For Cache of the Year
Welcome back to another in the series of caches based off of the wonderful childhood stories we all grew up with. This cache takes you through the English fable of the Three Little Pigs. The story as we know it was first published by Joseph Jacobs in 1890, in his book titled English Fairy Tales, but the tale goes much farther back with other rendidtions including one of 3 pixies and a fox. The tale goes as follows . . .
Once upon a time there were three little pigs. They all lived haappily in their parents house, but the daay came when they had to leave and make a living for themselves. So they all went off to start their lives and build houses of their own. The first pig decided he would make his house out of straw because he wanted to be a farmer and there wsa plenty of hay. He built his house in a day. The second pig thought his brother was too hasty in his decision, and wanted a sturdier house, but didn't want to have to buy materials either so he found a sturdier maaterial to build with: sticks. This took a couple weeks, but not as much as a real house would take to build, plus it was sturdier than the straw his brother used. The third brother thought both of his other brothers were too lazy and knew that he wanted to do it right so he spent months laying down the cement and building his house out of bricks.
Now, in this area there was the Big Bad Wolf, who preyed on helpless pigs. He heard that these three brothers had set out on their own leaving the safety of their parents house behind.
He came up on the first pigs house and said, "Little pig, little pig won't you please let me in?"
"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!" replied the first pig.
"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" bellowed the Wolf. And indeed he did. In not one minute was there a wall staanding upright. Luckily, while the wolf wasa blowing, the first pig was able to run away to his brothers house down the road.
The Wolf realized where the pig had run so he approached the second house.
"Little pigs, little pigs, won't you pleaase let me in?"
"Not by the hair of our chinny chin chins," they retorted.
"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll bloooow your house in!" bellowed the Wolf once more. It took him longer, but eventually the Wolf gave a mighty exhale and the sticks came crashing down. Although neither of the pigs were to be seen since they had both escaped to their brothers house further down the road.
The Big Bad Wolf waas getting quite frustrated about his elusive prey but knew this was the last house and they had no where to run from there so he approached the brick house.
"Little pigs, little pigs, won't you please let me in?"
"Not by the hair of our chinny chin chins," they defiantly answered.
"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll bloooow your house in!" cried the infuriated Wolf, and he started blowing with all his might at the brick house. Yet even with all his respatory strength, the Big Bad Wolf could not seem to budge even a brick of the sturdy, well-built home.
Then the Wolf had an idea. The home had a chimney, and he immediately stopped blowing and stealthily made his way up the side of the house to the chimney top. Inside the two brothers whose houses were demolished were celebrating exclaiming how their brother was so smart and he had taken the time to build a house that the Big Bad Wolf couldn't destroy, but the thrid brother was not so easily duped and knew that this wolf was not all brawn. At that moment, he saw the tiniest flicker of light behind the closed shades and realized the Wolf's tail had swooshed over the shutters for an instant. He was climbing up to the chimney.
"Quick, fetch me a large pot of water!" he whispered urgently to his brother.
"And make a fire in the fireplace!" he told his other brother.
They gave blank stares. "Just do it." Both brothers had a respect for their sibling's intelligence so they did as they were told and soon the thrid pig had a simmering cauldron of boiling hot water in the fireplace. No sooner had he done that then the Big Bad Wolf dropped down the chimney and was burned to death and the Three Little Pigs lived Happily Ever After.
The End
There's the tale. Now, you shall visit all the residences of the Three Pigs to find your way to the Final where you will sign your name on a log and can build your very own abode. Please take pictures if you choose to do so.
The Final is at: N 38 5A.BCD W 77 2E.FGH
Parent's House:
D: # of fenceposts - # of circular window panes
H: 10 - # of circular windows
Straw House:
C: # of circular window panes
F: # of windows without panes
Wood House:
A: # of window panes - # of shutters
B: [# of window panes - # of circular windows and chimneys] -1
Brick House:
E: # of square windows - # of circular windows
G: # [of bricks on the back wall / 3 - # of circular windows] - # of windows on the front of the house
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.
Congratulations to jemcjb for this being their 5000th geocache find!
Cache has been placed in accordance with Fairfax Park Authority stated guidelines and permission obtained.