I need to know what this is. Your clue is this: Mr. Denham discovered
this item during the usual pursuit of his normal interests. No
unnecessary digging was required--that is, at least not for him. Mr.
Denham's normal interests are all imagination-based and they include 1)
his 1861 Civil War home which has become the Denham's private museum, 2)
Halloween, 3) writing--he has two writing projects on the docket at this
time, 4) war gaming, and 5) mysteries.
The prize is still under consideration . . . but it will be well worth
the effort.
Additional clues may be forthcoming. Remember that you'll need to find
the answer to both parts of the problem.
Here we have a flask or bottle with a most peculiar surface. Clearly,
one of Mr. Denham's favorite beverages must have been inside at one time
but the bottle itself is a puzzle. The spider web motif covers the
entire surface--there's no flat area for a label. And Mr. Denham has
seen this exact pattern before, not on a bottle but within an item from
a Fleet Avenue establishment that he frequented as a child.
What Mr. Denham wants to know is this.
Who manufactured this bottle?
What--exactly--was in it?
Why does the pattern leave no space for a label?