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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Denial ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The unnamed Sphinx wandered her oasis daily, not out of desire, but to avoid turning to stone, as was the curse of all Sphinx.
Sphinx occasionally had to deal with the odd traveller and treasure seekers entering her oasis. She would give them the required riddle and more often than not, they would fail and she would be forced to end their lives.
She led a lonely life, only able to speak when she was speaking her riddles, but overall, she was happy in her solitude.
It all changed when he wandered into her oasis.
He was a young slave boy, no older than 10 years old when he stumbled into her oasis, half dead from dehydration and starvation.
The boy almost looked hopeful when he saw her monstrous form, and strangely didn’t appear to be afraid. Most were afraid when they took in her appearance. Her body was that of a great lion, with large, feathered wings arching from her back, each feather tipped in a deep obsidian hue. Her face was that of a woman, with eyes like molten amber that seemed to look right to the core of who you were. Her expression was ageless, unreadable — neither cruel nor kind.
Sphinx almost felt sorry for him in his pitiful state, but knew that she had her duty to do.
With a sigh, she started her riddle. “Traveller, I ask this riddle of thee. Answer true, and a boon shall be granted. Answer false — or refuse — and your life shall be forfeit.”
Sphinx’s eyes gleamed as she spoke again, voice low and deliberate.
“Voiceless it cries; wingless flutters; toothless bites; mouthless mutters. What am I?”
Sphinx ended her riddle and looked at the boy, preparing herself to strike and end his life when he got it wrong. She watched as he scrunched his face up in thought, searching for the answer.
The boy finally spoke, answering her riddle in a quiet voice, “You are the wind.”
It was to her immense shock that he had answered correctly.
With her eyebrows raised, she spoke to the boy, “Ask your boon.”
The boy looked at her, still with no fear in his expression as he spoke, “I would like food and water and somewhere safe to sleep tonight, if that’s alright.”
Sphinx stared at him for a few moments before rising to her feet and trotting off into the forest. It was technically more than one boon that the boy was asking for, but they were easy, so she would allow it.
The boy did not follow her into the trees as she followed her nose, quickly finding the river and swiping a few fish from the water. Sphinx carried them back to the boy, dumping them at his feet and quickly returned to the river and, with a quick thought, created a simple clay jug and filled it with water from the river. Carrying the jug in her jaws, she padded back to the boy and placed this at his feet as well.
He seemed surprised and uncertain what to do with the items she had delivered, a frown taking over his expression. She sniffed and turned away, settling onto her belly in the patch of sunlight filtering through the trees. Sphinx had delivered on the food and water part of the boon — what the boy did with the items, wasn’t her concern.
Sphinx watched him for the rest of the afternoon as he drank jug after jug of the water. He had quickly worked out where the river was and made multiple trips, filling his new jug. The fish remained on the ground, untouched. Eventually the boy sat down again in front of the fish and stared at them for a few, long moments. She noticed him flicking his gaze towards her, almost seeming to ask for help which she ignored with a flick of her mane.
Steadily, the day turned to night and with a huff, she delivered on the final boon asked for — somewhere safe to sleep. With a flick of her tail, she created a small shelter beside the boy with a small campfire in front of it. She would be remaining in this place for the night so the boy was without question, safe for the night.
The boy let out a quiet sigh of relief at the fire and immediately speared the fish on some sticks he found and held them over the fire, cooking them. Sphinx turned her face towards the steadily emerging stars as she lost herself in thought.
Sphinx was startled out of her thoughts when the boy suddenly appeared in front of her, holding a cooked fish out in front of him.
“Are you hungry?” he quietly murmured.
She tilted her head in shock and curiosity as her molten eyes widened. She had never before been offered anything from a human, so she was momentarily stunned in place. Sphinx shook herself and then shook her head at the boy. He remained standing in front of her, uncertainty in his eyes so with a chuff, she indicated her head towards his shelter and then laid her head on her paws, closing her eyes.
The boy seemed to understand the message then, and she heard him move away and settle back down at his temporary camp.
It was frustrating sometimes, not being able to communicate outside of her required riddles, but outside of meeting this boy, it hadn’t been something that was of particular concern. He wouldn’t be staying anyway.
Eventually the boy finished his meal and moved further into the shelter, settling to sleep. She waited until his breaths grew heavier before she opened her eyes again.
For the rest of that night, she watched the stars and watched over the boy, her temporary companion for this night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Anger ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That first night turned into another night. Another night turned into days which then turned into weeks. The boy kept answering her riddles correctly and kept asking for the same boon, day in and day out — food, water and somewhere safe to sleep that night.
Sphinx grew angry and tried making her riddles more difficult but this child seemed to be very intelligent and kept answering correctly, so she was forced to deliver the boon, every single day.
She was angry because he was disturbing her solitude. The boy seemed to be a chatty little thing once he had recovered from his initial dehydration and hunger.
