The Waving Figure
A man stranded on a snowy mountain spotted a figure and waved desperately.
But when the figure waved back at him, he turned his back on it and started walking.
Why?
Let’s unravel your preconceptions, one by one.
View Hints
Hints
Take it little by little, just as much as you need.
Hint 1
This happened at night.
Hint 2
The figure seemed to be floating in the fog.
Hint 3
When the man stopped waving, the figure stopped at exactly the same time.
Hint 4
A strong light was shining on the man from behind.
Check the Answer
Answer
The figure was the man's own shadow, cast onto fog by a light from a rescue team behind him.
He realized this and turned around. When he saw the actual rescue team, he started walking toward them.
Explanation
It was night on the snowy mountain, and there was fog in front of the man. A rescue team's searchlight shone on him from behind, casting his own shadow onto the fog.
To the man, it looked like a person facing him. But when he waved, the figure made exactly the same movements at exactly the same time. When he stopped waving, it stopped too.
That was when he realized the figure was his own shadow. He turned around and saw the rescue team with their searchlight.
He turned his back on the figure and started walking toward the actual rescue team.
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