Ambrosia Software Web Board: The Turkey Time Travel Mystery - Ambrosia Software Web Board

Retsy and some less important companions were on their way back from an awesome quest. "I'm so cool & awesome. Remember how we got these cool devices?" Retsy asked one of her flunkies. "No," he said. "Well, your memory isn't so good but this is a great opportunity for some exposition.

"We had just finished running an errand for a mage. I think he wanted cheese or something. But actually he was lactose-intolerant, so when we got him the cheese he gave us a stranger device and a strangest device and told them one of them was cursed. 'One of these will let you time-travel, but one of them will turn you into a turkey!' he said," she said. "Anyway, we're home."

★

For several weeks the group sat around their hero pad but no one wanted to take the risky step of trying one of the devices. Then one day Retsy said, "I'm tired of waiting. I'm going to try one of these devices." She picked up the strangest device and pushed a button.

*POOF*

The strangest device clattered to the floor. Where Retsy had been standing there was now a turkey. "Oh no!" the flunky from a few paragraphs ago said. "Well, maybe we can reverse—" Just then a fireball shot into the turkey, *shwoomf*, and exploded. "–the spell. Or not." Where the (live) turkey had been standing there was now a (delicious-looking, cooked) turkey. The companions turned to see where the fireball had come from.

"Ta-da!" Retsy said. "It's me, Retsy!" She dropped a dissolving Fireball scroll.

"Thank goodness! But how did you survive?" they asked.

"It's a mystery, isn't it! Can you figure it out?" Retsy turned to face the camera. "And what about you, dear reader? Can you unravel the mystery of how I survived?"

INSERT JEOPARDY MUSIC HERE

Another chron, yay!

I'm still confused where the turkey came from, though.

They're both Retsy. In a previous timeline, Retsy 1 tried one of the devices. It was the time travel device. She went back in time and switched the devices. So, in the current timeline, when Retsy 2 tried one of the devices, it was now the turkey device. We only see the second, altered timeline.

That was brilliant, Fiery! Grapper's Return quality!

I thought (before reading the spoiler) that Retsy only used the time-traveling device, went to the past and obtained a turkey & a fireball spell, & somehow got the turkey in exactly the right place in exactly the right moment. But, that wouldn't have fulfilled the "Retsy must die" requirement. As it is, I think it's kind of creepy for her to eat herself, even if she was turned into a turkey & cooked...

Pallas Athene, on 29 November 2014 - 07:11 AM, said:

BreadWorldMercy453, on 29 November 2014 - 11:18 AM, said:

That's what I was afraid of.

BreadWorldMercy453, on 29 November 2014 - 11:18 AM, said:

It's creepy but not cannibalism, I think. And there's still a Retsy, so no harm, no fowl.

I call fowl on this.
If the devices are clearly distinguishable (one is stranger, the other is strangest), how can they be "switched" so that alternate-timeline-Retsy would pick the same apparent device the previous one did, and get the other effect?

A wild Geek appears! Geek uses Logic. It's super effective!

Geek, on 30 November 2014 - 05:44 PM, said:

Retsy is not particularly meticulous or logical. She just grabbed the nearest device and tried it. All Retsy 1 had to do was make sure that the turkey device was closer at hand when Retsy 2 went to try one (Retsy 1 probably just swapped them without thinking about whether or why that would work; she is, after all, not particularly meticulous or logical).

Amusing as always, Pallas .

I agree with 453: it does remind one of Grapper's Return. Maybe Grapper will have to save Cythera while all of the heroes are getting over food-poisoning from eating the Retsy-turkey.