Now you probably would have totally ignored everything and
tried to get away from the strange room except for some
puzzling observations you were making.
A dozen years earlier when you were but 4 years old your
greatgrandfather from the Old Country had passed away and the
old guy had left you some faded photographs and relics from when he was
young.
Over the years you'd figured up the story behind those
black and white photos.They'd been taken in the early 1940s
when your great granddad had been a spy for the Scandinavian
secret agents organization known as SI-6.
In a nutshell the old gent had been spying on the Occupation Army.
So you'd acquired a eye for 1940s and earlier furniture styles and
the like.
This weird room reminded you of a 1940s Scandinavian room
you'd seen in one of those old photos.
So you tried to act like nothing was amiss and gazed down on
the highly reflective surface of the plaque set on the table.
In its reflection you could see into the deep dark
attic ceiling above you.
Not surprisingly the font of the riddle had that kind
of 1920s-1940s feel and as you acted like the riddle really
interested you you could see in the reflective surface of the
plaque a pair of glowing amber slitted reptilian eyes gazing down
on you from the attic ceiling.
Your host did not appear to have a solid body beyond those
eyes but seemed to be a shifting ball of mist hovering in the
heights above you.
So as not to alarm him or her you next turned your attention to
the bowls.Now that you'd been reminded of your greatgrandad again
you also were reminded of the other relics you'd found amongst
his effects,a extracted human tooth that a note in Olaf's shaky scrawl
had informed you the tooth had once contained a drop of cyanide,a
suicide pill all SI-6 captured agents could use in case the enemy
pushed them to it.
Poisoned bowl of oats ?
Maybe
But those apples looked too juicey and red.
You felt under the table carefully and found what you were
looking for
the Secret Compartment.....