Gray in the face

Once upon a time, there was an old man who lived in a small village. He had lived there his whole life and was known to be a wise man who always had a crossword puzzle in his hand. One day, as he was solving a puzzle, he came across a clue that read ‘Gray in the face‘. He thought and thought, but he couldn’t figure out what the answer was.

As he was pondering, a child passed by and asked him what he was doing. The old man told him about the crossword puzzle and the clue he was stuck on. The child looked at him thoughtfully and said, “Perhaps it means the color of ashes.”

The old man was surprised but intrigued by the child’s observation. He thanked the child and continued to ponder on the answer. Suddenly, he realized the child was right! The answer was ‘ASHEN‘. He had never thought about ashes being gray, but it made perfect sense now.

The old man was so grateful to the child for helping him solve the puzzle. He learned that sometimes all it takes to find the answer is to approach it from a different angle or perspective. From that day on, he always remembered the connection between gray and ashes, and never forgot the creative solution that the child had offered him.