Virtual Survivor Immunity Challenge Week 2: Iolaus is trapped in a 15 foot deep dirt pit and the sides are too crumbly to clilmb out. He has no rope, how could he get out? ----------------------------------------------- Iolaus is trapped in a 15 foot deep, dirt pit and the sides are too crumbly to climb out, he has no rope. How could he get out without anyone else's help? Iolaus sat on the ground pondering his situation. Everyone else was too far away to hear him if he called for help, and there was a chance that they could end up captured as well. The hunter sifted through all the "old Hunter's tricks" in his head but couldn't come up with anything that would help him this time. Iolaus thought about stripping off his clothes and using them as rope, but unfortunately (of fortunately from an Amazon's standpoint) he didn't wear too much-- a vest and a pair of pants wouldn't be long enough. He pondered and rejected several other ideas as too silly or impractical. he sat there quietly, allowing his mind to drift. His mind was filled with images of his childhood and of Hercules' pet dog. "I've got it," Iolaus said aloud. A long time later an exhausted and dirt covered Iolaus made it up to the solid ground of the forest. A search party found him moments later. "What happened to you?" "Fell into a pit. Water please," the hunter panted. "How'd you get out? Old Hunter's trick?" "Nope, 'old dog's trick'. I started digging in one corner of the hole. The dirt was quite crumbly and fell easily. I tossed all the dirt over into the other corner. Every once in a while I'd go over and pack down the pile of dirt before I went back to digging. Eventually and after a lot of digging, I had made a dirt ramp. It was too unstable to hold me standing up, so I crawled up it. I just got out of there a few minutes ago." "Wow, Iolaus. How did you ever come up with that idea?" "It was either that or dig a hole to China. Figured this would be quicker, though I may be almost to China with all the digging I did." Hope that was creative enough... :) Kat ------------------------------- 'Well, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into this time Iolaus, my friend'. Iolaus stood looking up at the high dirt walls. He rubbed his posterior and elbows. It was these body parts that seemed to have taken the brunt of his unexpected fall. But at least nothing was broken. He silently cursed and scolded himself for going on his little scouting excursion alone and then set his mind to figuring how he was going to get out of this hole. If only he had remembered to bring along a rope for just this sort of emergency. All the yelling for help he'd been doing had yielded 'no help' which meant he was on his own. At least he was until someone came in search of him. He tested the sides of his entrapment. Loose dirt and gravel broke free and fell away at all sides. The hole had to be at least 15-16 feet deep so there was no jumping out, that was for certain. Nor was there room enough for a running jump. Every movement at the sides of the hole caused more dirt to break free and fall to the bottom of the hole. Then he had an idea. He'd keep breaking away the sides and tamping down the fallen dirt until he had enough built up to stand on and manage his way out at the top. Iolaus skeptically began doing just that and although it took a great deal of time, effort and care to accomplish this he did do just that. When he reached within 4 or 5 feet of the top he could see a vine laying close by. After several attempts at jumping and grabbing at the vine he managed to grab a tight hold onto it and pulled himself out and free of his prison. After a much deserved rest he reminded himself to 1) never go scouting alone again or at least not without letting someone know what he was doing, 2) always carry a rope and 3) always, always carry some munchies along. Gods, he was hungry! Bev --------------------------- So who said these challenges would be easy?! I don't think they're easy, they are trying my brain to its limits! I know I don't have to do this in story form but I think better that way, hopefully by the time I get into it Iolaus and I will have come up with a plan! Iolaus groaned, shaking the dirt out of his hair and clothes. He carefully stood up checking that he hadn't been injured in the fall and heaved a sigh of relief when he confirmed that the only thing he'd dented was his pride. Falling into an ill-concealed hole in the ground, Hercules and Jason would never let him hear the end of it; that is if he could get out before he starved to death. The hunter looked upwards to the distant circle of sky, no chance of jumping for freedom. Okay, he kicked at the walls of his prison and an alarming amount of dry earth crumbled to the ground. Nope, that was no good either. So... what else was there? He looked around him and found nothing that would help him. The walls of the hole were too far apart to use as leverage, he was beginning to run out of ideas. Well there was pulling the edges of the hole down around him and using the earth to build a platform. Hmmm, last resort. The dirt was very loose packed and Iolaus had a nasty suspicion that it would come tumbling down on top of him and burying him forever