Riddles Without Answers
Maya's iPhone buzzed for the third time in two minutes. Another group chat blowing up about something she'd missed at Jake's party on Friday.
She stuffed the phone deeper into her running belt and picked up her pace. The October air bit her cheeks, perfect excuse for why they looked flushed later. Her sneakers slapped the pavement rhythmically - left, right, breathe.
The Willis house appeared ahead, that ridiculous sphinx statue perched on their front lawn like some lawn ornament gone wrong. Maya had been running past it for three years, still couldn't decide if it was cool or just pretentious. Today the sphinx seemed to be mocking her.
*What's the creature that walks on four legs, then two, then three?*
Man. The answer was man. She knew the riddle from English class sophomore year. But somehow, at seventeen, she felt like she was still figuring out the walking part.
Her phone buzzed again. She almost stopped to check it. Almost.
Instead, she remembered the goldfish she'd won at the homecoming carnival freshman year. Named him Galaxy because his scales shimmered purple-blue in the light. He'd lasted two weeks before her mom found him floating. She'd cried more over that stupid fish than she'd cried over any failed test or friendship drama since.
Why was that? Because Galaxy had just been a fish in a bowl, swimming in circles, and somehow that had felt easier than this—being seventeen, trapped in the suburban cage of expectations and rumors and the constant need to perform.
A golden retriever bolted from a driveway ahead, barking like she'd personally insulted its ancestors. Maya didn't break stride. The dog had chased her twice before; she knew its pattern. It would give up after the next mailbox.
Sure enough, the dog skidded to a halt, panting, watching her disappear down Oak Street.
She slowed to a walk as her street came into view, chest heaving, legs burning. Her phone buzzed one last time.
Maya pulled it out. Twelve unread messages. The last one from her best friend: *r u coming? we need u*
She stood there, phone in hand, heart still pounding from the run. The sphinx's riddle echoed in her mind. The answer was man, but the real question was: who was she becoming?
She typed back: *on my way.*