Grandma, Seth, and Kendra entered the room first. The bartender was shaking his head. No patrons under twenty-one, he said. Then Mr. Lich appeared and pointed toward a stairway in the corner. The demeanor of the bartender changed instantly. My mistake. He turned away.
Mr. Lich ushered them up the carpeted stairs. At the top, they pushed through a beaded curtain into a room with shaggy, calico carpet, a pair of brown sofas, and four suede beanbag chairs. A heavy ceiling fan spun slowly. A large,164 old-fashioned radio stood in the corner, softly playing bigband music, as if tuned to a station broadcasting out of the past.
Placing a hand on Grandma's shoulder, Mr. Lich motioned toward the couches. He did the same for Seth.
Turning to Kendra, he gestured toward a door on the other side of the room. Kendra glanced at Grandma, who nodded.
Seth flung himself onto a beanbag.
After crossing to the door, Kendra hesitated. The silent car ride and unusual environment had already made her uncomfortable. The prospect of facing the Sphinx by herself was unsettling. She looked over her shoulder. Both
Grandma and Mr. Lich motioned for her to enter. Kendra knocked softly. Come inside, said a deep voice, barely loud enough to be heard.
She opened the door. A red curtain fringed with gold tassels and embroidery blocked her view. She pushed through the velvet curtain into the room beyond. The door closed behind her.
A black man with short, beaded dreadlocks stood beside a Foosball table. His skin was not merely a shade of brown ----
it was as close to truly black as Kendra had ever seen. He was of average height and build, and wore a loose gray shirt, cargo pants, and sandals. His handsome face had an ageless quality-he could have been in his thirties or his fifties.
Kendra glanced around the spacious room. A large aquarium held a vibrant collection of tropical fish.
Numerous delicate, metallic mobiles dangled from the ceiling.
She counted at least ten clocks of eccentric designs on165 the walls, tables, and shelves. A sculpture made of garbagestood beside a life-sized wooden carving of a grizzly bear.
Near the window was an elaborate model of the solar system, intricate planets and moons held in place by wire orbits.
Would you join me in a game of Foosball? His accent made Kendra think of the Caribbean, although that was not quite right.
Are you the Sphinx? Kendra asked, bewildered by the unusual request.
I am.
Kendra approached the table. Okay, sure.
Would you prefer cowboys or Indians?
Spitted on rods were four rows of Indians and four rows of cowboys. The cowboys were all the same, as were the
Indians. The cowboy had a white hat and a mustache. His hands rested on his holstered six-guns. The Indian had a feathered headdress, and his reddish-brown arms were folded across his bare chest. The feet of each cowboy and Indian were fused together to better strike the ball.
I'll be Indians, Kendra said. She had played some
Foosball at the rec center back home. Seth usually beat her two out of three games.
Let me forewarn you, the Sphinx said, I am not very good. There was a mellow quality to his voice that evoked images of old-time jazz clubs.
Neither am I, Kendra admitted. My little brother usually beats me.
Would you like to serve the ball?
Sure.167 He gave her the bright yellow ball. She put her left handon the handle that controlled the goalie, dropped the ball into the slot with her right, and started wildly spinning her nearest Indians as it rolled across the center of the table. The
Sphinx controlled his cowboys with more calm, using quick, precise jabs to counter Kendra's reckless spinning. It was not long before Kendra scored the first goal.
Well done, he said.
Kendra marked the goal by sliding a bead along a bar at her end of the table. The Sphinx took the ball out of his goal and served it through the slot. The ball rolled to his men. He passed it up to his front row of cowboys, but the
Indian goalie blocked the shot. The Indians spun madly, mercilessly pounding the ball at the cowboys until they scored a second goal.
The Sphinx slid the ball into the slot. Her confidence boosted, Kendra attacked even more aggressively with her
Indians, and ended up winning the game five goals to two.
I feel like General Custer, the Sphinx said. Well played. Can I offer you something to drink? Apple juice?
Cream soda? Chocolate milk, perhaps?
Cream soda sounds good, Kendra said. She was feeling more at ease after trouncing him.
Excellent choice, the Sphinx said. He opened a freezer and withdrew a frosty mug with ice in it. From a small refrigerator he removed a brown bottle, uncapped it with a little tool, and poured the yellow soda into the mug. It was surprisingly foamy. Please, sit down. He nodded to a pair of chairs facing each other with a low table in between.168 Kendra took a seat and the Sphinx handed her the mug.Her first few sips were all froth. When she finally reached the soda, it was a perfect mix of sweet, creamy, cool, and bubbly. Thanks, this is delicious, she said.
The pleasure is mine. A miniature gong sat on the table between them. The Sphinx tapped it with a small hammer. While the gong vibrates, none can overhear our conversation. I have at least part of the answer you came here seeking. You are fairykind.
I am very kind?
Fairy... kind, he said, enunciating carefully. It is written all over your countenance, woven into your speech.
What does that mean?
It means that you are unique in all the world, Kendra.
In my long years and many travels, I have never met anyone who was fairykind, though I am familiar with the signs and see them expressed plainly in you. Tell me, did you sample the elixir you prepared for the fairies?
There was a hypnotic gravity to his voice. Kendra felt like she had to snap out of a trance in order to answer the question. Yes, actually, I did. I was trying to convince them to try it.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, showing dimples in his cheeks. Then perhaps you gave them an incentive, he said. They had to either make you fairykind or watch you die.
Die?
The elixir you ingested is fatal to mortals. You would169 have eventually suffered a torturous death had the fairies notchosen to share their magic with you.
The fairies cured me?
They changed you, so that you no longer required curing.
Kendra stared at him. People have said I was fairystruck.
I have met individuals who were fairystruck. It is a rare and extraordinary occurrence. This is much more rare, and much more extraordinary. You have been made fairykind. I
do not believe it has happened in more than a thousand years.
I still don't understand what it means, Kendra said.
Neither do I, not entirely. The fairies have changed you, adopted you, infused you with their magic. A semblance of the magical energy that naturally dwells in them now dwells in you. The diverse effects that could flow from this are difficult to anticipate.