if he wasn't careful. So, that was his surroundings accounted for, what about him? His bow and quiver were still up top somewhere, so they'd be no use. He had no rope. He did have his sword, a nice long blade that he was always swatting people with by accident. Might be useful, he couldn't see how just yet though. What else, oh yeah, there was all those rushes he'd been intent on using to lay a trap. They were bundled up and slung over his shoulder. Iolaus looked long and hard at the long strips of green and slowly a smile spread over his face. The plan was daring and seemed impossible, it would make for a great tale - even if Hercules would never believe that it was true. All he'd have to do was add a snake to notch up the danger level and it had the makings of a venison stew story. Now to put it in effect. First came the boring part, and the most worrying, he didn't know yet whether he had enough of the strong, pliant rushes. Carefully he seperated them out and began to plait them together into a nice strong rope. Hopefully one that would be long enough for him to climb out of this cozy but ultimately tedious hole. Iolaus finished his plaiting and ran his expert eye over the length of woven rushes, it would have to do. Now came the really tricky but cunningly clever bit, he was whistling as he worked. It made him feel happier and if any unsuspecting person just happened to walk by they'd know it wasn't a wild animal caught in the pit. With care Iolaus tied his lifeline around the handle of his sword. He didn't want to risk the blade it was sharp and would probably cut through the rushes. Iolaus hefted the sword in one hand to guage its weight, he cast his eye to the top of the hole checking the distance and without contemplating failure he threw the sword hilt first up into the sunshine. He heard it clatter just out of sight and whooped in delight. Now was the fussy bit, he pulled carefully on his homemade rope, teasing it slowly so that the sword was resting across the hole. If it fell back in Iolaus would have to start again but he didn't want to do that, and in the end he found that his sword behaved impeccably. It was soon lying across the hole the rush rope danging down into his hands. It was easy for Iolaus to pull himself out of the pit, hand over hand, using his feet as little as possible on the crumbling walls. He hauled himself over the edge, untied the rushes and re-sheathed his sword, whistling all the while. Yes, perhaps a tiger in the pit with him, or a nice unfriendly boar to add a little spice to the story. Caro ----------------------------- Iolaus chases after the rabbit..his sole focus is to catch this rabbit to assuage his hunger. Iolaus pats his stomach and says "Okay okay..be patient will ya?" Iolaus eyes his prey and fails to notice a gigantic hole in front of him. Iolaus falls 15 feet into a dirt pit. Ouch..exclaims Iolaus as he lands straight on his butt. Iolaus wipes the dirt off his pants as he explores his prison. Great 15 feet high..crumbly walls..no Hercules..no rope..can't climb out..mabye I can dig my way out. Iolaus notices an odd green glow coming from one of the walls. Curious, Iolaus walks toward the green glow to find a green rock glowing in the crevice of the wall. Iolaus picks up the rock to examine his find. Iolaus rubs the rock to get the dirt off the rock and notices ancient writing on the rock. As Iolaus rubs the rock, a green flash of light blinds Iolaus as he feels his body being propelled through a green vortex. Iolaus blinks once or twice to find himself tied up staring at miniature green men. The miniature green men are only several inches high. Iolaus in comparison feels odd as he is the titan of the group.. The leader of the miniature men exclaims "Looks like we've caught ourselves a human!" Another green man shakes his head "No, this one is too small..we must throw him back!" Iolaus reacts as being called small "Hey..!" Before Iolaus can utter another sound..a green flash of light once again blinds Iolaus as he once again finds himself propelled through a green swirling vortex. Iolaus blinks once or twice to clear the dizziness..Iolaus finds himself lying on his side in the grass still a bit dazed with Hercules, his hands on his hips, staring down at him. "So Iolaus..what's for breakfast? Where's your catch?" "You won't believe what happened to me Herc..I fell into this 15 foot dirt hole..and these little green men.." "Little green men? Iolaus? Sure you didn't hit your head too hard?" laughs Iolaus as he examines Iolaus' head for injuries. Iolaus pulls his head away from Hercules' hands and says "Listen Herc..I'm not making this up.." As confirmation, Iolaus shows Hercules the green crystal still in Iolaus' hands..and so folks that's my rendition of how Iolaus escaped from the 15 foot dirt pit! Skylark ---------------------------- Iolaus was walking through a grove of wide spreading chestnut trees when he felt the earth give out from beneath his feet. 'What the..?' He thought as he landed on his back on soft dirt. Getting to his feet and looking up he saw that he was in a wide pit about 15 feet deep. The dirt walls were perpendicular and when he tried to dig hand and foot holds, they crumbled away. "Okay, Iolaus. Think." He had his sword and, hey, yeh, tucked into his belt pouch (Iolaus has no pockets, remember) he found his fishing line. Looking up again he saw a long branch of a chestnut tree and grinned. 