos grew like dark clouds in the sky before a summer rain. And then, as sudden roaring thunder, guns were fired,and bodies collapsed.

“Student Number 12, Number 1, Number 2 , Number 4 , Number 5, Number 9 , Number 11 and Number 16 couldn’t answer the question and got disqualified. If a student can’t answer a question, they get disqualified,” announced the female speaker, whose voice seemed just like a regular announcer’s in an aeroport, but now it rang like a toneless demonic chant.

“Who was the musician who composed the Ode to Joy?” creaked the hooded man.

Many eyes almost toppled out of their sockets. A lot of students knew that they were going to get shot. The only thing they could find in their minds was a blank sheet of paper.

“Uhmm…Mozart?” asked Number 18. And the hooded man took his shot among eight similar looking disturbing figures at the expense of Number 18 and many more students.

“It was Beethoven,” answered Number 13 in a cold voice, with which she tried to hide how scared she was.

“Correct answer,” mumbled the hooded man, letting Number 13 continue her way towards the exit. There were only two questions left. Whoever answered those correctly, passed the test and survived.

“By which quantity should we divide the voltage to get the current?” the next question echoed.

“By the Resistance,” replied the students like a choir.

“Correct,” nodded the scary man, and let them go.

As the last question and the chance of getting out of this hell grew bigger and bigger, big rocks fell off of everyone’s heart.

“I will get out of here.”

“I’m not gonna die!”

The last question was announced to all.

“What does Deus ex machina mean in an epoch?”

Silence. Gunshots. Five collapsed bodies. The last ones standing were forcing themselves to stay calm and cool-headed.

 “It means: Godly intercession,” said a student in a toneless voice, one step away from breaking down crying.

“Correct,” said the hooded man. “You passed the Exam. You are free to leave.”

The remaining students sprinted out as fast as they could. At the end of this straight labyrinth they met in a circle-shaped room again. Before they could actually realise who had survived or not, the demonic female voice started to speak again.

“Fifteen students have been disqualified. Congratulations to the winners”.

As her announcement ended, the only thing that could be heard was the hysterical crying breakdown, almost as loud as the Blue Danube Waltz coming from the radio.

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