She was sitting quietly at roadside with the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle when I chanced upon her.
So silent was her repose that I had no warning of her presence until it was too late to turn back.
Without even a hello she gazed through my eyes and said: “Only mouths are we. Who sings the distant heart which safely exists in the center of all things?”
I wondered what gods she believed in. I knew that no matter the answer I gave, I would be wrong.
My answer was silence. The space between us echoed with my answer’s absence.
“What a disappointing answer,” she muttered, almost to herself, grabbing and devouring me in one bite.
I never got the chance to gloat when a second later I realized that my answer had been correct.
Photo by Karen Khafagy on Unsplash
At DVerse, the prompt today is to write a piece of flash fiction or other prose up of up to or exactly 144 words, including the given line of poetry:
“Only mouths are we. Who sings the distant heart
– Rainer Maria Rilke
which safely exists in the center of all things?
Seamus O'Shaughnessy, Jr. 
Wonderful.
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Thank you!!
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Correct maybe, but did it matter to the sphinx… she would have devoured you being right or wrong.
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The Sphinx just wanted to eat 🤣🤣 I was trying to highlight that we are all so self certain in our immutable truths, like what happens after we die, but no one truly knows until we encounter that truth for themselves
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This is exquisitely drawn! I so love the mythological shades of this prose piece. The detailing here had me at the edge of my seat especially; [“What a disappointing answer,” she muttered, almost to herself, grabbing and devouring me in one bite.] I am quite enjoying picturing the scenario of the persona with the Sphinx 😀
Thank you so much for writing to the prompt! 💝💝
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Thank you so much, I’m glad you liked it! I figured a character like the sphinx would use riddles to play with her prey, rather than actually giving someone a chance of salvation!
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Of course the Sphinx would speak cryptically! Well done, and the narrator’s answer was perfect.
I think he must have found a way out of the creature–some sort of mythological hero.
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Thank you very much!!
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You’re welcome!
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Wow! you ran into one deadly woman! Silence is the answer!
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Haha, indeed!
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:>)
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Digging this man.
Super imaginative, with the mystical Sphinx giving this a very mischievous fairy tale vibe – and an eery whimsicality.
Loved it Evan!
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Thank you, thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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That does sound like something that should come out of the mouth of a sphinx!
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Doesn’t it? Can’t trust the sphinx 🤣
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I like how you made the narrator both victim of the sphinx yet also a sphinx in their own right. Really good writing.
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Thank you! I’m glad you saw the duality in the characters 😊
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You’re welcome.
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This quote was a riddle to me when I was thinking of my own response. I appreciate you laying it out as such so I didn’t feel alone in my pondering.
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Right there with you! I definitely had to read the whole Rilke poem a few times before I could come up with a suitable angle for my flash fiction.
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I thought about reading the original work first, but given how few words the challenge was I didn’t want to influence myself too much. Even reading it multiple times after though, I’m not sure if it’s about god or Cthulhu.
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We may never know what it is about! It could even be about nirvana or truth or anything else. We may have to face the Sphinx to find the answer 🤣
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But I’m not ready to be devoured yet!
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You hooked my attention with that first line. This was as fun as it was serious. The Sphinx was known for posing such difficult questions – good choice for the prompt!
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Thank you!
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Nicely done, Evan! The Sphinx is a cryptical beast and she has no compassion. You’ve captured both her qualities and the essence of a no-win situation. I love the way you paused everything in ‘The space between us echoed with my answer’s absence.’
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Thank you! Yes I always thought it was strange that in the myth the Sphinx would admit to being outsmarted. I always felt it would be more realistic if she just ate travelers regardless of their answer haha
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Just a little bit too late. A fitting tribute to the poem, which operates on much the same themes of a greater, wiser entity that devours us at the moment of our revelation.
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I hadn’t even thought of the broader parallels between my short story and the original poem! An excellent point, thank you!
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I was transfixed by your story …. great job.
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Thank you!!
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‘The space between us echoed with my answer’s absence.’ I really liked the phrasing of that. The submission to the inevitable, yet still challenge that dares. An excellent take on the classic myth.
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Thank you! I’m glad this version of the myth resonated with you!!
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Interesting play of mood to have a narrator narrate after their demise. I find that hard to do in my own writing. Then again, I suppose the deeper meaning of this story is that the narrator isn’t really dead. Leave it to a sphinx to trip me up.
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