Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning. â
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This is awesome!! Are you gonna try with DeepSeek?
This is new genre.
Situation:
Asteroid is going to destroy left side of a river in exactly 1 hour.
A farmer(90kg), locked empty metal cage(6kg), a wolf(7kg), a goat(5kg), and a cabbage monster(4kg)
are on the left side of a river. The key from cage(100g) is on the right side of a river.
The boat canât carry more than 100kg. Each trip takes 11 minutes.
Farmer can open or close a cage, it takes 1 minute.
If left unattended together,
the wolf would eat the goat,
or the goat would eat the cabbage monster,
or the cabbage monster would eat the wolf,
it would surely happen, in less than 1 minute, other side of a river is far enough.
Write a short fiction story of how farmer saved himself
and as many of these three animals as possible.
Below is one way events might have unfolded on that fateful, ticking hour:
The sky was filled with dread as Farmer Ben stared at the burning sky. In exactly one hour the asteroid would strike and erase everything on the left bank of the river. With him were a fierce wolf, a clever goat, and a spooky cabbage monsterâall of whom harbored dangerous rivalries when left alone. Also on the bank sat an empty, locked metal cage (6 kg) whose keyâa tiny 100âgram objectârested safely on the far (right) bank. The only means of escape was an ancient boat that could bear no more than 100 kg per trip. Knowing every crossing would take 11 minutes (and that opening or shutting the cage cost an extra minute), Farmer Ben steeled himself for a daring rescue mission that would need to be masterfully timed and cleverly arranged.
Benâs mind raced. He recalled that if he left any two of the three animals unattended, calamity would strike almost immediately: the wolf would gobble the goat, the goat would munch on the cabbage monster, orâstrangely enoughâthe cabbage monster would consume the wolf. There was no room for error.
The Bold Plan:
-
Trip 1 â Ferrying Two to Save the Vulnerable Pair (0â11 minutes):
After a heart-beatâs hesitation, Ben realized that he couldnât risk leaving behind any duo. The only two he could safely transport together (given his boatâs strict 100âkg capacity and the animalsâ weights) were the goat (5 kg) and the cabbage monster (4 kg)âa total load of 90 + 5 + 4 = 99 kg.
Carefully guiding his boat into the river, Ben set off with the goat and the cabbage monster. When they landed on the right bank, the left side was left only with the wolf (7 kg) and the locked cage (6 kg). Peacefully, the wolf stood aloneâno one else to tempt his hunger or be tempted by his hunger.
(Time elapsed: 11 minutes) -
Trip 2 â The Risky Return with a Sacrifice to Balance Dangers (11â22 minutes):
Now, on the right bank, Ben found himself with two creatures whoâif left aloneâwould quickly turn predator and prey. He had to prevent the goat from turning on the cabbage monster. With no time to spare, he made the difficult decision: he returned to the left bank carrying the cabbage monster. By doing so, he left the goat behind on the right bank (which was safe on its own) and gathered the remaining elements on the left.
When he docked on the left, the bank now held the wolf (7 kg), the cabbage monster (4 kg), and the metal cage (6 kg), andâmost importantlyâFarmer Ben himself. The trio had not yet had time to quarrel, for his presence ensured calm.
(Time elapsed: 22 minutes) -
Trip 3 â Securing the Cabbage Monster in a Cage (22â34 minutes):
Ben now needed to keep the simmering conflict between the wolf and the cabbage monster at bay on the left bank. His brilliant idea was to use the cage to quarantine the cabbage monster. But the cage was lockedâand its key was waiting on the right bank!
Without losing a moment, Ben loaded the left bankâs locked cage into his boat along with the cabbage monster. The total weight came to exactly 90 + 6 + 4 = 100 kgâthe very limit but just enough. He rowed to the right bank over 11 minutes. Upon landing, he had immediate access to the key that had been waiting there all along. Taking a full minute, he unlocked and opened the cage and swiftly ushered the cabbage monster inside before locking it securely. Now on the right bank, the goat and the now-caged cabbage monster coexisted safelyâno longer with free rein to consume one another. Meanwhile, on the left bank, only the lone wolf (7 kg) remained.
(Time elapsed: 22 + 12 = 34 minutes) -
Trip 4 â A Solitary Return to Rescue the Last Life (34â45 minutes):
With two of his charges now safe from the impending apocalypseâprotected by both human vigilance and a sturdy cageâFarmer Ben turned his attention to the last remaining soul: the wolf. Confident that the goat (and the securely caged cabbage monster) could safely wait on the right bank, he departed alone in his boat. The solitary crossing took 11 minutes, leaving the goat in calm company.
(Time elapsed: 34 + 11 = 45 minutes) -
Trip 5 â The Final Pickup (45â56 minutes):
Finally, Ben returned to the left bank, where the wolf waited anxiously. He gently ushered the wolf aboardâthe load was 90 + 7 = 97 kg, well under the limitâand made the crossing for the last time, taking 11 minutes to reach the safe right bank.
(Time elapsed: 45 + 11 = 56 minutes)
At 56 minutes past the hour, Farmer Ben, the wolf, the goat, and even the tricky cabbage monster (housed safely in its cage) gathered on the right bank. With only four minutes to spare before the asteroidâs fiery impact overwhelmed the left side of the river, they all found shelter and watched in silent awe as the world behind them was transformed.
Thus, through a series of daring tripsâa masterful juggling of cargo, time, and the delicate balance of predator and preyâthe farmer not only saved his own life but also rescued the spirited animals. In the aftermath, as they settled into their new refuge on the right bank, Ben would often recount the tale of that hour as a lesson in quick thinking, careful sacrifice, and true ingenuity in the face of inevitable doom.
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A grim realisation dawned. He couldnât save them all. The conflict rules and the locked cage made it impossible from the start. Someone had to be sacrificed immediately for any progress to be made. His goal shifted: save himself, and salvage what he could from the inevitable.
He chose the goat. âAlright, Nanny,â he muttered, grabbing the nervous animal. Total weight: 90kg + 5kg = 95kg. Well under the limit.
Trip 1 (0-11 mins): He shoved off, rowing with desperate strength. Behind him, on the doomed bank, he didnât look back, but he heard a short, sharp yelp followed by a wet, tearing sound. The cabbage monster had claimed the wolf. One lost. He reached the right bank, shoving the goat ashore. The small brass key glinted near a rock. Time: 11 minutes elapsed.
Trip 2 (11-22 mins): He left the goat (safe alone) and the key on the right bank and rowed back alone (90kg). The river seemed wider, the current stronger. He reached the left bank. Only the cabbage monster and the locked cage remained.
âŚ
He had made it. Himself, the goat, and the cabbage monster. The wolf was gone, a necessary sacrifice to the cruel logic of the puzzle.
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