"Goodbye, Mr. Trebec!" his dresser called out the doorway. Alex gave him an offhand wave and stepped into his cab.

"Calisto Drive." Alex leaned against the back seat.

The driver pulled away from the curb. "Sorry, Mr. Trebec. You're vacationing in Greece." He adjusted the rearview mirror and cranked the handle on the fare meter. The yellow car drove under a bridge and bounced along a potholed dirt road. The skyscrapers vanished and green grass appeared.

"How dare you?" Alex leaned forward and read the driver's name from his license. "Paul Keller, it's strictly against taxi regulations and the state law of California to kidnap a passenger."

Paul straightened his beret. "A few angry contestants pitched in to buy you a vacation to meet the ultimate quizmaster."

"Who is the sphinx?" said Alex.

The taxi stopped at the base of a cliff. "Just go up that path. I'll wait here." He kept the meter running.

Alex walked up the narrow dirt cowpath. He reached the ridge, panting for air. A large beast sat up from where it lay snoozing on a boulder. A deep voice boomed, "Before you pass, you must answer my riddle. What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"

Alex guffawed. "You must be kidding! You haven't changed your riddle yet? Oedipus solved that millenia ago. The answer is man."

The sphinx growled, stood, and ruffled his wings. "Now, let me ask you one," continued Alex. "What walks in a straight line and a waved path at the same time?"

The sphinx laid his head on his paws and closed his eyes. The lion tail thrashed madly. Finally, he answered, "Light."

"Didn't think you'd get that one," Alex said. "You're in the wrong century."

"My turn," the sphinx growled. "I'll eat you if you answer wrong." He licked his lips in anticipation. "What sparkles on a black blanket? It is seen and yet it does not exist."

Alex began to sweat. Memory? No. Time? No. Wind? No. Sequins? No. Diamonds? No. Sweat? No. He hazarded a guess. "Stars? Their light travels billions of years to reach us, yet the stars are no longer where they appear to be." His voice cracked as he spoke.

The beast sprang to the ground in front of him. The face looked like a familiar Irish gameshow host. The sphinx gave a large toothy grin and asked, "Is that your FINAL answer?"