Riddles in the Papaya Grove

Maya's **iPhone** buzzed with that familiar dread vibration — another group chat blowup. Honestly, she was about one emoji reaction away from throwing her phone into the lake at Camp Wildwood.

"You coming?" Jessie called from the cabin door. "The initiation starts in ten."

Initiation. Right. Because finding socially acceptable ways to eat weird fruit was definitely what summer camp was about.

The older campers had set up what they called "the **Sphinx** challenge" behind the mess hall. Pretty much just a folding table covered in **papaya** chunks and a bunch of made-up riddles designed to make incoming freshmen look ridiculous.

Maya grabbed her phone, hesitated, then shoved it deep in her pocket. No screen time during challenges. That was literally the first rule.

"Yo, Maya!" Corey high-fived her as she approached. "Ready to get your mind blown?"

"Hard pass," she muttered, but she was smiling despite herself. Corey was like that — annoying in the way that made you weirdly glad he existed.

The so-called Sphinx was just Ryan in a bedsheet toga, holding a half-eaten **papaya** like it was some sacred artifact. Behind him, someone had taped a printed emoji of a **bear** to a tree trunk. Low budget, maximum chaos.

"Answer my riddle," Ryan announced, "or face the Beast."

Maya crossed her arms. "Can we just fast-forward to the part where everyone laughs at the new girl?"

"Actually," Corey said quietly, "you can skip if you want."

The group went quiet. Skip? That wasn't how things worked here.

Maya's phone vibrated against her hip — probably another notification, another mini-drama unfolding miles away. But here, **papaya** juice was dripping down Ryan's chin, and Jessie was filming everything on her phone, and Corey was giving her this look like he actually cared whether she participated or not.

"What's the riddle?" Maya asked.

Ryan grinned. "What has hands but can't clap?"

Maya thought about it. Really thought.

"A clock," she said finally.

"CORRECT!" Ryan shouted, tossing her a piece of **papaya**. "Welcome to the inner circle, freshman."

The **bear** on the tree seemed to be judging them all. Corey fist-bumped her. Jessie posted the video with the caption #undercoverboss.

Later that night, Maya finally checked her **iPhone**. Twelve unread messages. But for the first time all summer, she didn't feel the usual pressure to respond immediately.

Some things could wait. Some things — like **papaya** challenges and boyhood friends who actually looked out for you — were worth being present for.

The riddle hadn't been about clocks at all. It was about knowing what mattered.