A Reply in the Eleventh Year
Every year, a man wrote a letter addressed to himself.
Naturally, he did not receive a single reply for ten years.
In the eleventh year, when his first reply arrived, he fled the house.
Why?
Let’s unravel your preconceptions, one by one.
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Hints
Take it little by little, just as much as you need.
Hint 1
Just because he wrote letters does not mean he posted them.
Hint 2
Think about the point in his life represented by the "self" he was writing to.
Hint 3
The man hoped his future self would be living a different life from the one he was living then.
Hint 4
Do not assume that fear was what the man felt when he "fled."
Hint 5
The man was being kept locked inside that house.
Hint 6
The reply was written by someone who only learned about the man's circumstances after reading his letters.
Hint 7
The reply contained an offer to help the man escape from the house.
Check the Answer
Answer
The man was being held captive by his family. His letters were addressed to his future self, who would one day be free.
A housekeeper read the letters after his family found and threw them away. In a reply hidden in his meal, she offered to help him escape. He trusted the reply and escaped from the house with her.
Explanation
The man's family had kept him locked in a room in the house for many years.
On his birthday each year, he wrote a letter addressed to his future self, who would one day be free.
"Will I be living outside this house by this time next year?"
He wrote down hopes like this and hid the letters so no one would find them. Naturally, no reply came, since he had not sent them to anyone.
In the eleventh year, his family found the hidden letters and threw them all into a bin.
As the housekeeper was clearing them away, the words on the pages caught her eye. She had been told that the man was recuperating. It was only when she read the letters that she learned he was being held captive by his family.
The housekeeper wrote him a reply.
"I've read your letters. I'll come and unlock your room tonight. Let's leave this place together."
She folded the reply into a small note, wrapped it up, and hid it in a slit in the bread that would accompany his meal.
As usual, his family brought him his meal. When he broke open the bread, he found the first reply he had ever received.
That night, after the family had gone to sleep, the housekeeper took the key and unlocked his room. The man escaped from the house with her.
He had not fled because the reply frightened him.
For ten years, he had been able to entrust his hopes only to his future self. Now, for the first time, someone had answered them.
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