Needing to know more I asked the cube if it could understand me. "YES" was the reply.
I was now seriously interested. I asked the cube how it was able to understand me. The cube didn't move and gave no response. I was perplexed.
I asked the cube more questions like how it came to be here and what it's purpose was, although the cube remained unyielding in it's lack of responses.
A little dejected, I asked the cube if it knew a way out of here. The cube started rotating and and formed "YES" on it's front face.
Excitedly, I asked the cube if it could show me the way out. The cube quickly responded with "NO".
Slumping my shoulders, I asked the cube why it wasn't able to help me. Once again I was given no response.
I stood back and thought about the situation. I came to the conclusion that the cube must have limited programming, able to answer closed ended questions with short responses, but unable to respond to more complicated, open ended questions. I figured that if I could ask clever closed ended questions I might get the answers I'm looking for.
Once again I asked the cube if it knew a way out of here. "YES" was the reply.
But you can't show me the way out?
"YES".
So you can show me the way out?
"NO".
But you just said that you could?
"NO".
I realised my first question was actually a double negative and YES was the correct response. The cube was smarter than I gave it credit for. So much for my clever questions.
Can you point me in the right direction?
"YES".
The cube starting spinning it's axis and formed an arrow, which pointed back down the corridor in the direction I had come from.
Wow, that's great! Thanks for your help!
"OK".
I now had a plan of action. I started moving back down the corridor, but the cube moved out in front of me blocking my path. It spun around it's axis again. It took some time, but eventually it formed a skull and cross bones on it's front face.
I pondered the latest communication from the cube. A skull and cross bones meant death. The cube clearly thinks that the way out leads to death. However knowing that if I stayed here I would eventually die anyway, I had to choose.
I decided that staying here was certain death, but heading towards the way out with just a warning from the cube about potential death didn't seem quite so bad. There was even a little hope in there.
Having made my decision, I tried to step past the cube to keep moving forward. The cube moved back in front of me. I tried to side step the other way, only to be confronted with the cube in my face again.
I asked the cube if it was going to let me past. "NO", was it's response. It then formed the skull and cross bones again. I'm sure the cube must've thought I was thick or something, because from it's point of view I just didn't seem to be understanding it's mesage.
I explained to the cube that if I stayed here I was going to die anyway, but the cube just reaffirmed it's position by reforming the skull and cross bones. I tried to move past it again, but this time the cube quite firmly nudged me back.
The thought crossed my mind that I could just push the cube out of the way and make a run for it. However it had been so helpful to me and was clearly just looking out for my best intentions, so I didn't have the heart to bring violence onto the table.
Instead I decided to trick it. Pointing at the cube I told it that one of it's smaller cubes on the left hand side was dirty. The cube stopped for a moment to digest my lie, but then quickly started spinning it's axis on the left hand side, which I'm sure was an effort to clean itself.
This was my chance. I quickly ducked underneath the cube and started running full force down the corridor, back towards the direction of my original cell. I looked back over my shoulder and the cube was following me! It had a big "NO" written on it as well. The cube was trying to stop me from finding the way out! I looked back in front of me and started running even faster. 2 comments