The Lost Pathway

Okay, here are the rules.
You have to make three statements.
One of them has to be a lie.
Then we guess which one. Each person gets one guess.

I'll kick it off.


I have stabbed someone with a sword.
I have ridden an elephant.
I have driven a convertible car.

What's the lie?

I'm gonna say....you haven't stabbed anyone with a sword. I was going to say "ridden an elephant," but I believe I rode one once, so it's not impossible. It was just so long ago that it's quite vague.

Wrong. I accidentally stabbed old lost pathway villager Jhae in the knee while filming a fight sequence at night in the rain. Fortunately it was a stab with a sword directly to the kneecap, which stopped the blade.
I have ridden an elephant (at the circus) but I have never driven a convertible.


Alright, give us three items on you, one lie.

I have won and lost love.
I have been nearly crushed by a car.
I have walked a mile or near to it.

Hmm. A challenge.

First, you say "I have won and lost love." This is entirely possible. I think you're single at the moment (unless word has not reached me; I may have to send some crows to spy on you), so that would fit.
Then, you said, "I have been nearly crushed by a car." This is also possible -- it could happen to anyone.
Then you say "I have walked a mile or near to it." This could mean that you've walked a mile or near to it at one time. But that is not specifically said. Even someone who just goes to and from the couch to the bathroom will have walked a mile or near to it before long, in the entirety of their like. Taken strictly, this one must almost certainly be true. Remembering our childhood, I could imagine we played and covered a mile or more in that capacity in the woods and yards.

Which leaves me with the love statement and the car statement. The love statement has an air of tragedy to it, which makes me want to say that it is true. Then again, the car one is so entirely probable that it is hard to call it a lie offhand.


I say that you have not nearly been crushed by a car.

Unfortunately, I have nearly been crushed - on my bike. I rode behind a car not thinking it was pulling out, and I went over; thankfully, the driver noticed before I went under.

As for the mile thing.....I remember I actually once tried to walk home to 25th St, in the South Park area, from SC4. It ended up being useless as I took a bus back up to SC4 when it got too close to a class time.

So it's a lie that I have won and lost love. I've never even attempted it. Which, given my current situation in life, is rather pathetic.

And here I thought I wasn't a good liar.

Not pathetic, my friend. Worry not.
One of the first steps to loving others is learning to love yourself through Jesus Christ's own love for you.


My next three statements:

I have stood atop a moving horse.
I have flown in the cockpit of a plane.
I have petted a crocodile.

I'm gonna say you haven't flown in the cockpit of a plane.
It's possible that you may have gotten close to a crocodile once and it was tame enough, and I wouldn't put it past you to stand on a moving horse.

I have a friend who is a pilot and has a small plane and I have flown with him a few times in the cockpit.
I have stood upon a moving horse.
I have never petted a crocodile.

I have stood before monuments to the land's most esteemed leaders.
I have ridden a roller coaster at least once.
I have struggled with my own dark self.

Okay. . .

We have all hopefully struggled with our own dark selves. We're all born fallen, and only through Christ are delivered. Even then, we fight against the flesh, even though the victory is ours in Christ.  What is dangerous is when we don't struggle against darkness and instead give in.
And Link had to face shadow link in Zelda . . .
So yes, you've struggled with your own dark self.

What is not as clear is your relationship to roller coaster and monuments. If you had said "Mount Rushmore" or something specific it would be easier to discount the monuments thing. But there are a lot of monuments.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you have ridden a rollercoaster but never stood before monuments to the land's most esteemed leaders. . .

No, never been on a roller coaster. Didn't feel I could handle it.

However, via high school senior trip, I've been to Washington D.C. and seen most of the major sites, statues and such.

I've caught a snake in my kitchen
A mouse has put its paws on my head while I slept
I babysat a ferret.

As cute as it sounds, I'm gonna say a mouse never put its paws on your head while you slept.

No sir, I lived in a cabin, called "the shack" by those who knew it, in a cove of a mountain for a while and I both caught a snake in the kitchen and had a mouse put its front paws on top of my bald head at night, waking me up and causing me a good start.

I've never babysat a ferret.

