He stared firmly and curiously at the three boys. Still, Lucas opened his mouth and continued the tale:
"We reached a strange room during our escape attempt. There we found the experiment room. Odd instruments filled the space, strange-colored fluids hung from bags on the ceiling, and torn fabrics made the place look eerie. The atmosphere froze our blood.
Luis found the doctor's notes and we read some of his methods. They were simply terrible, but the science behind them was impressive. Luis kept the notes, and we planned our escape. Maybe if we could put the nurse's soul to rest, everything would end better. But if the story was true, the patients would be a huge problem.
Leo found some salt in one of the abandoned lockers, and we were overjoyed because salt is known to repel spirits. Each of us grabbed a handful and ran toward the exit, throwing it at the entities that blocked our path. When we reached the door, we 'salted' it and it opened, letting us escape freely, though terrified of ever returning… The end."
The people in the crowd were holding their breath. Would they be able to remember and figure out any of the three boys' lies?
The first to speak was a 12-year-old boy: "One of the lies is that you saw ghosts."
The three friends denied it.
The second was an elderly lady: "One of the lies is that the spirit possessed the frog."
The three friends denied it.
The third to speak was a 21-year-old young man: "Luis, your lie was that the nurse's son was treated. Leonardo, your lie was that you operated on a frog to see the ghost. And Lucas, your lie was that you found the doctor's notes."
Luis shook his head, Leonardo began to laugh while denying it, and Lucas stood up and showed the doctor's notebook. Others tried as well, but the three friends always denied them.
Everyone was impressed and began to applaud. The three friends had won once again. Perhaps the skepticism of the people helped make their stories such a success. But then the reporter stood up and made his proposals.
"Luis, by the way you tell it, one could say it's all true. But I believe your lie was saying it happened on Wednesday. Everyone knows that day would be the least likely to visit such a place. If I were to investigate, I'd say it was last weekend, or maybe even long ago.
Leonardo, your curiosity for such things is far too great. You couldn't have run straight to the exit so quickly. Surely you touched the doors to confirm they were locked. So your lie is that you all tried to escape.
Lucas, your lie is that you found the salt in the lockers. If you were going to encounter spirits, you would have already brought salt with you. And if not, then you would have carried some kind of spear or copper rod to ward off the spirits. Your lie is 'finding' the salt."
The three friends were left speechless. Certainly, their story had been from some time ago. They had been braver back then and would never have fled. And indeed, they always brought everything they might need… they were always prepared.
The reporter had seen their performance from another perspective, uncovering lies that no one else had even considered. This took them by surprise. They stood up from their seats and began to laugh loudly.
It was the first time someone had guessed all three lies, and worse, the same person had guessed them all. The three of them bowed and admitted that his answers were correct.
The crowd gasped in shock, followed by an ovation for the reporter. The three friends left the stage with big smiles, but not before saying: "Congratulations, sir. We'll see you next week. I assure you, you won't be able to beat us again."
To which the reporter sarcastically replied: "And that is your first lie."
The three turned back, still smiling, until their next encounter.
....
Author note.
I've been putting this on "I'll check on later, maybe tomorrow" but I got a comment, that says he's going to read, so I already rewrote the spanish version so Why not this one too.
Thanks Daoist!