*Solutions to the puzzles from chapter 4 can be found here*

You place your first nut carefully and proceed with what you know to be a winning strategy. As the game nears its end, Chris looks at you with a twinkle in his eye. You place the last nut and take in the board in front of you, satisfied that Chris has no possible moves left.

“That might be the first time I have ever lost, astounding. Finally, a worthy opponent. As promised, you may pick my brains all you like.” You bring out the map and as you are about to ask for help, Chris raises his hand to stop you. “Well this certainly brings back memories. Now I know why you sought me out, you want to know how to get into the temple. To do that, you will need one of these,” Chris reaches around in his mane for a while before pulling out a bright golden nut, just like the ones you had been playing with. “When you reach the temple, you will know what to do.”

With that, he disappeared as silently as he had appeared, leaving the leaf you had played on untouched. Looking at the map, you realise you don’t know where you are exactly, but the tip of the domed roof glints like a second sun and makes it easy to follow. “Looks like we’re on the last leg.” You think you hear a hint of sorrow when Terry says this, but think nothing of it. “I wonder if Chris has any other games to play, I often find myself bored in this place. Maybe he likes 21…” The rest of the journey continues in silence, a strange tension hangs in the air but for some reason you don’t want it to leave. Without anyone else to talk to but Terry, perhaps a tentative friendship has begun to form.

As you near the temple you hear the faint sound of rushing water, growing to an almost deafening level by the time you see the first golden streak shine through the thicket. You come across an old walkway with strange symbols etched into every cobblestone, running straight to a towering gate of gold littered with gems of every colour. In the centre of the gate was a small circular gap which seems to be the very same size as the golden nut Chris gave you. You place the nut firmly in the gate and the rumbling of huge gears shakes the ground as it lowers into the floor.

Before you lies the temple in its entirety. A huge pyramid-like structure reaching into the sky, plated in gold. The greenery of the jungle has crept up the lower levels of the temple over the years and thrives around the ornate fountains dotting each tier. Broad steps join each level and you make your way to the penultimate level where, unsurprisingly, a puzzle awaits you.

You notice the pump-like structure to the left spouting water at a constantly rotating block of stone. The water flows through bamboo pipes and over a heavy stone waterwheel before running back through some pipes and being recycled by the pump. As the stone block rotates, the flow of water is inverted, and the waterwheel begins to rotate slowly in the opposite direction. A thick stone platform follows the movement of the wheel in front of you, oscillating back and forth.

“My oh my this is a complicated one, I’ve never seen such a contraption. And what on earth are these things?” On your side of the bank are an assortment of differently shaped bamboo tubes, some splitters and even some marked with an arrow on them. You pick one up and look inside.

In order to cross the water, you will need to devise a way to ensure the waterwheel is always rotating in the same direction, no matter which way the water is flowing in. This would allow you to ride the platform all the way to the other bank, without it turning back before then.

“I guess I could help you assemble the parts over the water if you tell me where to put them. I’m no plumber though so other than that I’m clueless.”

Can you find a way of connecting the pump pipes up to the water wheel so that no matter which direction the water is flowing, the flow over the wheel is always forwards? 

NOTE: The water must always flow in a complete circuit or the pump will run out of water.

You take some pen and paper out of your sack and start planning. If you need, you can ask Terry for some help, which can be found here.

 

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Once you find a configuration you think will work, you proceed to instructing Terry on the placement of the pipes. You quickly jump onto the platform before it starts to inch slowly across to the other side. As the flow changes direction, your system successfully forces the water to run the same way over the wheel and the platform continues its journey. You hop off onto the bank and climb up the final flight of steps where a perfectly smooth stone door awaits, marked only by a small cloud engraved on its surface. As you step up closer, it begins to recede into the wall and then slide to the right, revealing a dark cavernous room.

“I’mmmmm not feeling so great about this…”,  Terry’s voice is almost a whisper. You decide to step forward cautiously, once both inside, the grating sound of the heavy door sealing shut alarms you. You notice three huge symbols painted onto the back of it.

Still bewildered, you turn around. In front of you, in the centre of the room, hangs a clean wicker basket large enough to hold a person suspended from the roof. Suddenly you realise that the roof was not a dome at all but instead the tip of a hot air balloon emerging from the top of the temple. The rest of the balloon sits beneath the roof, held in place by an enormous golden chain which disappears down through a hole in the floor. You face Terry, hoping he knows something about this, but he just stares back at you expressionless.

It seems clear that this is your way off the island and with a spurr of aplomb you walk up to the basket and climb in. Terry flies across the room to rest beside three large cogs, enumerated with symbols. The mechanism is connected to a shaft running along the floor and into the hole of the chain. You glance up at Terry with a sudden realisation.

 

 

“Well then, the final test. Tell me how to orient these gears (current code reads 2-1-4) and your journey home can commence.” You search the room for clues, anything to help in cracking the last code, nothing. Hopeless, you pull out the only thing this island has given you, the map.

Can you work out what code Terry must enter to set you free? You will want to print off your own copy of the map so that you can analyse it better. You can find a printable image here. [There is no need to print in colour]

If you are stuck, Terry can provide you with some help here. 

Solutions to the puzzles from chapter 5 can be found here.

The story continues in chapter 6 here.