[Hobbsicle] Pay for Experience

[Hobbsicle]

A man goes to a stranger’s house and offers him money if he will let him do some manual labor. The stranger refuses the money, but agrees to let the man do the work. The man completes only a small percentage of the job and leaves. He comes back a couple of days later with someone else, and they complete the job. All three people involved tell this story for years to come. What is going on?

OAATP Rules apply.

[Doriana]

Is the manual labor gardening? painting? repairing something? renovating something? moving something? building something? demolishing something? installing something? roofing? carpentry?

[trebor]

Is the money he offers the usual currency for the area?

[Hobbsicle]

Doriana

Is the manual labor gardening? This is closest painting? repairing something? renovating something? moving something? building something? demolishing something? installing something? roofing? carpentry?

trebor

Is the money he offers the usual currency for the area? Assume yes

[GalFisk]

Close to gardening: sowing? Weeding? Watering? Harvesting? Spraying? Logging? Planting? Landscaping? Pruning? Sculpting? Trimming? Cutting? Plowing? Fertilizing? Digging? Burying? Burning?

[Hobbsicle]

Close to gardening: sowing? Weeding? Watering? Harvesting? Spraying? Logging? Planting? Landscaping? Pruning? Sculpting? Trimming? This Cutting? And/or this Plowing? Fertilizing? Digging? Burying? Burning?

[Doriana]

Trimming/cutting grass? bushes? trees? hedges?

[trebor]

Is anything about the identity/identities of the people relevant?

[GalFisk]

Do they tell the story as: funny? Dramatic? Sad? Unbelievable? Awesome? Weird? Heartwarming? Wholesome? Mysterious? Supernatural/religious? A warning? A fable? A lie? A poem? Song?

[AlbatrossLover]

Is a historical event relevant? A legend/myth? A famous movie/TV series/other media?

[Hobbsicle]

Doriana

Trimming/cutting grass? This bushes? trees? hedges?

trebor

Is anything about the identity/identities of the people relevant? Yope, certain details may help

GalFisk

Do they tell the story as: funny? Dramatic? Sad? Unbelievable? Awesome? Weird? Heartwarming? Something like this, though there could be other adjectives in here that would work, like wholesome, little bit funny Wholesome? Mysterious? Supernatural/religious? A warning? A fable? A lie? A poem? Song?

[hominid]

"They"=both of the people (who don't live in the house)?

[GalFisk]

Is the grass cut by: electric lawnmower? Gas-powered lawnmower? Manual lawnmower? By a tool? A new invention? Animal(s)?

[Earnest]

Is anything making the presence of the three in the same house/place "unusual": e.g. religion? politics? boundaries? Changing status from war to peace? ethnicity? Belonging to minorities? opposite factions? Being leaders of people? Being candidates for something?

[Hobbsicle]

hominid

"They"=both of the people (who don't live in the house)? Yes

GalFisk

Is the grass cut by: electric lawnmower? Gas-powered lawnmower? Manual lawnmower? By a tool? A new invention? Animal(s)? Not especially relevant, we'll say gas-powered, most likely

Earnest

Is anything making the presence of the three in the same house/place "unusual": e.g. religion? politics? boundaries? Changing status from war to peace? ethnicity? Belonging to minorities? opposite factions? Being leaders of people? Being candidates for something? None of these, though there is something fairly unusual going on

[Earnest]

is there a relationship among the three: relatives? friends? complete strangers? enemies? colleagues? co-workers? parents and son? authorities meeting each other? relatives that could not see each other due to COVID and made an excuse? others?

[GalFisk]

Was there anything remarkable about the action of cutting the grass? If so: how it was cut? When? By whom? For what reason? How quickly? How neatly? In what pattern?

[Hobbsicle]

Earnest

is there a relationship among the three: YES, but not with the stranger and the other two relatives? friends? complete strangers? enemies? colleagues? co-workers? parents and son? authorities meeting each other? relatives that could not see each other due to COVID and made an excuse? others? Something else, but friends is closest

GalFisk

Was there anything remarkable about the action of cutting the grass? YES If so: how it was cut? When? By whom? For what reason? This... How quickly? How neatly? In what pattern? ...and this

[GalFisk]

Was the pattern: silly? Serious? Random? Rude? Artistic? Mathematical? Scientific? Benefical? Destructive? Sports-related?

[Hobbsicle]

Was the pattern: silly? Serious? This, though not somber in tone Random? Rude? Artistic? Mathematical? Scientific? Benefical? Yope, DOYD Destructive? Sports-related? No to rest

[Doriana]

Marriage proposals relevant?

[trebor]

Relevant why it's that specific house?

[GalFisk]

Dit it contain text? Symbols? Graphics? Art? Information?

[Hobbsicle]

Doriana

Marriage proposals relevant? YES!

trebor

Relevant why it's that specific house? Not really for our purposes, anyway

GalFisk

Dit it contain text? THIS Symbols? Graphics? Art? Information?

I think we're getting the gist of it by now....

*********************SPOILER***************************

The man is going to propose to his girlfriend on a hot air balloon ride (or small plane ride would work). He finds a stranger with an unused field of tall grass on the flight path and offers him some money if he can mow "[Girl's name], Will you marry me?" into the grass. The stranger is glad to play a part and doesn't want the money, and he lets the man partially mow the field. The man comes back later with his fiancee to thank the man and to mow away the message. They all enjoy telling the story for years to come.

Good leap, Doriana, and thanks to all for playing!