I shot a target at 50 paces.
I once touched a tarantula.
I've spent $300 on a single item.

I'm gonna say you haven't shot a target at 50 paces . . . My reasoning, the other things are plausible, but if you were shooting at something, the odds that you have actually counted off paces is slim.

Yeah, it's too obvious. I've never fired a projectile weapon/instrument in my life.

$300 = how I got my one sword. As for the tarantula, a kid in one of the lower grades at school (5th grade, maybe) was given a pet one, and I had the opportunity to touch it.

A sword, eh? What sword did you get/where did you get it?

Here's my next:


I have ridden a horse when it wasn't touching ground or floor or water.
I have slept upon cliffs above the Celtic Sea
I have captured an eel.

I showed it to you once - a katana with an ornate snake handle, purchased from the Gibraltar Trade Center in Mt. Clemens.

As for your next three, you may have gone diving once and captured an eel and I don't know about it, and I think you did spend some time in Ireland which would account for the Celtic Sea. Regarding the horse, those electronic supermarket horses are technically suspended in midair.

I bet I'm wrong on this, but I'm going to go with the third one and say you haven't captured an eel.

Ah, a katana. I am not surprised you would wield a katana, though I also had forgotten.

You have guessed correctly my friend -- the first one of us to do so, I think. I hadn't thought of the grocery store horses, I just meant riding a jumping horse or a horse that gallops (since a galloping horse has a moment of suspension in air).
I have not been to Ireland, but I spent a night in a hostel on the cliffs of Cornwall a half mile or mile from the island of Tintagel, upon which rests the ruined castle, the birthplace of King Arthur, according to legend, and where can be found Merlin's Cave.
There is a stream that falls over a rock-face in front of the island of Tintagel, in low tide landing upon a beach and running down near the entrance of Merlin's Cave, where the waves of the Celtic Sea wash the shore. The tide was coming in when I knelt down with a waterbottle and collected water, pebbles, and sand where the sea and that stream met together in fresh and salt. That water and earth sit to this day in a glass bottle upon the shelf of my office. It reminds me of Cornwall, one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.

Anyway, share with us your next challenge!

That really is a great story. I love hearing stuff like that.
And you guessed right on my last set.


I have felt the touch of the serpent's coils.
I have watch a life pass before my eyes.
I have swum 4 feet beneath the waves.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ssHZBiQNsPU/RqOqj5P-67I/AAAAAAAAAag/RWm9X-4aKdUeCgQYFhceGhGe0Vs2VyvagCCo/s640/DSC04555.JPG

That is actually a link to a picture of a younger me in Cornwall, and I believe the rock formation in the background is one side of the island of Tintagel



Anyhow,

Very possible that you've touched a snake -- you already have confessed to having touched a tarantula.
Considering the place of our upbringing, and the fact that I remember being at the beach with you on more than one occasion, I'm going to say that you have swum four feet beneath the waves.

The other statement is cryptic. "I have watch a life pass before my eyes." It could mean that you've seen someone die. It's altogether possible.

This is a hard one. I'm going to say that you haven't watched a life pass before your eyes.

Unfortunately, that one is true - the subject in question was poor old Russell. We were with him right until the end.
Our old friend Pat from church - the one with the big backyard - had quite a few animals in the house, on account of the traffic (nieces and nephews, I believe). A snake was one of them, and I remember my arm becoming a branch for a bit; Garrett's was the same, as well.
Although I've swum underwater, I've never really gone downward, having barely broken the surface. So that's the lie.

You got me.
I well remember Pat and her backyard. In fact, I have a lot of pictures and even a slideshow video that my brother made about church that has a long segment with one of Pat's pond parties and the old crew, including yourself.
Hey, do you remember snow camp?

By the by, did you receive your next story letter? See anything interesting?



I give you my next challenge:

I have visited the tree known as the largest in the world.
A bear has walked in my footsteps.
I have eaten wild game of my own hunting.

If you mean your second letter - the rather weather-beaten one - then yes, and it's sounding good. If you mean that the third installment is out, then I haven't gotten that one yet, unfortunately. Maybe sometime this week, it'll come.
And yes, I remember snow camp.....and my subsequent desire to hunt suspected vampires. ("I"LL STAKE 'EE!")


