Into the Woods

The relationship between Richard Kancache and Sanchesca Panza was not always peaches and cream, wine and roses, or even Abbott and Costello. One hot summer day, they could stand the tension no longer. They exchanged cross words.

"Here are the Sunday Times ones," said Sanchesca, handing him the newspaper. Richard in turn handed her crosswords from some of his old Boys Lifes and Weekly Readers, partly filled out with pencil and erased. As Richard stared glassily at the Times crosswords, Sanchesca took him aside. She spoke with firm hesitation and a whispered scream.

"Richard," she began, "there is one crossword you haven't seen yet. No one has seen it. But of all people, you alone would have the brains, the cleverness, the third-grade education needed to solve it. Here it is:"

They drove westward on Stanford Road because most of the other roads were blocked or gated. They headed into the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area. When they arrived at the published coordinates, Richard said, "I don't get it. These coordinates just take us to this trailhead. There's nothing here, but I wouldn't take the vehicle further. Where's the cache?"

"I understand that you're puzzled. But to find the cache, first you must get the acrostic."

"Get across the sticks?" asked Richard, mustering all the intellect at his command, which was not much.

"The acrostic. The puzzle I gave you. Solve it and it will lead you to the cache."

And so it was that Richard set upon solving the acrostic, in the middle of the forest.

And only five weeks later, he solved it.