'Okay, this might work. If the branch is long enough.' Quickly, he tied the fishing line to the hilt of his sword and tested the knot to make sure it was secure. Taking one end of the line in his left hand and sword in his right, he crouched, then launched the sword up toward the branch. With his hunter's skill, unerring eye and an incredible amount of dumb luck, the sword soared (haha) gracefully over the branch entangling itself and the fishing line around the twigs and leaves. Pulling on the line, gently at first to make sure the sword was tightly wedged, he began hauling the branch downward slowly. The branch was thick and it took all of his strength to force it down while he hoped first, that the line wouldn't break and second that the branch wouldn't prove too short. Of course, if he were 6'4" like Herc, that wouldn't be a big problem. It was hard work. and when Iolaus' fingers touched the outermost leaves of the branch, he let out the sigh of relief. Entwining both hands as far up as he could reach he pushed off with his feet. The branch sprang upward taking the hunter with it and he soon found himself dangling from it looking down into the hole. He pulled himself up on the branch and after untangling his sword and fishing line, crawled toward the trunk until he cleared the rim of the pit. 'Whew!' he sighed as he dropped into the soft grass. Making a note to himself to come back later and put up a 'Beware of the Pit' sign, he ran off in search of the demigod. Allie ----------------------- The Golden Hunter's Guide to Self-Rescue (Or - How I get out when Hercules isn't around to help me.) Chapter 3: The Pit. Pits come in a variety of shapes, sizes, depths and construction. Stone pits in dungeons are generally damp, filled with spikes or bones (sometimes both) and can usually be escaped from by finding the secret door at the bottom and crawling up through the service tunnel behind it. Failing that, the old - feet on one side, hands (or back - depends on the width of the pit) on the other - trick usually gets you high enough to make a grab for the upper edge. Deep stone pits with water at the bottom are probably wells. Use the bucket or climb the chain. Alternatively, look for the underground stream or river which supplies the water and swim out. (Note: if you think you are likely to fall into such a well, carry an air filled bladder with you. That way you can swim underwater for a much greater distance without needing to surface for air.) Pits dug in soft soil are the trickiest. If they have spikes in the bottom there are two possible escape routes - however, bargaining with Gaia and walking the dark path where winter dwells is not to be recommended unless you have a friend who is closer than a brother on hand to help you out. Rip up the spikes instead and force them into the sides of the pit to make a ladder. If there are no spikes available, and you managed to fall in without a rope (or any other kind of line), you can try to dig yourself out, making sure not to undercut the edges too far - it's easy to bury yourself inadvertently. Tramping down the soil at regular intervals will gradually reduce the depth of the pit. This method is effective, but can be both time consuming and messy. Not recommended if you hate getting dirt under your fingernails. Another possible escape route is to try digging down - with luck you can reach the water table and the pit will then naturally fill with water. Keep yourself afloat while this happens and you will eventually be lifted up as far as ground level. Note that this is even messier than the previous method, since you will have to cope with mud as well as dirt. I have recently discovered an even more effective method of escaping such traps; however I don't recommend this to everybody since the preparations are highly complex and the side effects are difficult to cope with. For those wishing to master this particular trick you will need to: a)Die. That's not hard per se - but it helps if your death is both noble and heroic in nature. This ensures that you - b)Get taken up into the Light. This is an amazing experience and something everybody should have a chance to do at least once in their lifetime. It is possible to stop at this step. You'll never fall into another pit again. (Except, possibly THE Pit. Escaping that is another matter entirely.) c)Sneak out of the Light and get your best friend to pull you back into the world. Carrying dire warnings of an apocalypse earns you extra credit. *Stopping* the apocalypse isn't a bad idea either ... d)Accept the punishment laid on you for step c) above. Make sure it includes a sneaky (and unexpected) promotion. Now you can fall into the pit - any pit - whenever you like. Because - Once you have picked yourself up, you can simply manifest your wings and *fly* out ... ((Yeah, yeah, I know ... But I just couldn't resist it! )) Pythia -------------------------- (((Hee hee, this turned out to be kind of fun! Hope you like it.))) Blinking and rubbing the dirt