Legend of the Pyramid


There was once a man called Pento who lived in a pyramid. His pyramid was no ordinary pyramid, for it had 5 rooms, all of which were shaped like mini-pyramids. Every wall and every floor in every room was an equilateral triangle, and every room was connected to every other room. When one enters in through the door, one sees three other doors, one on the left, one on the right, and a trapdoor in the middle of the floor.

In this unique habitation Pento lived, and happy a man was he, for even though his pyramid outwardly was small, inside it had 5 rooms of equal size and more. His wife and he lived in the room on the right, as you enter in through the door; the kitchen's on the left, and the living room's behind; and the cellar is through the hole in the floor.

Once a creditor named Bill knocked on Pento's door; he owed Bill a stack of golden balls and more. Pento could not repay, and Bill had nothing more to say, but to arrest Pento and take him away. Pento ran, and Bill pursued; first to the left into the kitchen, then to the right into the bedroom; then another right into the living room, where he knocked over his family heirloom. Bill continued to pursue, and Pento turned to the left back into the kitchen, and a right back to where he began. Seeing Bill still hot on his trail, down he leapt into the cellar with a double-flip. Bill followed him through, thinking that for sure he had him trapped; but he found that the cellar had 3 doors, one to the left, one to the right, and one behind. One led to living room, one to the bedroom, and the other to the kitchen.

Angered, Bill rushed through each and every room looking for Pento; but try as he may, Pento could not be cornered, for every room in his pyramid led to each of the other four. But herein lies the trick, for Bill quickly learned, that he could get from any one room, to any other room. So he stopped for a moment, and listened for Pento's footsteps; and sure enough, Pento went a-pattering, in the room below. Down leapt Bill, and found himself in the kitchen with Pento running in through the door.

“Aha!” said Bill. “Now I've caught you!”

Seeing him, Pento leapt down the trapdoor; but all Bill had to do was to listen for his footsteps, and sure enough, he heard them a-pattering into the bedroom on the left. In he charged, and ran into Pento; “This time I caught you!” cried he, and grabbed onto him. Subdued and arrested, Pento relented; and back into the lobby with Pento went Bill, proud.

But proud no longer, when he tried to take Pento away; for in the lobby were three doors and a trapdoor, one to the left, one to the right, one behind, and one in the floor. On the left was the living room, on the right was the kitchen, behind was the bedroom, and below lay the cellar. Try as he might, Bill could find no exit; for every room led to one of the four, and every room had 3 doors and a trapdoor. On he searched, nudging Pento along handcuffed, but to no avail. Where was the exit, by which he could leave? For each of the rooms was surrounded by four others; fully enclosed was each mini-pyramid, and he was trapped in their midst.

And thus he went, through every door and trapdoor, until he sat down ashamed, and begged Pento tell him, “Where is it, the exit?”

And so with a grin, Pento led him back to the lobby, where there was a door on the left, a door on the right, the door they entered through behind them, and a trapdoor in the floor. To the door on the right he pointed, and Bill looked disappointed.

“And do you still lie to me, seeing that I have sought you, caught you, and handcuffed you? For surely this door leads to the kitchen, and the other to your bedroom, for many a time have I passed through thence, in pursuit of you.”

Without a word, Pento opened the door—and Bill dropped his jaw. For behind that door, lay the beautiful sunshine, in the same place where the kitchen had been before. Out Bill ran, and never came back; “For,” he swore, “the kitchen was behind this door, it was one room of the connected four. This place must be haunted, and its owner unwanted; for how could 5 rooms be interconnected and fully surrounded, each with 3 doors and a trapdoor?”


Last updated 06 Feb 2018.

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