A Sphynx By St. Marquez

On 25 March an unusually strange even occurred in St. Petersburg. It began as a typical day, the sky was shaded in various hues of grey and white, and the trees that lined the street were dark and barren. Smoke from surrounding factories billowed into the air, causing a thick smog of pollution to permeate the crisp, morning air. Maria shut her window and closed her blinds, turning away from the gloom that confined her to her room. Sighing, she threw herself upon her queen-sized bed that her parents forced her to share with her two little sisters. She picked up the worn, leather-bound journal that sat upon the crude, iron nightstand her father had fashioned from scraps left around the metal shop, and flipped through its pages. Placing her pen
Petersburg, and a vibrant blue sky engulfed her. “Where are you taking me?” she asked the elf, but he only squinted his eyes, flashed a wide smile, and continued to fly north, until they had strayed from familiar surroundings. They drifted closer towards an expansive suspension bridge, resting over a rushing river that seemed to divide St. Petersburg. The sculpture of a Sphynx lay at its end. Maria’s fingertips grazed its side, and its burning touch startled her. I remember! Papa helped construct this Sphynx! Its deep-set, heavy lidded eyes, its nose that was as thin and straight as the fin of a shark, and its stern demeanor reminded Maria of herself. Papa must have fashioned this sphynx to resemble me! The elf motioned for her to follow him as they crossed the river and entered the heart of St. Petersburg. Maria gasped with excitement. She had never seen such diversity in her life. Women bustled along, their raven hair glinting in the sunlight, contrasting against their pale skin. “Try to catch me!” exuberant little girls with fiery-red manes and speckled faces, shrilly screamed, as they weaved in between the carts of foreign foods and hand-spun cloth. The scent from a mixture of garlic, cloves, turmeric, and steak greeted Maria as it wafted upwards from the Indian vendor. Silks and cottons, dyed vibrant tones of reds, blues, yellows, and greens draped across the