The Riddle

This story was written after my teacher - Mrs Phillips - asked me to set a scene of an abandoned house so I obliged by writing this and I added a bit more jazz. 😁

                                       The Riddle

Looking out my window, I saw yet another dog walker speed up as they passed the empty house on the corner. I’d watched enough of them to know exactly what to expect. A shiver would crawl down their spine and a familiar look of uncertainty would cross their face. That house unsettled everyone. Even in broad daylight. The dogs growled and barked when they saw it and I must admit, I often felt tense when passing as well. To top it off, I thought I heard purring coming from inside the house although I assumed it must be Rossi (Katie’s cat from next door.)

All the villagers warned against going near the house. You would often hear Wilma, a local lady who knows an awful lot about Crawick, telling anyone who would listen, that the house was haunted; while her husband, Doug, advised anyone who had sense, not to go near the house as it was guarded by evil spirits. I doubted both of these theories and one day decided to investigate for myself.

Walking along the deserted path in Crawick, with the sweltering midday sun beating against my back, I glanced quickly around to check no one was looking and snuck in the front door. Rotting planks of wood were balanced precariously above my head, creaking ominously under the weight of the roof. The mouldy essence of damp wood lingered in the air. I crept cautiously into the room beyond. A chink of light glowed in the darkness and through the gap between door and wall, I saw a sight that made the hairs on the back of my neck curl…

A sphinx prowled the room, teeth bared and staring straight at me. Finally, she spoke in a raspy, menacing voice:

 

 

“If you want to come out alive

Answer my riddles to survive.

If you are right I will let you past

If you are wrong it will be your last”

I stood frozen, paralysed by fear. Eventually, I shuffled nervously to the moth-eaten sofa and shakily sat down, waiting for further instructions.

“First think of the organ that you sorely need

The ticker that pumps life at great speed

Now give me the word for sores and pain

Don’t try and escape, it will be in vain

String them together, what did I say?

If you are wrong, with your life you shall pay.”

 

Completely dumfounded, I stared into the great almond shaped eyes for what seemed like a lifetime before finally answering. “Err, the first bit’s a heart, I think?” I said, tightly crossing my fingers behind my back. “Sores and pain…?” My mind drifted off, realising that was exactly what was going to happen to me if I didn’t get this right! With furrowed brows I eventually answered, “Is it possibly heartache?”

In a puff of blue and green smoke the sphinx vanished. Immediately the old dilapidated house was repairing itself! In the blink of an eye, I was no longer standing in a crumbling, shabby sitting room, but in a luxurious lounge. The chandelier glistening, wooden floorboards gleaming, I gazed around the transformed room. With a pang of understanding, I realised I must have broken the apparent curse the villagers rumoured about.