The Sphinx Who Lost Her Smile

Lily clutched her stuffed bear, Barnaby, as the golden sand slid between her toes. Her family was vacationing in Egypt, and she'd wandered just a little too far from the picnic blanket.

"Don't worry, Barnaby," she whispered to her fuzzy friend. "We're explorers!"

That's when she saw it — not through a camera or postcard, but right before her eyes. The great pyramid rose from the desert like a mountain of secrets, its stones glowing in the sunset.

But something was wrong.

Perched on a nearby rock was the most enormous sphinx Lily had ever seen. But this sphinx wasn't guarding anything. Her stone wings drooped, and her lion tail lay lifeless in the sand. Even worse, her face had no smile.

"Hello?" Lily called out bravely.

The sphinx's eyes opened, sparkling like ancient stars. "Oh," she rumbled softly. "A human child. And... is that a bear?"

Barnaby seemed to wiggle in Lily's arms.

"I'm Lily, and this is my best friend, Barnaby. Why are you sad?"

The sphinx sighed, sending a little whirlwind of sand dancing around them. "I've forgotten how to smile. It's been thousands of years since anyone told me a joke or shared an adventure. I'm too serious now."

Lily gasped. "That's the saddest thing I've ever heard!"

"Wait," Lily said, her eyes lighting up. "I know what to do!"

She spent the next hour showing the sphinx everything wonderful about being a child. They built sand castles with turrets that reached for the sky. They made silly faces until the sphinx's stone cheeks began to crack. They played hide-and-seek behind pyramid stones, giggling as the sphinx's golden tail gave her away every time.

"Now," Lily said seriously, "Barnaby has something to say."

She made the stuffed bear dance and spin, then performed his famous trick — standing on his head (with Lily's help).

The sphinx laughed. It started as a rumble deep in her stone chest and grew until she was chortling like a human girl. Her eyes twinkled, her wings perked up, and slowly, magically, a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you, Lily and Barnaby," the sphinx said, her voice now warm and bright. "You reminded me that joy can be found anywhere, even in the oldest of hearts."

"Friendship is the best magic," Lily said, hugging the sphinx's giant paw.

As Lily skipped back to her family, Barnaby tucked safely in her arms, she glanced back. The sphinx was still smiling, and somehow, the great pyramid seemed a little less mysterious and a lot more friendly.

Some adventures, Lily learned, don't require traveling far — just an open heart and a friend by your side.