THE ENIGMA OF THE SPHINX
by
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Rick and Sandy stare at the table. Nothing happens. They hear a roar echoing through the corridors. They go over to the table. - Nothing – says Rick, desperate Sandy walks the table around, checking: - But… why? - I knew it wouldn´t work! - There must be something missing… - continues Sandy´s investigation on the bones - What can we do? – ask Rick Sandy talks as to herself: - We followed all the directions! Don’t understand… The lion roars are closer: - It´s coming! – warms Rick - It´s impossible! Something must be missing, but what? Then she notices there is no little finger bone on the skeleton left hand: - Look! – she shouts – The finger! - Damn! - We must have lost it somewhere! - Now what? – Rick asks - We´ll have to find another! They look inside the bag, but it is empty. The sphinx´s roaring is getting lauder and closer. Sandy is destroyed: - Oh, Rick, we were so close! To die now! The boy balances for a moment. In seconds, all previous scenes pass in his mind, as a flash movie: his father, his mother, his childhood, Winna, the papyrus, the light… the monster´s roar coming… closer… blood… no, we cannot die. He takes a decision. - No! We´re not going to die! He takes a small axe from his bag and places his left finger on the table. Sandy tries to stop him: - No, Rick, don’t do it! Rick chops his own finger off. He groans with pain and falls against the wall, bleeding. Sandy cries and tries to comfort him, wrapping a rag around his hand. The Sphinx appears at the door: - You´re the only ones left. They stand up. Although weak, Rick moves Sandy behind him. He throws the axe. It hits the Sphinx, but doesn’t hurt it. It gives a devil smile and warns: - Decipher or be devoured! It opens its eagle wings, appearing even more scaring than regular and pressing the young couple against the wall. Rick looks at his finger on the table, but he has to protect Sandy. The sphinx makes the riddle: - How can a dead body carry five living beings? - I don’t know, damn beast! – thunder Rick - Then you must die! The monster flicks a paw at Rick, hurling him aside. Sandy screams. There is no escape now. Just as the beast prepares to attack her, Rick, lying down, kicks its leg to divert its attention. The Sphinx hits him again, tearing his chest. He throws rocks at it, but it strikes him again and he falls beside the table. The Sphinx turns back to Sandy, who is faint with panic. Injured and weak, Rick reaches up and gropes on the table, looking for the finger. The Sphinx turns and slowly goes over to him, noticing that he is up to something. Rick finds the finger. The Sphinx raises its leg, preparing to deal a last and mortal blow. There is blood everywhere. Sandy screams. Rick tats on the table to join the finger to the skeleton’s hand. The sphinx raises its paw: - Close your eyes to die!
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About the Book
How would you feel if you were confined in a millenary labyrinth tomb, no exit and full of mortal traps and enigmas? Would you feel suffocated? Scared? Buried? That´s not much! And if – on top of – if you have to run away crazily to escape from a double-your-height-lion-body-woman-face creature, which target is to chase you to devour? Ten people go into an archeological expedition in Egypt in current days. One of them revives the mummy of the sphinx – the Thebes mythological monster – and the only one way to avoid being shattered and devoured is deciphering its riddle. Who will survive? This story mixes action, adventure, thriller and suspense to hold you from the first up to the ending page, inviting your intelligence to conduce the characters to the final conclusion: “Decipher me or be devoured!”
About the Author
Paul Caetano graduated in an area where creativeness is mandatory: Finance & Accounting. And exactly to weight his numeric handling capabilities, he had decided go writer since 2005. He engaged in writing training and courses, mainly looking for the features in the big screen. He participated in writer seminars in Los Angeles and New York. Aligning his self-learning with his maturity age, he transfers emotion and breath-taking actions to the pages. He writing style is visual: as you read, you are able to get-into-scene, being even more involved by the story, eager to get to the end page. He have written four books and “The Riddle of the Sphinx” was selected as quarter-finalist in the 2005 Page International Screenplays Competition.