from his eyes, Iolaus spit, trying to clear the grit from his mouth. You'd think he would have seen the stupid pit before falling into it. Great. Just great. Who's idea was it to put a damn hole in the middle of nowhere anyway? With a frustrated sigh, Iolaus hauled himself to his feet and looked around him. A scratch at the walls of his deep prison told him that he wouldn't be able to simply crawl out, as he'd hoped he could do. The weeks of little rain had left the soil parched and powder-like, and the walls began to crumble under his touch. *Scratch that idea* he thought. He stared at his confines for a moment, his arms folded over his chest. Just how was he going to get out of *this* one? He had nothing to climb, no rope or... "Iolaus!" He started at the sound of his name, but was immediately overcome with relief as Salmoneus called him once more. "Salmoneus! I'm down here!" "Down where?" "In this hole." Silence. Then, "You're in a hole?" "Uh....yeah. Look, if it isn't too much trouble, would you mind getting me out?" No response. "Salmoneus?" After a period of silence, Iolaus heard someone shuffling about nearby. "Well.....which hole?" "What do you mean, 'which hole?' *This* hole!" "Oh, that's great. That helps a lot. Iolaus, there are at least twenty holes here." "What?" "I said, there are at least...." "I heard," he interrupted. "Well then, why'd you ask?" Iolaus leaned a hand against the side of the pit, causing a sprinkling of silt to rain down over his arm and onto his feet. Sighing heavily, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Never mind. Where's Hercules?" "Who?" "Hercules." "I'm not Hercules, I'm Salmoneus. Did you maybe hit your head or something in there?" More scuffling sounds, the ocassional snapping of a twig. "I *know* who you are. *Where* is Hercules?" "I can't-what?" Salmoneus' voice sounded muffled, further away. "WHERE IS HERCULES?" Iolaus bellowed. "You don't have to yell at me, you know. It's not *my* fault you're down there," came the indignant reply. "And you are SO lucky I'm not up *there*," Iolaus snapped. "Was that a thr-are you threatening me?" The voice was closer now. "I just want you to get me out of this damn hole!" "You're not being very nice to me. Maybe if you tried being a little more..." "Salmoneus!" This was getting asinine. "Go. Get. Hercules." "Not until you apologize for yelling at me." "Salmoneus!" No reply. "Salmoneus, go get..." he broke off, biting back what he *really* wanted to say to the man. "All right. All right. I apologize." "I can't hear you." "I said, I'm sorry," he yelled. "See? You're doing it again." "Doing wha-? Oh, for the love of Hades," the hunter muttered. "Would you just go get Hercules? Please?" "Oh, what...am I not good enough for you now?" Salmoneus' face appeared above him, peering into the hole. For a moment, Iolaus couldn't speak. "What?" he finally managed to ask. "I'm not good enough to rescue you, is that it? Have to go get Mr. Rippling Biceps?" he asked angrily, his movements loosening the soil at the edge of the pit and showering Iolaus with a fine powder of dirt. "Mr. Rippling...?" "What am I? A trained goat? A dog you can send to fetch items at your every whim?" The face suddenly disappeared. "Salmoneus...." No response, but a small twig suddenly dropped into the hole. A few moments later, it was followed by another, then a pebble. "Would you cut it out?" Iolaus shouted. Another stone hit the ground by Iolaus' feet, then a stick. Then a handful of grass. "SALMONEUS! I am going to..." "Iolaus." "What?!?!" Silence. Then, "Iolaus?" The another shower of twigs and torn grass rained into the pit. "STOP THAT!" "Iolaus?" Another stone fell in, hitting the hunter in the shoulder. Damnit all to... "KNOCK IT OFF!!!" "Sorry," said a deep voice. Blinking, Iolaus suddenly found himself sprawled next to the campfire, free from that damnable pit and annoying little man, and staring up into the face of one very amused demigod. He'd been....dreaming? "Hercules?" the hunter asked incredulously, propping himself up on one arm. "You were expecting maybe...Salmoneus?" ~Drakkar ------------------------- OK, I'm not doing this in story form! I have studiously avoided reading everyone else's solutions to the challenge, so I don't know if my approach is simply repeating what others have already said, or if it's original, but it's the best idea I could come up with! The challenge was: >Iolaus is trapped in a 15 foot deep, dirt pit and the sides are too >crumbly to climb out, he has no rope. How could he get out without anyone >else's help? OK, well, after an initial bout of cussing and checking for broken bones (we will assume that there are none), I think our Hero would look around and assess the situation. We haven't been given any other dimensions for the pit, except that it is 15 feet deep. If the pit were narrow enough in one of its dimensions, I imagine that the first thing Iolaus would do would be to try and chimney himself out. That is, he would brace his feet against one wall and his head and shoulders against the other, and basically "walk" himself out. This takes a lot of strength and energy, but we know know our guy has that in abundance! Also, wonderful abs! (Time out for