Forest Lump

In one of the more bizarre stories coming out of Britain lately, someone is leaving big stone heads on doorsteps all across northern England. These are well-carved, miniature replicas of the Easter Island heads, each one different and ranging in size up to 18 inches. Every one is accompanied with a card bearing the same riddle and nobody has a clue who is doing this or why.

As many as 20 artfully carved faces, miniature versions of the Easter Island sculptures, have been deposited in sleepy villages across northern England in recent weeks, leaving the recipients intrigued and confused in equal measure.

Each of the stone heads, some up to 18 inches high, is slightly different, but all of them have the same riddle attached, written on a thin blue card.

"Twinkle twinkle like a star, does love blaze less from afar?" it reads, with the word "paradox" written around the points of a star.

While a publicity stunt of some sort is suspected, not unlike the crop circle mysteries that obsessed the country a decade ago, there are no clues as to who may be leaving the heads around. Police, residents and recipients are all nonplussed.

"It appeared last Monday in the early hours of the morning," said Fiona Gould, the owner of the Forresters Arms Hotel in the village of Kilburn, North Yorkshire.

"I love it. We've nicknamed it Forest Lump. We've put him on the end of the bar and he gets a pat on the head before everyone goes to the races."

Valerie Hoyes, who runs the post office in the village of Braithwell, about 40 miles south of Kilburn, discovered hers back in August, but thought nothing of it. She didn't tell anyone until others came forward.

We suspect the aliens and figure there will be a live-action version of Shaun of the Dead happening any day now.

UPDATE: Sky News has a few pictures of the heads - and they look nothing like the Easter Island sculptures, so that initial report is flat wrong on that aspect. They are actually rather neat looking and rather well carved.

So far, 12 stone heads have appeared in Goathland and Kilburn, in North Yorkshire; four have been found in Arthington, near Leeds, West Yorkshire; and three in Braithwell, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Each of the heads looks different but all feature the same carving - which appears to spell out the word "paradox" - and a note bearing the riddle: "Twinkle twinkle like a star does love blaze less from afar?"