Fandango KEPT the key

[Natalie]

Okay, so hear me out. Fandango is a fox... there are thousands if not more different animals roaming about MDI. Why choose a fox? Well, what do we know about foxes.. They are sly, cunning, crafty yada yada. SO why would we believe that Fandango had any intention whatsoever of handing the key over to the wind? He speaks throughout the book about how great his life will be once he makes it off of MDI with the prize. Hell, half of the book is him scheming a way to get around Poseidon and the wind all together and make off with the gold! Has anyone given any serious time or thought to the idea that it is not on MDI but just outside of it? There are a few references in the book that would make sense but for now I am going to keep those to myself. Any thoughts? Also should note that I live on MDI in bar harbor so if you have any solves and are not going to get upset if I tell you I have been there and it is not there, please hit me up!

[ronemund]

I don't think that makes sense.



The website says:

Somewhere on Mount Desert Island, Maine, a golden key is hidden. The location of the key can be found by reading through FANDANGO and uncovering the clues concealed in the pages of the book.



And the official rules say

The reader does not need to be present on Mount Desert Island to solve the Riddle. The reader does need to be present on Mount Desert Island to recover the Golden Key.

I mean, cute idea and all, but no.

[Natalie]

Guess we will find out in november?

[ronemund]

Right.  If it turns out to be outside of MDI after

1. the website
2. the book
3. official rules
4. Pel in interviews (this hunt is based in Maine. It's based in Mount Desert Island.)

all say the key is ON MDI, I will be asking Pel for my money back for the book.  Forrest Fenn is getting sued over less.

[searcher1991]

Aug 9, 2020 14:53:03 GMT -5 Natalie said:

Okay, so hear me out. Fandango is a fox... there are thousands if not more different animals roaming about MDI. Why choose a fox? Well, what do we know about foxes.. They are sly, cunning, crafty yada yada. SO why would we believe that Fandango had any intention whatsoever of handing the key over to the wind? He speaks throughout the book about how great his life will be once he makes it off of MDI with the prize. Hell, half of the book is him scheming a way to get around Poseidon and the wind all together and make off with the gold! Has anyone given any serious time or thought to the idea that it is not on MDI but just outside of it? There are a few references in the book that would make sense but for now I am going to keep those to myself. Any thoughts? Also should note that I live on MDI in bar harbor so if you have any solves and are not going to get upset if I tell you I have been there and it is not there, please hit me up!

I actually agree it’s possible he did keep the key the whole time. It would be a fun little twist that maybe is revealed in the master riddle or final location. That being said, I believe the key still has to be on MDI or they violated the rules which they told us not to do and would kind of defeat the purpose.

[Natalie]

Okay then how about this, fandango kept the key... and took it to the place on the cover. That’s the smug grin of someone who got away with something on the cover of the book. Maybe figuring out where that is will be helpful. There seem to be hints. Weird rocks with color patterns and a few x’s. I have also been toying with rhyme schemes hat when linked create ripples through the text as well as the idea that when traced over, several of fandangos faces resemble map segments; rotaries etc. (follow your nose) and I’m just throwing out any idea I have had that I have not read here. Sarcastically reply all you want. If you don’t have the key then you’re ideas are as silly as mine. 

[searcher1991]

Aug 12, 2020 19:58:57 GMT -5 Natalie said:

Okay then how about this, fandango kept the key... and took it to the place on the cover. That’s the smug grin of someone who got away with something on the cover of the book. Maybe figuring out where that is will be helpful. There seem to be hints. Weird rocks with color patterns and a few x’s. I have also been toying with rhyme schemes hat when linked create ripples through the text as well as the idea that when traced over, several of fandangos faces resemble map segments; rotaries etc. (follow your nose) and I’m just throwing out any idea I have had that I have not read here. If Sarcastically reply all you want. If you don’t have the key then you’re ideas are as silly as mine. 

I like this idea. Follow my tail always seemed kind of important so tracing him might help towards master riddle? I do think the idea that Fandango might have the key in the first chapter is very possible. The first chapter to me seems to be a retelling of the story from the future, and he doesn’t seem to be concerned about where the key is at that point so he either had it whole time or found it since then, could heavy imply sieur de mont (I think that’s the image in the story) is close to or relevant to final location.

That being said prolly doesn’t matter if it’s right if we can’t solve master riddle.

[Deleted]

This is an interesting concept — and wouldn't be unheard of especially because of the foxes nature. If I could propose another idea that I had along the lines of this hunt not being so straight and narrow; I once toyed with the idea that the EAGLE could actually have the key. The reason being — say the fox is telling the truth or even stretches of it and he indeed lost the key on his journey — the eagle is following him the whole time. It's possible that the eagle saw where Fandango lost the key and scooped it up for himself while still delivering Fandango to Neptune at the end. All the while knowing that the fox no longer had the key. So I'm going to put this thought out there as another "silly" idea because why not? Not much time left to figure it out and to be honest, I'm not holding out hope for a solution. It would not surprise me in the least if a solution was never provided because the key is somehow actually in Acadia National Park and the Stockwells don't want to incur a fine for placing it there.

All this being said — I am still a believer that Echo Lake could be a possible location. An echo is a reflection of sound, so it at the very least aligns with the reflection theme. But thanks for introducing another way of thinking about the puzzle. It's obvious that the past 13 years of the same thinking about it hasn't produced a solution (that we know if -_O_-) so why not expand on these other ideas a little.

[ronemund]

The rules do say, "Clues and the master riddle will be revealed after the End Date either on a website or in a subsequent publication." so this better not be another Fenn's Gold situation.