The First Riddle

“The friendship of purity and faithfulness are the bane of the ungrateful and the evil. What is the test on the mountain that only the good and the kind can survive?”

“That’s not fair!” Olivia threw her hat in frustration. “That’s not a riddle. It’s just an obscure question!”

The sphinx smirked lazily. “My dear, it is very much a riddle. Of course, it only makes sense if you already know the answer. Did you think that I was going to make this easy for you?”

Henry ignored the bickering between his wife and the sphinx as he stared off into space. The riddle tugged a loose string in his memory, but he couldn’t quite place it. It wafted just out of reach as he chased it, almost as though he was trying to catch a gentle spring breeze.

Olivia stared intently at Henry, willing him to find the answer to the sphinx’s first riddle and trying to control her anger and mounting panic. His eyes had a slightly glassy and faraway look. He had been so confident that he could answer the riddles. She had to keep up hope that he wouldn’t fail.

After what seemed an eternity, Henry’s eyes focused and he began to smile.

“I know the answer.” Henry grinned at Olivia in reassurance and looked at the sphinx. “Several years ago, I met a man from Tibet. We were discussing folktales, and he told me a story that I had never heard before. There is a shortened version of the story that is more commonly known, but it did not include all of the details. That man’s story has the answer to your riddle.”

The sphinx waved a front paw invitingly. “Tell me this Tibetan man’s story.”

Henry haltingly began to relay the story as he remembered it. “Not all men are good-natured and wise. Many have hearts that are cold and unfeeling. There used to be more such evil men, but too many met a bad end. Long ago there was one such man who was a renowned hunter. The hunter sought marriage to a beautiful young woman. She lived in a difficult to reach village on the side of a mountain. Only one road led to and from this young woman’s village, and it was difficult to find. There were many steep paths leading up into the mountain that led to the edges of cliffs. If you chose the wrong path, you might find yourself falling into a ravine. The beautiful maiden was pure and innocent, and she had made friends with a unicorn. Everyone knows that unicorns are attracted to purity, which was a rarity at this time. Because she was unique and special, the unicorn loved his young friend deeply. The maiden knew that the hunter wished for her hand, and she knew that her father would give it. She feared that the hunter was cruel, and she worried for her future. The virtuous maiden cried tears of sadness and doubt on the snow-white shoulder of her unicorn friend. He promised the fair damsel that he would test the heart of her suitor before the marriage could be arranged. He swore that he would not allow his friend to marry an evil man. The unicorn decided to follow the hunter up the mountain and wait for his chance. While out hunting on the far reaches of the mountain, the hunter became distracted by a deer that he wished to kill. In his distraction, he inadvertently took the wrong path. He fell off the edge of a cliff into a ravine."

Henry paused his tale long enough to take a drink of water from his canteen.

Henry cleared his throat and continued the story. "The unicorn peered down at the fallen hunter, who begged the mystical creature to save him. The hunter swore that he had never hurt a single creature except for those necessary to feed himself. He promised that he was a good and kind man. The unicorn helped the hunter up the cliff. The unicorn knew that the hunter might choose to kill him, but was willing to risk death. This was the test that he promised to perform for his innocent friend. After getting back onto the road, the ungrateful hunter shot an arrow into the heart of the magnificent unicorn and proved himself a man of cruelty and malice. However, the hunter still did not know how to reach the proper road into the mountain. He wandered aimlessly in the dark for several hours. He had just enough time to regret his foolish and heartless action before he wandered off another cliff and died. The faithful unicorn kept his promise to his friend, and she was saved from marrying the evil hunter.”

A humming purr vibrated in the sphinx’s throat as he stretched languorously. “Are you certain that is the answer you want to give to my riddle?”

“It is,” Henry responded confidently.

“That is unfortunate.” The sphinx lifted one paw, unsheathing its claws.

Olivia closed her eyes and tried to remember how to breathe.

“Unfortunate for me,” the sphinx continued. “I’m really quite hungry. Oh well, I have two more chances. The next riddles won’t be quite so easy. Shall we press on?”

The Riddles Continue