Battle Against Sphinx

Chapter - Five

Julia

As said the silver door did contain a keypad. There was another screeching sound and all of us turned back to see the first door closing. We were trapped in between two doors and two walls with like a space for like 10 people to fit in a row.

“Guys, let’s focus on the riddle” Miles said reading the letter which he took from Paxton.

A ting that views the same world differently

I read it , re read it, read it out aloud just to see if I get some clue or and answer but nothing came. “ I think he doesn’t know English or is weak in it. What is ting ? Shouldn’t it be 'thing'?” Zara said . “I guess” I said deep in thought .

“What can be a thing which views the same world differently?” Paxton was also thinking out aloud. We all sat down and thought. We were in complete silence and I didn’t even know how much time had passed until I jerked up because of back pain.

“I feel like we have been thinking from hours and hours. What can be the answer?” Miles said and we all agreed nodding our heads. I really felt like we have been thinking for hours and there wasn’t even a clock to show us how much time had passed and we all were so hungry that our brains also didn’t work .

Miles caught me watching around. “ Bro, you can do your sight seeing later , shall we focus on the answer please” he said. I knew better than him that it was his stomach speaking and not his brain. “Hmm” I responded and suddenly something caught my eye and my brain started working 100 miles an hour.

“What are you looking at?” Paxton asked as all three of them traced my eyes. “Painting” I said out loud. “Yes photographer we know that. What is there in that?” miles mocked again .

“Miles, painting, a ting” I specifically said the word ting marking it out with apostrophe in air “that views the same world differently. Our answer is painting” I said happily that we found the answer. Zara and Paxton were still confused. “oh!” miles exclaimed giving me the clarity that he understood. “ I didn’t understand” Paxton asked.

“ The painting views the world only from the eyes of it’s painter. Always the painter has a different view than the reality. Always there is a hidden message” miles explained.

“Or it might also mean this , the reality is one view, the painter or the artist has another view while the admirers have another. Everyone has a different perspective to viewing a painting.” I explained.

“Then what are we waiting for ? Let’s type the answer” Paxton was jumping. It was like watching a small kid who just received a huge present. He rushed off to the typing pad and typed ‘PAINTING'.

Another screeching sound erupted . I’m pretty sure that I will be deaf if I ever hear another such sound. We closed our ears and awaited what was waiting for us on the other end of the door.

Finally , the screeching stopped . We ran off inside as we saw a huge pizza and started to dig into it. It was the best food ever. I feel like the person had combined four large pizzas into this one. We all finally finished and drank up the water .

That is when I saw a paper lying beneath the pizza. I pulled it out and Paxton leaned into me to watch it. It was a print out of a painting. It looked so beautiful and admiring.

The human figures weren’t identifiable but I could tell that it had a lot of meaning. Two people, a man and a woman were leaving out of the gate with their luggage and there were being watched by a man from behind. The man was holding a baby. All of them having their backs to us. The humans were painted in black and the rest in sunset color. It felt as if the artist was imagining a flashback.

Paxton traced his finger on the signature of the artist. ' Linda Xanther ' it said. “Linda, she is one of the famous painters back in my country.” He said and Zara gasped. “ Does it say Linda Xanther?” she asked as if she saw the painting even though she was sitting opposite to us. “Yes , do you also know her?” I asked her , miles looking at all us bewildered. I think he remembered the words of the host.

' It might help you connect your dots or ruin you , break your trust or rebuild it. This is a very big journey and I’m sure you’ll be making and breaking relationships. '

Zara muttered under her breath but still audible to us which caused all of us to gasp.

“mom”