Fairley the Tortoise Checks It’s Fair

Fairley is a calm, careful old tortoise with a cosy patterned shell and the most patient way of doing things. Fairley never rushes. And Fairley has the last, most important job on the whole course: making very sure it is truly, completely FAIR.

“Plank bridged the pits. Spotter tested and fixed the stuck spot,” Fairley says, in her slow, gentle voice. “Lovely work. But before we call it done, let me CHECK. Because fair means fair ALL the way - every single climb, start to flag.”

So Fairley sets off, slow and steady, checking each climb one at a time, ticking them off like a list.

“First climb…” Fairley peers at it. “One step up. Fair! Tick.”

“Second climb… one step up. Fair! Tick.”

“Third climb…” Fairley leans in close. “Hmm. That one’s TWO steps. Too deep. Not fair yet - Nims would be stuck. That one still needs bridging.”

Because here is what Fairley knows better than anyone: it doesn’t matter if MOST of the course is fair. If even ONE climb is too deep, it’s a trap, and Nims can’t finish. A course is only truly fair when EVERY climb, from the very start to the very flag, is one step at a time. No traps left. None.

So you bridge that third climb too, and Fairley checks again - slow, careful, all the way to the end. “First… fair. Second… fair. Third… NOW it’s one step. Fair! Fourth… fair. Fifth… fair. And the flag!” Fairley smiles her calm, warm smile. “Every climb checked. Every one just one step. No traps left. NOW it’s fair - truly, all the way.”

That is Fairley’s calm, careful idea.

A course is fair when every single climb is just one step - check them all, start to flag, and tick each one off.

A grown-up can play too! Be Fairley together. When you’ve built something for someone, CHECK it carefully, one bit at a time, all the way through: “Can they do this bit? And this bit? And THIS bit?” Don’t stop at “most of it works.” Check every part, right to the end. That careful, all-the-way checking is what makes something truly fair.

When the very last climb is bridged and Fairley’s whole checklist is ticked, she settles into her cosy shell, calm and satisfied. “Every climb one step, start to flag,” she hums contentedly. “Not most of it - ALL of it. That’s what fair really means. Now send Nims, and watch him finish, every time.”

Check every climb, all the way. Fair is fair for the whole course. That’s Fairley.