I read and tried to guess which was which when Aussa Lorens on 22 November 2013 posted five truths and a lie. I was wrong with my guess on which one was truth in her life. I did have to admit after the process the truth is stranger than fiction. In the course of commenting back and forth Aussa asked when I was going to do one. I told her I had to set it up and it might take months. I was lying of course since it is here today Wednesday.
Here is how it works. I will tell six stories about myself and one of them is a bald face lie. If you choose to play you can guess which one is the lie. The correct entries will be put into a giant hat and I will pull them out and publish your correctness on the results post. If no one responds I will just give the results and cry to myself in my lonely garret. I wanted to award a new car or boat, but right now I need to sell a million books to do that.
Story Number One.
As a young boy growing up in the city of Detroit I was chosen along with five of my class mates to appear on TV in a local version of Quiz Kids called . The competition was fierce, but our team did not win the event. We rang the buzzer too slowly and did not get to answer the final question which was a tiebreaker.
Story Number Two.
I earned the Eagle Scout award when I was younger than the minimum age limit. I went to scout camp in the summer after the award was finally made. One of the councilors challenged my authorization to wear the award patch on my uniform since he thought I was too young. I demonstrated my ability by organizing a raid on his bunk which resulted in him hanging, wrapped, and upside down in a large a tree. The troop settled for ice cream in exchange for cutting him down.
Story Number Three.
While in high school the family moved out of the inner city into the suburbs. As a sophomore it was difficult to make friends especially since I was more city type (black Levis, t-shirt and jacket) versus the suburban type. (Khaki slacks and button downs) There were a number of social and service clubs I was interested in joining. One after the other I was told membership was filled. Since all applications and rejections were reviewed by the school administration, I was called into the counselor’s office and asked if there were any of these applications that needed to be forced. (Laws required nondiscrimination) I told him that I really didn’t want to join these anyway. He suspected I was lying, (which I was) but could do nothing more. I figured being forced would cause more harm than good. Long story short, I founded a club that had over one hundred members and became one of the most popular. In fact it was so popular that had I not founded it I probably wouldn’t have been a member.
Story Number Four
I went off to college and believed I would make a good veterinarian. I loved animals and could not imagine a more worthy career. The first term in vet school found me up late at night babysitting a very sick goat. The goat needed surgery and the vet finished the task. My job was to walk the goat around so the anesthesia could be naturally dispersed. If the goat lay down it could ultimately suffer from a bloated condition that could be fatal. I walked the goat for more than eight hours and did some serious thinking. That night alone with the goat made me realize I was not really prepared to deal with life and death decisions over these gentle creatures. The goat did survive, but I decided to make a change. I changed majors at the end of the term.
Story Number Five
When I was getting ready to graduate from the university I began the process of interviewing for a job. A number of companies interviewed right at the school and so I signed up for about thirty or so. I was talking to a company which manufactured office furniture. All was going well until I complimented the person on the quality of their clocks. As can happen doing a number of interviews I had the wrong company. Their names were the same, but one did clocks and one did furniture. The furniture guy was not pleased to talk intelligently only to discover the person he thought would be right for the job was an idiot.
Story Number Six
I graduated from college and went to work for a famous consumer products company. (Yes I survived the interview process) My job was to introduce new products and maintain share of established brands in my assigned territory. I would visit grocery stores, drug stores, and mass merchants to represent the company brands. I worked diligently and was recruited away by another company. The observed presentation causing the recruiter to believe I was the right choice involved swallowing tic tacs telling the buyer before “if you don’t say yes to this order I have some cyanide I will need to take since my boss will kill me anyway.” It only worked from a humor point of view.
Okay which story is true and which is a lie. Let me know.
Fiction Favorites 
The goat story.. So untrue
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Thank you for your guess which has been placed in the electronic storage module for review later. 🙂 Stay tuned for the fantastic results post.
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I too think the goat story is false.
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Your guess is recorded as well. The final reveal will tell the tale. Thanks for participating.
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looking forward to see the answer!
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I’m really bad about stuff like this. Even worse, I’m thinking the goat and everyone else has. Eh . . . this sheep says the goat too.
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Got you down for one goat. So far it’s goat three all else zero.
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Shows that nobody trusts a goat story.
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OK, maybe I’m probably just demonstrating my ignorance of the culture of the Eagle Scouts, but I think Story #2 is a lie. Having worked at a veterinary hospital for a brief while, I can believe the goat story. Now, just don’t send me a goat for Christmas if I’m wrong 😉
I think Aussa might have started something good here 🙂
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Thanks Marie. I like your independence. Got you down for number two
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Some people would just say I’m a contrarian 😉
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I wouldn’t
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I know that there is a maximum age limit, but not aware of minimum age limit in the Boy Scouts, but it rings true to me.Goats and their habits would probably be a reason to change majors. I am going with the class club story. It was funny, but getting over a hundred members to follow you when you aren’t accepted…real tough, unless you are just very charismatic, which you are anyway, but that’s the one I am sticking with.
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Okay. Got you down for the club
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My vote: Story three is not true.
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You are registered for story three. Thanks for participating.
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I’m afraid I call BS on the Eagle Scout story too. (Though I was tempted to say all six are damnable lies, just to stir up trouble.)
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Thanks. I put your pile on marker number two.
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These were super indepth stories so it’s hard to say… but I think the Eagle Scout story is false, it sounds like a fun fantasy though 😉
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You are registered for the boy scout story. Thanks for playing.
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Thanks for keeping it interesting 😉
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The level of detail in each of the stories makes this really hard, so I’m just gonna guess three.
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Thank you for playing. Gotcha down for three
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Looks like I’m in agreement with some of my other friends here.. #2 for me!
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Okay #2 it is. Thanks for playing
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[…] came across this excellent post idea today on John Howell’s blog, Fiction Favourites, and he in turn stole borrowed it from Aussa Lorens on Hacker. Ninja. Hooker. Spy. […]
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Well, I have no clue. They all seem outrageously plausible but also over the top lies. It will be interesting to find out the truth.
Once again you have made me smile.
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Thank you. Stay tuned
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The goat is a pack of lies!
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Got you recorded on the pack of lies.
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# 2… Lie ?
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Well no. it is the truth. Thanks for playing.
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I think number 6 is untrue. If goats get colic like horses then that makes sense walking him around, and your love of creatures great and small makes it sound true. Or maybe the clocks. Um..
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Got you down for number 6.
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BSA-true
5-lie
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Got your vote. Big reveal tomorrow. Thanks
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I’ll be watching.
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