The Blocked Exit
A woman asked a man outside the room to break down a door that would no longer open.
After he broke it down, she thanked him.
But instead of going outside, she moved some furniture to block the doorway.
Why?
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Hints
Use as many hints as you need, one at a time.
Hint 1
The woman intended to stay there even after the doorway was opened.
Hint 2
Think about what breaking down the door allowed the man outside to do.
Hint 3
The weather outside is relevant to why she blocked the doorway.
Check the Answer
Answer
The woman was in a mountain hut in a blizzard.
A broken door fitting had left the door stuck shut. She could not let the man in when he arrived seeking shelter, so she asked him to break it down from outside.
Once he was inside, she blocked the doorway with furniture to keep the wind and snow from blowing in.
Explanation
The woman was sheltering from a blizzard in a mountain hut when the man arrived, also seeking shelter.
She tried to let him in, but a fitting on the old door had broken, leaving it stuck shut. She therefore asked him to break it down from outside.
When he did, she thanked him and welcomed him inside.
With the door broken, however, wind and snow could blow into the hut. She moved furniture across the doorway to act as a temporary windbreak. Once the weather improved, they could move it aside and go outside.
She had wanted the doorway open so that the man could come in.
Once he was inside, they needed to block the opening so that they could both shelter from the blizzard.
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