In a rectangular room with one large window on the wall opposite the door, Lalita and Jaxon are standing inside preparing to play a game of hide and seek with a unique twist. In this version of the game, the seeker will not only have to find the hider but will also have to deduce where in the room they might witness the shadow of the hider, depending on the light entering through the window. The window has curtains that are partially drawn, letting in just enough light to cast shadows on the floor perpendicular to the window. Therefore, objects and people in the room cast long shadows across the floor away from the window. In one of the room's corners stands a tall potted plant; in the opposite corner, there is a small table with a vase on top. The corners adjacent to the door have a coat stand and a bookshelf, respectively.

Lalita has decided to be the seeker first, so she positions herself in the center of the room, facing away from the window with her eyes closed, while Jaxon takes a position in the room. Jaxon picks a spot near the small table in the corner, which he believes will offer some concealment. As Lalita begins counting down from sixty seconds, Jaxon realizes that he needs to consider the position of the light coming through the window to ensure he doesn't cast a shadow that Lalita could use to spot him as soon as she opens her eyes.

When Lalita opens her eyes after sixty seconds, she must stay in place for a moment before she starts her search. The light shining in is bright but the sun is not directly facing the window, which means shadows will be cast at a noticeable angle. Lalita knows that even though she may not initially see Jaxon, his shadow could give away his position if he is not careful with where he stands. Given this setup, consider how Lalita may use her knowledge of the room, the objects within it, and the light from the window to determine where Jaxon might be hiding and how Jaxon can utilize the objects in the room to prevent his shadow from being seen.
Lalita, standing in the center of the room facing away from the window, would be aware that the shadows cast by the light entering through the window will extend across the floor toward her. Since she is positioned away from the window, the shadows will stretch out in front of her from the various objects in the room. For Lalita to use the shadows to her advantage, she needs to understand how Jaxon's position will affect the shadow he casts.

Jaxon has chosen a spot near the small table in the corner. Assuming he is standing between the table and the incoming light, his shadow will extend outwards from his position, projecting towards the opposite wall, potentially visible to Lalita. To prevent his shadow from easily giving away his location, Jaxon would need to position himself so that his shadow is obscured or aligned with the shadows of other objects in the room.

If Jaxon positions himself directly behind the table, considering the angle of the light, his shadow would merge with that of the table, masking his presence. However, if he is too far from the table or at a significant angle to the light, his shadow would not completely align with the table's shadow, and his feet or part of his body could still cast an additional shadow that Lalita could notice.

To be successfully concealed by shadow, Jaxon could crouch behind the table, effectively reducing the height of his shadow, and align himself closely with the table's dimensions. The closer his body's shape and size to the outline of the table, the more effectively he will be concealed. Alternatively, Jaxon could use the tall potted plant in the opposite corner. If he stands right behind it, the plant's broad leaves and height might cast a complicated enough shadow to include Jaxon's shadow within it.

Upon opening her eyes, Lalita could use the presence or absence of additional shadows to locate Jaxon. If she spots a shadow that doesn't fit the profile of the known objects or notices that one of the object's shadows appears unusually broad or elongated, she may deduce that Jaxon is hiding behind or beside that object. Conversely, the absence of Jaxon's shadow in open areas will indicate he is not standing freely in those spots.

Lalita's best course of action is to scan the shadows of the fixed objects in the room. A discrepancy in the shadow patterns like an extra set of legs protruding from the shadow of the bookshelf, coat stand, table, or potted plant would be a giveaway. Therefore, her search will be methodical, starting from the corners nearest to her progressing toward the light source, carefully inspecting the shadows cast within the room.