May Day Mystery
As far back as 1981 and perhaps even farther than that, mysterious ads have appeared in the school newspaper of the University of Arizona every year on May 1st. The ads contain esoteric historical references, complex mathematical equations, references to various famous quotes, and, every time, the image of a simple smiling face. The origin is untraced and the code of the ads is not yet broken - while parts have been deciphered, not once has the whole of an ad's meaning been uncovered. Indeed, it seems like each ad builds on the last, making individual messages potentially undecipherable without the full puzzle.
Ever since the late 90s, a man named Bryan Hance has been trying to uncover the meaning of the May Day Mystery with the aid of the Internet. His website, http://www.maydaymystery.org/, contains all of the ads and messages he has been able to find, and hundreds of people have worked to puzzle meaning out of his findings. Hance, who used to be an editor on the newspaper the ads appear in, has observed that if this is a prank or the work of a madman it's unusually funded for such - to date, the ads might have cost around $21,000, making the May Day Mystery out of the reach of the common prankster. Whether a true conspiracy or just a game, it's evident that whoever runs the mystery has money and time to invest.
Since beginning the investigation, Hance has been directly contacted by the May Day ad writers, although their emails are rarely any less cryptic than their advertisements. Early messages pointed out that the mystery was far from being a game and stated that Hance would be let into the group "as soon as [he] could see the door." Since then, they have sent him packages of material, various sums of money (including some gold) with interesting markings, letters, and still more emails, all of these gifts raising as many questions as they answer. While it is clear they have developed a liking for Hance, they seem unwilling to answer any direct questions or provide any straightforward answers.
If the group is a real secret organization and not just a group of pranksters, its aims are unclear. Clues deciphered from multiple ads seem to indicate that the organization, which calls itself the Orphanage, might in fact be a radical Protestant movement that seeks to undermine Catholic control of the world. Other hints reveal that the Orphanage may be connected in some way to money, whether they are counterfeiters or simply gathering money and investments for their purposes. A few other clues, like the mentions of Mao in early ads and the fact that the ads are placed on a day connected with labor movements, indicate that the Orphanage might be a Communist group. Each theory has its supporters and detractors, but none seem to decisively answer the puzzles put forth in the ads.
Come next May, another ad will appear - perhaps, this time, solving the mystery. For now, though, there looks to be no easy answer, and the question of the Orphanage's goals and nature will remain unanswered. If you have time and a sharp mind, perhaps it might be worthwhile to study the May Day ads - perhaps you'll be the one to finish the puzzle at last.
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