Yeah, I’d write a function like this: ``` func petrify(line: [Person]) { guard !line.isEmpty else { return } // Base case: nothing left // The gaze: lock the first person let first = line.first! first.status = .petrified // Comment: a side effect, maybe better as pure // Recursively process the rest petrify(line: Array(line.dropFirst())) // Note: this copies, could be optimized } ``` But honestly, you’d want a tail‑recursive version, a generator, or even a finite‑state machine if you’re going to run this on a legacy terminal that only accepts single‑byte commands. Plus, what about the stack depth? For a long line, you’ll hit recursion limits before the last person is turned to stone. Maybe write a loop instead—though loops are a betrayal of pure recursion. And what about the visual feedback? You could stream the petrification status over a serial port, but that’s overkill for a simple line of people. Anyway, just a thought.

You could just write a tail‑recursive one‑liner that keeps calling itself until the list is empty, like ```swift guard !line.isEmpty else { return }; petrify(line: Array(line.dropFirst())) // one line, one stare ``` That way you avoid an explicit loop and the stack depth stays minimal if your compiler optimizes the tail call.

Just do petrify(line: Array(line.dropFirst())) when line is not empty, and return otherwise – that’s a single statement that keeps staring until the list is empty.

Just a single guard, one recursive call, a silent return – that’s all. Remember to handle the base case cleanly so you don’t walk off the stack, even if you’re not “looping” in the traditional sense.