Owlie to drool a bit) ... oh yes ... where were we?.... Okay, if the dimensions of the pit are such that this is not a possibility, then Iolaus - possibly after another short bit of cussing - would have to use another method. It's been stated that the walls are too crumbly to climb out. OK, that precludes him simply gouging out hand and foot holds to go up the wall. What he CAN do, however, is pick a spot in the wall that is the crumbliest, reach up as high as he possibly can - which, on a man of Iolaus' height, would probably be about 7 feet up (I just checked this with a measuring tape), and start digging out the wall. This will bring dirt down into the bottom of the pit, which Iolaus will stamp down firmly. Very carefully, so as not to bring down the sides and bury himself, he will dig out one side of the pit and use the tamped down dirt to raise up the floor on the opposite side to form a ramp that he can eventually climb up and haul himself over the top to freedom! Yes, it will be very tough on his hands and he'll have dirt under his fingernails for a month. If he has a sword or something with him, that might help him dig. But it CAN be done, and knowing our boy, he could do it! Love to ya! Owlharp ---------------------- Hey, everybody! We're all having such a good time on the island, it's easy to get carried away, like I did with this challenge. I know Ceryndip said we didn't have to write a story, but I couldn't help myself. I just started typing and things got really fuzzy after that. Anyway, when I regained consciousness, this was on my computer screen. Hope you like it. Llove, Llyra OUTSIDE THE BOX by Llyra Iolaus landed with a hard thump at the bottom of the pit. He groaned as he tried to pick himself up – a fifteen foot fall was nothing to sneeze at. Over head a dark figure peaked over the edge of the pit. "Iolaus!" Ares called down to him, mock surprise in his voice. "Whatever are you doing in such a nasty place?" "Waiting for Herc to get here and kick your sorry butt," the hunter growled as he finally regained his feet. "Pardon me?" Ares cupped a hand to his ear as though he hadn't quite heard the question. "What was that? Hercules is going to get you out of this, you say? Really! By the way are you comfy down there? After all, you're going to be down there for a loooooong time! Especially if you're waiting for my goody-two-sandals half brother to show up." Iolaus was never one to back down from anyone, including the God of War. "Why don't you come down here and find out, you coward?" he shouted his challenge angrily. "Okay!" Ares suddenly appeared before him, casually leaning on the wall of the pit, studying his nails. "So, I'm here. What'd you have in mind?" "Get me out of here, Ares!" Iolaus demanded. "You can't win; Hercules'll kick you from here to Mount Olympus for this little caper!" "Oh, so I can't win, huh?" Ares chuckled evilly. "Think again, mortal. This time, you're toast. My mongrel half brother will never find you in time." "You've underestimated both me and Herc before, and you'll do it again!" "Do tell! Well, not this time. You're too far away for him to hear you shout, and even when he does get here, he'll never be able to get you out before you fall. Too bad." "It won't be –" "Did I forget to mention that the walls will collapse completely if you even think about trying to climb them or make a ramp out of them? You'll be buried under a ton of sand within seconds," Ares became thoughtful. "Actually, I'd pay to see that; you trying to dig your way up through all that sand before it crushes you to death or your air runs out, whichever comes first. Might be quite the entertaining show." "You are one sick puppy, Ares." "Oh, you don't know the half of it," Ares said gleefully. "Meet Goldy." Ares held out his hand and a lovely little gold bird in a silver cage appeared there. The bird trilled prettily and looked about with bright, unafraid eyes. "Goldy, here is your new partner and boy, do you need one! He's about half as annoying as Hercules and twice as smart. Better looking, too, in my not so humble opinion. Anyway, I'd strongly suggest you heed Goldy's council. See, I'm about to introduce a little poison air into this nice, confined little space. The bird is your Early Warning System. He takes one whiff and he folds, permanently. When that happens, you have exactly 10 seconds to live. I'll be back to gloat over your dead carcase just as soon as ol' Herc gets here." He handed the cage to the stunned hunter and clapped his hands cheerfully. "Well, that's it. Have a nice day!" With a friendly wave, he was gone. Iolaus stood for a minute in shock. How would he ever get out of this one? He couldn't attempt to climb out, or dig his way out or shout for help. He had no rope or means of signalling, he could not jump high enough to escape and Ares had promised poisonous air to make life interesting. His only companion was a pretty bird. All in all, things were shaping up for a very bad day. The hunter forcibly pushed down his rising panic and tried to think his way out of this. Carefully so as not to disturb the sandy walls of the pit, he sat cross legged on the floor, the bird cage in his lap. Taking pity on the poor, doomed creature, he