I've heard the door riddle before, but it had a much longer setup which narrowed down the possibilities. If I recall correctly, it went something like this...
A curious girl is brought up being told, "Never open the cellar door." She asks what's behind the door, and always gets the same response. "Never open the cellar door." For years, she wonders what's on the other side. Eventually she can't stand it anymore and she opens the cellar door.
She gasps at what she sees, and immediately runs out of the house. She runs over to a neighbour who happens to be mowing their lawn, and she explains the situation. The neighbour immediately calls the police.
The police arrive and they search the cellar from top to bottom. They find no drugs, no weapons, no bodies or body parts, the cellar is completely empty. Yet the police arrest the parents as soon as the parents arrive home. Why?
I personally prefer these kinds of setups, since you don't need to ask lots and lots of clarifying questions. When I'm just reading a riddle, I also like the "Agatha Christie" style where all the clues to solve it are in the riddle from the start, but in person there can be a lot of fun found in the style of riddle where you bounce questions back and forth. Different styles suit different situations, I think!
A curious girl is brought up being told, "Never open the cellar door." She asks what's behind the door, and always gets the same response. "Never open the cellar door." For years, she wonders what's on the other side. Eventually she can't stand it anymore and she opens the cellar door.
She gasps at what she sees, and immediately runs out of the house. She runs over to a neighbour who happens to be mowing their lawn, and she explains the situation. The neighbour immediately calls the police.
The police arrive and they search the cellar from top to bottom. They find no drugs, no weapons, no bodies or body parts, the cellar is completely empty. Yet the police arrest the parents as soon as the parents arrive home. Why?
I personally prefer these kinds of setups, since you don't need to ask lots and lots of clarifying questions. When I'm just reading a riddle, I also like the "Agatha Christie" style where all the clues to solve it are in the riddle from the start, but in person there can be a lot of fun found in the style of riddle where you bounce questions back and forth. Different styles suit different situations, I think!