Riddles in the Salad Bar

Maya's thumbs moved like lightning across her iPhone screen, double-tapping pics and firing off texts to anyone who might be at the same pre-college orientation mixer. The campus art gallery loomed ahead—she'd heard about the Sphinx Installation, some weird interactive piece where you had to solve riddles to pass through. Legend said it was a freshman tradition, a test of 'college-readiness' or whatever BS the tour guides spun.

Her phone buzzed. Lucas, the cute guy from her orientation group, was asking if she wanted to check it out together. Maya's stomach did that stupid fluttery thing that always happened around cute boys. She'd managed to avoid talking to him all day, hiding behind her phone like it was a shield.

She typed back: 'sure why not'

They met at the gallery entrance. The Sphinx turned out to be this massive metal creature with glowing LED eyes, projected riddles scrolling across its surface. The challenge was simple but embarrassing: answer correctly, move forward. Answer wrong, everyone around hears your failure through the gallery's sound system.

'Your first question,' the Sphinx boomed, its voice echoing. 'What green leafy vegetable gets stuck in everyone's teeth but shows you're trying to be healthy?'

Maya froze. She stared at the Sphinx, then at Lucas, who was suppressing a smile.

'Spinach?' she ventured.

'CORRECT,' the Sphinx announced, seemingly louder than necessary. A group of seniors by the door snickered.

They moved to the second riddle. Maya's phone buzzed again—her group chat was blowing up, everyone posting stories from the night. She felt the familiar pull, the urge to check, to scroll, to see what she was missing.

'Your second question,' the Sphinx said. 'What device connects you to everyone but keeps you from truly being present?'

Maya looked down at her iPhone, the screen lighting up with another notification. Then she looked at Lucas, who was waiting, actually there, not filtered through a screen.

She slipped her phone into her back pocket.

'My phone,' she said, and the Sphinx fell silent.

'CORRECT,' it boomed again, but this time Maya didn't care who was watching. She and Lucas walked through the gallery together, actually talking, no screens between them. Later, over dinner at the cafeteria, Maya would get spinach stuck in her teeth and Lucas would tell her with a gentle smile, and they'd both laugh, and she'd realize some riddles didn't need answers—just someone to help you find them.