opened the cage and carefully reached inside. The little bird hopped onto his finger and was slowly pulled from its confinement. "Get away, little one," Iolaus advised his new `partner.' "No need for both of us to die in here. Go on! Shoo!" To his surprise and dismay, the golden one simply sat on his hand and stared at him, not even trying to escape. "Don't just sit there, fly!" He shook his hand to dislodge the creature, to no avail. He lifted the bird to eye level. "Please get away?" In truth, the man was glad to have even a little bird with him in this situation. He had never liked being alone. Finally accepting his companion, he settled the bird onto his lap and stroked its head with his finger. It seemed to lean into his caress. Daintily the bird rubbed its beak and neck against the man's finger tip. Iolaus found it oddly comforting. "*This is but one plane of existence*." Where had that thought come from? He remembered it as a quote from one of his old masters from the East, who had insisted that everyone existed on many different planes in many different universes. Iolaus himself had halfway confirmed this theory when he had travelled to the Sovereign's realm. The master had further speculated, then shown, that it was possible for a conscious man to travel to other planes to experience life as it was lived in another universe, simply by bending his will to the task. "*The mind carries the body and leads it as far as it wills. Do not underestimate its power*." Iolaus shook his head. How could this help him? What he needed was a good strong rope, preferably with Hercules at the other end of it pulling him to safety. "*Your mind limits itself. Think outside all that you have ever known*." Iolaus thought back to that long ago experience in the East. All of the temple acolytes had gathered around an old master to watch him demonstrate the reality of his mind. He had sat in serene meditation for some time, then had slowly closed his eyes. As his eye lashes had met, he had disappeared from sight; one moment he was there and the next, he was gone. All the acolytes had stared open mouthed at the space previously occupied by the old man. A warm autumn breeze blew softly through the room. Minutes later, and just as mysteriously, the man reappeared, still seated serenely on his cushion, his eyes just opening. "This can't be real!" Iolaus had rashly claimed. "It's got to be a trick!" In reply, the old man had turned his gentle gaze on the young barbarian and smiled softly. Then he opened one gnarled old hand. In his palm lay a cluster of blooms. Cherry blossoms. After that, Iolaus had never questioned the power of the mind again. Eager to achieve the same results, he had studied how to accomplish this `mind travel,' never to much success. The old master, Yuen, had smiled his soft little smile and informed him that, although he was an apt and willing pupil, it would take years of concentration and study, not to mention the patience that comes with age, to allow Iolaus the inner peace that he needed to travel by way of his mind. The young rarely were able to discipline their thinking enough, filled as they were with bodily desires and emotional turmoil. "*Your mind must be clear of all emotion: all hate, all love, all fear, all desire. You must be able to forget, for the time, who you are as an individual, and combine yourself with the forces of the universes themselves. Only the very old can put aside their emotional selves and focus on their minds alone*." There was his answer to his current dilemma. In a trap with no way out, there was the exit. It was a long shot at best, but Iolaus had learned a great deal about discipline throughout his life. He was sure he could suppress his fear and desire. "Besides," he mused to himself. "I am clear out of options. It's either this or give in. Okay, Goldy, time to think ourselves outside the box!" He settled himself into a more comfortable position and began the meditation exercises that he had learned so long ago. "*Think of the lake in the early morning: calm, still, undisturbed. Even a pebble thrown into its midst makes only a temporary ripple before it returns to its stillness. Become like the lake*." How long he sat, Iolaus never did figure out. Slowly, his body relaxed as he released all his tensions and anxieties as unimportant and irrelevant. Soon he felt only peace, only stillness with no love, no hate, no fear and no desire to mar his peace. "*As the peace descends upon you, you will follow where your heart leads you*." Suddenly, Iolaus became aware of a faint, acrid smell. "The poison!" he thought, almost breaking his concentration. "*It is unimportant, irrelevant. It disturbs your peace. I too feel the bad air, but I remain unchanged by its presence*." "You're right. It doesn't matter at all. Ares doesn't matter. This pit doesn't matter. Nothing matters." "*All that matters now is where your heart will lead you. Go to that place in peace and harmony with the universe*." Iolaus felt himself floating in a sea of tranquillity. With one hand resting lightly on the bird's back, he slowly closed his eyes. As his eye lashes met, the walls of the pit were no longer oppressing him, he could no longer smell the