I'm gonna say...you haven't eaten any wild game of your own hunting. A bear may have walked over the same space as you, and I wouldn't put it beyond you to have visited General Sherman (just looked it up).

You should get the third letter shortly. You may find it interesting.

Snow camp and the vampire hunt! Hah! So much fun.

You got me again. I haven't eaten game of my own hunting, despite the fact that I got my license last year.

A bear walked literally in my footprints on a snowy mountain while I was hiking. When I came back down, bear prints were atop my own prints.

And yes, I visited General Sherman. Quite a sight.

Your turn.

I've spent the night in an RV.
I've driven over 100 miles per hour.
I once spent some time in the company of a duckling.

I do not think that you have driven over 100 miles per hour. . .

Right. I still don't even drive.

My high school French teacher was once raising a wild duckling, and I got to spend some time with it. And I once spent the night in my aunt's RV in Algonac State Park.

I have seen a bear in the wild.
I have seen a wolf in the wild.
I have seen a moose in the wild.

I would say, out of the three, you haven't seen a moose.

Hmmm.. got me again.

I've read a thousand books.
I've watched a thousand movies.
I've heard a thousand songs.

You haven't read a thousand books . . . .
Then again, you might have read a thousand if you include graphic novels. . .


I'll still go with the books.

Even with graphic novels, I'm sure it's less than a thousand.

I've snorkeled over a sunken ship.
I've fallen through the ice.
I've ridden a donkey.

I don't know anything about the survival rate, but I'm gonna say you haven't fallen through the ice. Seems unlikely that you'd be here if you did.

I snorkeled over a sunken ship near in some shoals near Garden Island in Lake Michigan with some friends. The water was cold, but I donned a wet suit on the boat and got in anyway because I'm fascinated by ships.

I've fallen through ice before, I think more than once, but thankfully the water was never over my head. I fell through ice atop the flood waters of the Belle River once while scouting for ice skating ice, but fortunately the water was just up to my waist or so at the deepest.

I am a spendthrift.
I am an alcoholic.
I am weak willed.

These seem to be somewhat arbitrary; you may consider yourself weak-willed or a spendthrift, whereas someone else might not.

I'm going to say that you are not an alcoholic. I think you would say that you are weak-willed about yourself, and also I think you would call yourself a spendthrift. . .

Yeah, that's what I was going for. I've never downed more alcoholic beverages than one per occasion (and now I don't take them at all - medication problems), but I get to spending and I just go, and I can easily coax myself into doing that or other things I know better. I'm a problem child, alright.

I had to stop drinking, too, though not because of medication reasons.
We all struggle with things. What matters is if we hand them to Jesus and trust that His righteousness covers us, since we have none of our own. We have to let go of our own condemnation and shame and cling to Jesus' righteousness. As we experience His love and submit to Him, the Holy Spirit will work on bringing healing and obedience.


I am six feet tall.
I have a garden.
I have a crossbow.

I'm gonna say you don't have a crossbow, unless you've bought one at some point I don't know one.

I have both a pistol crossbow (more dangerous than it looks) and an Asian recurve bow. I wouldn't want to be on the business end of either of them.
I've got a bit of garden -- tomatoes, jalapenos, bush beans, pole beans, some assortment of other plants.

I am not six feet tall. I am 5'11".

I've tasted Turkish Delight.
I've played the Moonlight Sonata.
I've danced a tarantella.

I suppose all of these are plausible.
I tasted Turkish delight, so why not you? Besides, I think that you'd probably think of this because you have tasted Turkish Delight, rather than randomly trying to think up something.
I know you played piano. . . So it seems plausible that you've played the Moonlight Sonata.
But a tarantella seems somewhat random -- why think of this if you hadn't danced one? A little research shows it to be a Mediterranean (Italian?) dance, quick and lively. When my wife inquired of me about what I was watching, I indicated it was a tarantella and she responded something to the effect of, "I played one of those on the piano."
I think you thought of the tarantella because you've played one on piano.

So I do not think you've danced a tarantella.

No, I haven't. I'm short on lies.

