20 Lateral Thinking Puzzles That’ll Stretch Your Mind in a Whole New Way

Puzzle 14: The Family Portrait Curse

A child draws a picture of his family. His parents faint when they see it. Why?

Scenario:
A 6-year-old draws his family: Mom, Dad, himself, and a blue-haired woman labeled “Auntie.” His parents faint. Child services later remove them from home. Why?

Answer:
The “aunt” was the mother’s stillborn conjoined twin, preserved in the attic by their cult-leader grandfather. The boy, who’d never been upstairs, described her exact appearance and whispered voice. Police found the twin’s mummified corpse wearing a blue wig. DNA proved the boy was the twin’s clone, created using stolen hospital samples. The parents had fled the cult years earlier but kept their dark inheritance.