I look at the sphinx blocking the way.

“Get out of the way, sphinx!” I yell at it, pointing my lance towards the creature blocking the sandstone corridor.

The sphinx tilts its head. Its, or… ‘her’ face - which is that of a black-haired human with pointy features, attached to a lion's body with wings, turns sideways, as she looks at me curiously. I’m guessing here, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say ‘she’. I mean… it’s really hard for me to tell, okay? Sphinxes are weird creatures. Half lion, half bird and uh… half human? Maybe half wasn’t the best word either. Maybe I should have said a third. But it’s not exactly a third human. It’s only a little.

The creature lifts itself up off of the sandstone floor and sits on its hind quarters like a canine. I look down.

She.

Coughing once, the sphinx gets my attention back to its eyes that look rather tired.

“Oh traveler, answer me my riddle true, if you seek here passage through ~”

I roll my eyes. Sphinxes love their games and riddles. Their favorite pastime is sitting right in the middle of the way and being huge, annoying jerks by making you play boring party-games if you want to pass by. I guess this one likes riddles.

Cliché.

“I don’t have time for this,” I tell the sphinx, trying to walk around it. The sphinx budges to the side, blocking off the way. “Come on! The hero-party is like… right behind myself! I need to go!”

The sphinx shakes its head. “Answer me my riddle true, if you seek here passage through ~”

  I groan, leaning in towards the sphinx and staring into its deep, brown, soulful eyes. I don’t see any conviction in there. Not even a twinkle. I pull myself back upright in disgust. I could just kill her. But that wouldn’t be very gentleman-like. I’m a hero, after all. “Fine! Lay it on me,” I tell the sphinx, planting my lance into the ground to lean against it.

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The sphinx nods, clearing its throat as it sits itself upright in a tall, posed and proud position. As if it were getting ready to recite some ancient, holy cipher.

Then a second later, its body posture loosens and falls slack as it begins to speak. “Okay so… I’ve been living with my girlfriend for a few years now, right?”

I tilt my head, looking at the sphinx curiously. The ancients had some weird riddles apparently.

“I thought everything was going pretty good, you know? We cook together, we do stuff. I’m trying, man -”

“Are you sure this is a riddle?” I ask the sphinx.

It continues, ignoring my interruption. “But now she’s saying she wants to move out again and live on her own somewhere else.”

I shrug. “Sounds like she wants to break up with you.”

The sphinx looks up to me, confused. “I thought so too! But she says she’s not breaking up with me! She just wants to live on her own again…”

“After years of living together?”

“Yeah,” nods the sphinx in affirmation.

I sigh, raising a hand as I explain. “She’s breaking up with you, sphinx. Come on. Open your eyes.” I tap the part of my skull just beneath my left eye.

  The sphinx shifts, fidgeting. “But why wouldn’t she just say that?” The creature moves around, apparently not able to sit still as it processes its thoughts. “I mean… if she wanted to break up, then why say that she just wants to move out? Why wouldn’t she just say that she wants to break up? I don’t get it! Maybe she really does just want to move out. Right?” She looks back at me. “I’m just overthinking this, right? Yeah… yeah, that’s it.”

  I rub my head. I’m not really trained for these kinds of discussions. Maybe the priestess can help her better than I can? “Feelings are complicated, sphinx. Maybe she’s not brave enough to tell you that she wants to break up directly.” I shrug. “Or maybe she wants to secure a new living situation first, in case you two fight and you kick her out.”

“I wouldn’t!”

I look at the sphinx. “It is what it is, sphinx. I’m just calling it how I see it.”

“But I don’t want her to break up with me!”

“That’s not for you to decide.” I shrug. “Look, can we cut this short? I really, really need to go. I’m climbing towards the apex of the world, you know?”

“What?” the sphinx looks at me, confused.

I nod. “Yeah. You feel that?”

“Feel what?” asks the sphinx.

“Thook-thook.”

She tilts her head. “…What?”

  I sigh. “It’s a thing that I’m doing. You really had to be there.” I raise a hand. “Listen.” I point to her. “Sit down and talk to your girlfriend about her and your feelings and rip the bandages off.” I nod. “People come and go in life. Water flows and you have to let both of those things happen. Even if it hurts.” Grabbing my lance, I straighten myself back up. “If you hold on to people when they don’t want to be held on to, if you stop them from flowing and if you keep them captive, so that only you can feel the beat of their heart, then one day, all of those things will stagnate and turn against you.” I hear metal clanking in the distance behind myself. “And the very things you held most precious will be your undoing as they begin to drag you down, just as you once did to them.”

Looking down to the sphinx I narrow my eyes as I finish. “We’ll keep this to ourselves. But next time, I expect a real riddle. Keep your private life out of your work life. We’re professionals down here.”

She frowns, not satisfied with my answer. But it’s the one I’ve given. Swinging my arm out, I let my cape fly to the side dramatically, if only to symbolize that I’m done here and I grab my lance, running past the sphinx who doesn't try to stop me. Some people just don't have any work ethic.