I have eaten elk.
I have eaten octopus.
I have eaten frog.

I'm gonna go with octopus.

I realize I have made an error, so I will give you this one. I should have said "squid" and not octopus. Calamari I think is technically squid, which is what I have eaten.
I have eaten elk, but never frog.

I've worn tight pants.
I've ridden in a tight car.
I've gotten stuck in a tight gap.

I think we've all worn tight pants when we're growing up and start to outgrow them.
Also, no doubt we've all ridden in a tight car.
Then again, getting stuck is not so uncommon, but I'm going to say that you've not gotten stuck in a tight gap.

Yeah, that's it. That was simple.

I have battled atop a frozen lake.
I have been routed by the touch of a leaf.
I keep a sword in my office.

I'm gonna say you don't keep a sword in your office, since I'm not sure that's even allowed anywhere. I was going to go with the leaf, but it sounds plausible, and I can see you staging a fight on a frozen lake. Somehow, though, I'll bet I'm wrong.

Well, you got it but not for a reason I'd considered. My office is in my home, and currently there is a bow on the wall and it didn't occur that you may have thought my office was outside the home.

I spotted a sneak attack and charged with my compatriots against the foemen and met in snowy battle on a starlit night atop a frozen lake in the north woods. Fortunately, the battle was waged with white washing and wrestling and such like, and it ended in good spirits.

When first I wandered into a patch of stinging nettles, it resulted in a quick flight to reach the Belle River in hopes of gaining some relief by entering the muddy water.

I've gotten lost in the supermarket.
I've wandered many a backroad of the hometown.
I've been to Chicago.

I'm guessing you haven't been to Chicago.

Yeah. Sister's been there, I think, but I've barely been out of state. Don't really care to leave.

I wish I had a more complicated lie than that.

I have eaten duck.
I have eaten horse.
I have eaten cricket.

Well, they're all possible -- you may have eaten horse in Iceland or Mongolia or some such place. . .

I have eaten duck and cricket here in the states, though, so I'm gonna say:

You haven't eaten horse!

I have not eaten horse, it's true -- though I ate at a place that served it in Austria.

Duck I've had at a Chinese restaurant, and crickets I had for the first time several weeks ago.

Austria, eh? What took you there?
And what was the occasion for eating crickets? Stories, man!



I have a black cat.
I have a black car.
I have a black dog.

I'm gonna say you don't have a black cat, because with all due respect to both yourself and the animals in general, I don't think you've ever been a really fond cat person.

I agree with Coír: you might not have a black car, but you definitely have a black dog, and you're not much of a cat person.

(As for my horse lie: I went to Austria in 1998 with family, part of a European trip. It was before they changed the currencies over to the Euro, so lots of money changing - Jesus would be displeased. My brother tried to order the horse, but my mother intervened.
The cricket I ate just a few weeks ago with some historian friends at my university. They are a wonderful, wacky bunch.
The duck was Mandarin Crispy Duck, very soft and tasty.)

http://www.lostpathway.com/cave/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IMG_3639.jpg (http://www.lostpathway.com/cave/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IMG_3639.jpg)
Click on the link to meet Bob the Cat.
AKA
Bobbit the Hobbit
Boblin the Goblin
Bobbler the Cobbler
Bobber the Robber
Bobster the Mobster

But I tend to call him "Bobbit" a lot.

That is a graphical rendering of a photo I took of him.
Bob is a black Bombay.
Bob is a big supporter of my writing, or any activity where he can curl up on my lap.
Rescued by my wife as a kitten, he has become my adoptive kitty through marriage. He is quite intelligent.
My wife has a black car, so all things in common.
I have no dog.

I like cats, and dogs, and most animals, really, but Bob is my buddy and a great little cat.

What a surprise.

I've found a frog holed away in my lawn.
I've found a spider nestled in my porch railing.
I've found a snake slinking through my backyard.

Color me pleasantly surprised! I also like cats very much (though dogs are ok too).

As for the non-pets... I think the snake is the lie. We have lots of frogs and spiders here, so I'm biased.

Yeah, I've never met a wild snake. I've seen a pet one and met a met a garden snake at school brought in a container, but I've never found one around where we live.