The statue keeps walking south. It reaches the southern edge of the pile and steps off onto the ground. It keeps walking. You dash after it. You reach the edge of the pile and step onto the ground. The statue is about ten feet ahead of you. You slow down to its pace. You follow steadily, keeping about ten feet between yourself and the statue. The hours pass slowly. Eventually, it's late afternoon. Your shadow stretches out to your left. You welcome the cool breezes but you don't get to enjoy it since your feet ache. Hunger gnaws at your stomach. After some time, you begin to see something in the distance. You think it's a river with a bridge across it. When you get closer, you see it's a long canyon or chasm. It's apparently narrow but very deep. There's a wood and rope bridge suspended across it. Standing in front of this end of it is an old man with a long white beard, and dressed in rags. The statue reaches the bridge and steps onto it. The old man steps aside to let it pass. When you walk up to the bridge, the old man blocks your path.
"Hello, I'm John. I'm following that statue. May I pass?"
The old man stares at you but does not speak.
"I'm with him. He said I could follow."
This elicits nothing from the old man, who is also quite odoriferous. You curse that the first human you've seen in this land is so rude. You sigh.
"How much will it cost to pass this bridge?"
"To pass the bridge is free but you must answer a riddle to get past me."
You're not in the mood for this. It's a frail old man who appears unarmed. You could probably kill him with one blow if you wanted to. If you just draw your sword and threaten him, he would let you pass. Do you threaten the old man? Yes or no?
