Last Saturday morning, the BBC's Saturday Live programme had a story on La Chouette d'Or, a Masquerade-style treasure hunt that's been going in France for a whopping 14 years.
Buried somewhere in the French countryside by "Max Valentin" (he acts under a pseudonym) who was working for a communications company at the time is a golden owl. Like last year's Perplex City, those on the trace must solve riddles, puzzles and find clues to find the bejewelled booty. Saturday Live interviewed the creator (around the 33rd minute) who humbly and rather embarrassedly admitted that the extraordinary delay in the hunt's resolution bothers him:
I'm not proud of it. I would have preferred if someone had found it in two or three years...I wonder how it hasn't been found. It's incredible!
For goodness sake, there are only 11 clues (with the 12th hidden)! How hard can it be?!
Players have taken all kinds of sideways measures trying to find this object d'art, from tracking down the whereabouts of a dog named Dracula whose owner accidentally crossed paths with "Max" when he was burying the owl to offering him 1,300,000 francs for extra clues. Some slightly deranged players have smashed up concrete and burned down chapels thinking the owl was buried underneath them. Not recommended.
The owl is still buried somewhere in France. It's 100km from the seaside. If you fancy your chances, start the search here. Max really wants the thing to be found, and soon.
I expect the creators of the new Torchwood ARG aren't eager for the same fate.
Listen again to the programme here.