He followed her without question or complaint every day when she roamed from one place to the next, randomly wandering. She was forced to make sure she kept pace with his much shorter legs, given she had the daily boon of ensuring his safety to sleep each night.
Sphinx hoped that one day he would get sick of the fish she continuously brought him, but even after the past few weeks, he never tired of it. He also offered her a share of his meal every day without fail. Every day she snuffed her refusal of his offer.
The boy had eventually told her his name, not that she really cared, given she couldn’t speak his name. The boys name was Karim. She had chuffed to herself hearing the name. It seemed well suited to him given it meant ‘generous’.
Today she had chosen an especially difficult riddle for him, expecting he would fail. She wouldn’t enjoy having to kill him, but at least her solitude would be returned to her.
Karim stood in front of her, patiently waiting for her to speak.
“Traveller, I ask this riddle of thee. Answer true, and a boon shall be granted. Answer false — or refuse — and your life shall be forfeit.”
Sphinx’s molten eyes glowed as she stared at him and spoke again, voice low and deliberate.
“This thing all things devours;
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats mountain down.
What am I?”
The boy scrunched his face up in thought and began pacing in front of her as he murmured to himself, obviously unsure on the answer. Sphinx merely sat on her haunches in front of him as she tracked him with her eyes.
“Can you please repeat the riddle?” he asked meekly.
Sphinx blinked. This was the first time he had asked for a riddle to be repeated. She nodded slowly and repeated it for him, watching as sweat seemed to bead on his forehead.
For many long moments, he agonised over the riddle and she moved off her haunches into a crouch as she prepared to strike. Her tail was flicking into the dirt rhythmically.
She watched as he paused his pacing and a beautiful smile lit his face. He turned to her, speaking the answer that had her almost growling in frustration.
“You are time.”
With a growl in her voice she asked him what he wanted as his boon, already knowing the answer before he spoke. She was correct in her assumption when he immediately answered with his usual request — food, water and somewhere safe to sleep that night.
Sphinx almost rolled her eyes at the request, but delivered on the boon with a flick of her tail.
Tomorrow would be another attempt to rid herself of the boy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Bargaining ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Months turned to years.
Sphinx watched as Karim grew before her eyes. He turned from a thin, starved boy to tall, strong man.
Over the years, they had developed a camaraderie — a friendship. Sphinx was now quite used to him and found him to be quick-witted, funny and a surprisingly good companion.
Every day, she greeted him with a riddle which he answered quickly, after which they began their day. Their days were mostly filled with walking from one place to another as they patrolled the oasis. Karim eventually stopped asking her for food and water and started hunting and gathering on his own. Sphinx had chuffed when he had proudly showed off his first hunt to her — a small, very sad looking rabbit. With a satisfied look on his face, he prepared his kill and cooked it over the fire. Karim ate every last bite after offering her a portion that she, of course, turned down.
Her riddles had turned to joking and teasing riddles that he always answered with a wide grin and a laugh. The boon he now asked for — simply somewhere safe to sleep that night.
Sphinx found herself more than happy to grant this boon.
Occasionally, over the years that they spent together as companions, other travellers would enter the oasis, seeking the Sphinx to be granted their own boons. Some travellers failed and some were successful. Those that were successful asked for the usual boons — money, potions, youth and the like. Those that failed, she ensured to kill them carefully, so that Karim could take their clothing for himself as he had never asked her for clothing as a boon.
Once Karim had taken their garments, she nudged him away into the forest and then ate the failed travellers. Karim had quickly realised that this was her food source and didn’t seem to need to eat outside of this. He never judged her for this which she appreciated immensely.
More years passed with Karim as her constant companion when she started to come to the realisation that he was indeed, human. He was aging and would die soon. Human lifespans to her seemed like a blink of an eye.
Sphinx had grown used to him and frowned when she realised that she would miss him. She would miss his jokes and his steady presence.
Sphinx decided that morning to see if she could try and hint for him to ask for something else as a boon that would keep him with her. She could grant him youth and everlasting life, but only if he asked for it.
With determination in her eyes, she asked her riddle, her voice warm and hopeful.
“Traveller, I ask this riddle of thee. Answer true, and a boon shall be granted. Answer false — or refuse — and your life shall be forfeit.”
Sphinx stared directly at Karim, almost screaming the answer into his mind as she spoke.
“I have no flesh, yet I grow old.
I do not breathe, yet I outlast kings.
You chase me, but never catch me.
What am I?”
Karim looked at her, frowning. It was obvious that he sensed something was different with this riddle as the answer was one he had already provided. Her riddles never had the same answer twice.
With his head inclined curiously, he provided the answer. “Time… you have asked me a similar riddle before. Why is this riddle different?”