gas (or, if he could, he no longer cared about the implications) he no longer cared what Ares was doing or why, and he no longer questioned where he had come up with the idea of mind travel to escape the pit in the first place. At least he didn't until a rough hand started shaking him by the shoulder. "Iolaus!" shouted a worried, familiar voice. "Iolaus! Wake up! Answer me!" The hunter slowly opened his eyes and looked into the face of his partner. "Hmmm?" "Iolaus! Snap out of it!" Hercules was almost faint with relief to see his partner, alive and relatively well. Ares had been taunting him for the past day that he would never reach Iolaus in time, that the walls of the pit would soon crumble and bury him alive, that he would suffocate from poisoned air. It had taken all the demigods strength to keep from a) panicking, b) running off blindly in the wrong direction and c) murdering his half brother with his bare hands, at least until Ares told him where Iolaus was. Now, here was the brother of his heart, sitting in lotus, seemingly without a care in the world and looking up at him with a positively beatific smile on his face and a golden bird in his hands. "Iolaus can you hear me?" Hercules resisted the urge to shake the smaller man until his teeth rattled, just to get some reaction. "Of course I can hear you, Herc," Iolaus answered mildly. "You're right –" Suddenly, he seemed to see his surroundings for the first time. He leapt to his feet, almost knocking Hercules over in the process. He looked around himself wildly, then he seemed to calm down and began to laugh with relief. "It worked!" he crowed. He lifted the bird to eye level and almost sang with joy. "How `bout that, Goldy? It worked!" He turned to his friend. "Herc! It worked! I did it!" "You – did it?" the demigod eyed his friend sceptically. "Did what?" "I mind travelled! Man is Ares gonna be surprised when he gets back to that pit and finds me gone! I wish we could see the look on his face, eh Goldy?" "Iolaus, what are you –" "Hey!" the hunter called out in dismay as his little feathered friend suddenly launched itself into the air and flew straight up. "Goldy! Come back!" But the bird was gone, and the warrior felt oddly bereft. "Farewell, little one," he whispered as it flew out of site. Together Hercules and Iolaus started the long journey back home, Iolaus all the while regaling his friend on how he had finally got the hang of this `mind journey thing.' It would take several days before he worked the whole experience out of his system, but Hercules decided that he could be patient that long. After all, the alternative was to come to the rescue too late. As the two friends passed out of sight, a lovely, golden little bird alighted on a boulder and fluffed out its plumage. Moments later an old man, wrinkled and frail-looking, sat in perfect lotus where the bird had been. A proud smile lit up his face. "Well done, my barbarian. You have learned much in your travels. You have done this with only a little prompting from me. I am impressed. I have always wondered where your heart would lead you on the mind journey and now I know. Your brother! Interesting. Perhaps I shall meet you again in another guise. Until then, stay where your heart has led you." The old man closed his eyes, smiled his serene smile and melted until only the little golden bird remained. With a chirp it launched into the air. The end Disclaimer: Ares was indeed fit to be tied when he got back to the pit and Iolaus was gone. His growls of "Curses! Foiled again!" could be heard all the way to Olympus. This story gives a nod to Schroedinger and his cat. Llyra --------------------------- Any good ideas didn`t come to us so it will be simple. When Iolaus found himself in this pit he needed to choose the wall above which was the large tree. Then he dug the dirt from opposite wall and did a step. It wasn`t necessary to do a hidh step so he didn`t risk to collapse the wall. Standing on that step he could ( with some luck ) find and dig a root of the tree, at the depth about 4 feet they are solid enough. He pulled himself up on this root and used it as a support for his foot. Power push and he laid his chest on the edge of pit. It sounds complicated but I think for Iolaus it`s possible. Ahary. --------------------------------------------- Grumbling, cursing, pacing and talking to himself…all great for stress relief but…it wasn't going to get him out of this predicament. Iolaus plopped down on the packed earth bottom of the pit he found himself in. 'It must be at least 15 feet deep' pondered the hunter as he scanned the inside of his impromptu prison. 'The walls are crumbly so I can't climb out…I've got no rope…and Herc's not expecting me for a few more days so nobody knows I'm even missing…damn!' It took a little while, but our intrepid hunter got himself under control and examined his situation closely. He opened his carry sack and took inventory. His water skin held enough that he could carefully ration out for 2-3 days. He had some dried meat and a couple of apples…a little bit of fishing wire and a hook. Nothing that would help him out of his present situation. 