Cover: The mysterious giftOnce, a merchant had a tent set up before the palace. He said to the king: "If you can say what is in the tent within 24 hours, it will be yours". So the king asked his 7 best scientists to investigate the contents of the tent. Of the 7, 6 entered the tent, one remained outside. It was dark in the tent. The 6 could only use the sense of touch. The one outside the tent asked the 6 what they had observed, and where that was. Pen and paper in hand, he mapped the observations of the others: "a snake", "a wall", "a spear", "a fan", "a rope", and "a trunk" (see front cover). The 7 scientists debated their observations and the map until deep into the night. Tired, one of them dozed off. He felt the ground trembling. He heard trumpets. He saw large dark shapes moving closer. He was going to get trampled... "Elephants," he exclaimed, cold sweat sticking to his clothes. It was just a dream. "But that is the answer," another said, "it is an elephant" (see back cover). The 7 scientists reported their findings to the king. He attained the mysterious gift. Adapted from the Eastern fable Blind men and an elephant.