Sphinx, of course, couldn’t answer him and simply asked him for his boon which Karim ignored as he continued to think about her riddle. She was almost begging him with her eyes to realise what she was really trying to say, and felt relief rush through her when understanding filled his eyes.
“You want me to ask you for more time?”
She nodded at him, preparing herself to deliver on the boon, feeling certain he would ask.
It was to her utmost shock, that he refused.
“I don’t want to live forever,” Karim said softly. “It’s the ending, that gives life its meaning. Without it, it wouldn’t be life at all. Life is precious because it doesn’t last. I only want somewhere safe to sleep tonight.”
Sphinx tried multiple times over the next few weeks, but he never asked for anything more than somewhere safe to sleep that night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Depression ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The years and seasons turned. Karim aged so quickly before her eyes that she didn’t know how to process the changes she was seeing.
It started with Karim walking a bit slower by her side and progressed to Karim sometimes not having the energy to hunt that day, or being less successful on hunts.
It ended with Karim unable to walk by her side any longer and Sphinx carrying him on her back. His boons once again turned to asking for food, water and somewhere safe to sleep that night.
Her riddles had steadily become easier for his slowing mind, eventually becoming simple questions that he couldn’t possibly get incorrect.
Sphinx agonised over the daily riddles and making them as easy as possible for him. Killing him would devastate her.
Karim grew more confused each day, sometimes forgetting who she was and other days, remembering everything. The days he remembered, he spoke to her at length about how happy he had been with his life and continuously thanking her for being his friend.
She watched him with sadness filling her molten eyes as she waited for the day that he would no longer be by her side.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Acceptance ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Karim passed in his sleep one night. She sat on her haunches by his side, counting each breath that rose in his chest until eventually, they stopped.
Sphinx felt her own chest stop, grieving the passing of her dearest friend.
Raising her head to the starlit sky, she let out one pain filled yowl in memory of Karim.
Sphinx buried him the following day in his favourite grove. It truly was the perfect spot — shaded with many palm trees but still just enough light filtering through the branches, hitting the ground in beautiful shapes.
The irony of the location was not lost on her. The grove was the location where he first met her. What had started off as an annoying memory for her, had quickly turned into their favourite location that they returned to frequently.
She remained at his grave for that day, mourning his passing with molten tears of gold leaking from her eyes.
With the dawn of the next day, she rose from her vigil at his final resting place and wandered the oasis, visiting each of their favourite places, sealing each place in her memory.
Each stop she made on her journey, she remembered him. She remembered their various adventures, jokes and his love of the life he lived. She felt she left his memory, and his honour, in each of those treasured places.
Sphinx now understood why he continuously turned down her offer of more time. As saddened as she was by his passing, it truly was what gave his life meaning. The utterly short time he was given was a treasure, because it was finite.
Sphinx eventually returned to his grave site, having made her choice. Before Karim entered her life, she didn’t have any meaning other than simply wandering, providing boons to greedy travellers. Karim gave her life meaning because she got to share his.
Sphinx settled down onto her belly over his grave, perfectly content to remain here, a constant guardian over his final resting place.
She spent the rest of her day in quiet stillness, waiting on the stars, and offering up the story of her life — and Karim’s — to their distant, silent watch. She told their story, in the quiet recesses of her mind, hopeful some entity would hear and feel moved by the story of one brave, funny, intelligent human.
Sphinx remained in place all that night and the following day. Close to sunset on the second day, she started to feel the beginnings of the stone setting into place over her body. Unafraid, she remained in place, at peace with her choice. She would meet him in death, an eternal guardian over his grave.
Slowly, the stars winked to life, one by one. Sphinx felt the stone creep over her body with each star that lit the night sky. It was precisely at midnight, the stone fully encased her form, forever setting her in place.
The final thought she had before embracing the darkness, was of Karim and his laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Afterlife ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sphinx opened her eyes, settling on the vision before her. She was at the beginning of the path to the afterlife, the air still around her with the silence echoing. Quickly, she navigated the path, arriving at the Hall of Truth.
With slight nerves, she stood in front of the forty-two judges, awaiting their verdict. She watched as the balance of her long life was weighed, watching as each of her choices was measured.
It was with a great huff of relief that she watched the Feather of Ma’at rise in her favour. She was found deserving of the afterlife, and couldn’t help but think that Karim was the reason.
Stepping through the portal, she entered the Field of Reeds. It would be here she would spend eternity, living in peaceful happiness.
There was someone waiting for her on the other side of the portal.
Karim stood, grinning at her, a picture of youth and happiness as he headed towards her.
They stopped when they were a few feet apart and she spoke to him. She spoke to him for the first time, outside of a riddle.
“Hello, Karim.”
Karim answered her greeting with a blinding grin, the joy at hearing her speak to him for the first time, lighting up his face.
Together, they both walked further into the field, eternity ahead of them.