'As soon as my provisions are gone, it it'll be all over…can't go long without water…unless it rains and I can catch some…hey…that just might be the answer…my trip to the East wasn't just about learning how to fight…ha, ha!' The hunter removed his boots, his belts and his vest and shoved them into his carry sack which he placed close at hand. Then he sat in the center of the pit with his legs crossed, one atop the other in a classic lotus position. He quieted his mind, became centered and then lost himself in cleansing meditation for the better part of the next hour. With a deep breath, the hunter gracefully rose to his feet and began to dance around the pit…a purposeful dance in which he accompanied himself with a haunting chant. Swaying and undulating to long forgotten sounds only he could hear. As the blond went through his paces, the sky darkened…thunder sounded…lightning flashed…and a heavy, heavy rain coursed down from the heavens in droplets the size of a man's fist. The pit rapidly filled with water but the hunter continued his dance. When the depth of the water reached Iolaus' chest, he bent to pick up his carry sack and slung it across his back. Yet he continued to dance until he could no longer feel the ground beneath his feet. Dog paddling, he continued to purpose, chanting and swimming about the pit as best he could in a semblance of the dance. He did this until the pit completely filled with water and he could swim to the edge and crawl out onto the firm ground. He lay, hugging the earth in gratitude for a brief moment. Then, before giving into his exhaustion, the hunter resumed the lotus position and gave thanks for the saving rain. The rain let up and Iolaus fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke, refreshed, he filled in the pit so no other unsuspecting traveler would tumble into it… Peace, MaryE --------------------------------- "how am I going to get out of this one" iolaus said disgustly "I can't believe I fell into this stupid hole. Its got to be 15 feet and these walls are crumbling" "OK think Iolaus, no rope but I do have my sword and 2 knives." "I got it!!" Iolaus yells Iolaus takes off his 2 belts and uses them to tie a knife to the soles of his boots. He then stands in the corner and jabs his sword as high as possible above his head and pulls himself up. He then jabs each boot into the wall corners. He slowly steadys and balances himself takes the sword and jabs it above his head again. He slowly takes one boot out and jabs it higher up and then does it to the next boot. He continuues until he is out of the hole Athena ------------------------------------ Ok, this is what happens when I stay up too late. I'd just like to apologize to Monty Python fans everywhere, and also to the castaways that put forth the time and effort to come up with a real answer to this challenge It was misty in Greece that day. Iolaus moved through the condensation over the desolate land, coming upon a large castle looming against the horizon. As he approached, a guard on the wall spotted him. "Halt! Who goes there?" "It is I, Iolaus, son of Skorous, hero of Thebes." "Get away." "I am. I have traveled the length and breadth of the land, until I fell into a fifteen foot deep pit over that ridge. It is my quest to warn others of this danger. I must speak with your lord and master." "What, a pit in the ground?" "Yes." "How'd you get out?" "I climbed out." "Climbed out? Of a fifteen foot deep pit? The soil's too crumbly." "What do you mean?" "Well, this is a temperate zone." "The earthworm may dig his way through the soil. Or the ant or the shrew may burrow underground. Yet these are not strangers to our land." "Are you suggesting that you tunneled out?" "Not at all. I could have been carried." "What, an earthworm carried you out of the pit?" "Why not?" "I'll tell you why not. Because an earthworm is about five inches long and weighs about an ounce." "It could have gripped me by the hair.." "It's not a question of where it grips you. It's a simple matter of weight ratios. A one ounce worm could not carry a full grown human." "Well, it doesn't matter. Go and tell your master that Iolaus of Thebes is here to warn him and his people of the pit." "Look, to maintain velocity, a worm has to undulate four hundred and ninety three times per second, right?" "Please!" "Am I right?" "I'm not interested." A second guard appears on the battlements. "He could be carried by an African earthworm." "Oh, an African earthworm maybe, but not a Grecian earthworm, that's my point." "Oh yes, I agree with that." "Will you ask your master if he will warn others about the pit?" Iolaus is quickly losing patience. "But then, of course, African earthworms don't come to the surface." "Oh yes," the second guard agrees. Thoroughly disgusted, Iolaus turns his back and walks away, getting swallowed up in the unladen mist. "Wait a minute! Suppose two earthworms carried him together?" "No, they'd have to have it on a line." "Simple. Use a bit of creeper." "What, under the clitellum?" "Why not?" I'd go on, but a strange person wearing a colonel uniform has just burst in my room and accused me of getting too silly, so I'll have to stop here. And now for something completely different... Quiet Wolf -------------------------------------------