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Grandma, Seth, and Kendra entered the roo his head No patrons under twenty-one, he said Then Mr Lich appeared and pointed toward a stairway in the corner The deed instantly My mistake He turned away

Mr Lich ushered theh a beaded curtain into a rooy, 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 bigbandout of the past

Placing a hand on Grandma’s shoulder, Mr Lich motioned toward the couches He did the saestured toward a door on the other side of the roo hi to the door, Kendra hesitated The silent car ride and unusual environment had alreadythe Sphinx by herself was unsettling She looked over her shoulder Both

Grandma and Mr Lich motioned for her to enter Kendra knocked softly Coh to be heard

She opened the door A red curtain fringed with gold tassels and eh 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 handsoeless quality-he could have been in his thirties or his fifties

Kendra glanced around the spacious rooe aquarium held a vibrant collection of tropical fish

Nu

She counted at least ten clocks of eccentric designs on165 the walls, tables, and shelves A sculpture rizzly bear

Near the as an elaborate model of the solar system, intricate planets and ame of Foosball? His accent h 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 uns 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 hoaood There was a es of old-time jazz clubs

Neither am I, Kendra admitted My little brother usually beats ave 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 withquick, precise jabs to counter Kendra’s reckless spinning It was not long before Kendra scored the first goal

Well done, he said

Kendraa 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 spunthe ball at the cowboys until they scored a second goal

The Sphinx slid the ball into the slot Her confidence boosted, Kendra attacked eventhe gaoals to two

I feel like General Custer, the Sphinx said Well played Can I offer you so to drink? Apple juice?

Creaood, Kendra said She was feelinghim

Excellent choice, the Sphinx said He opened a freezer and withdrew a frosty erator he removed a brown bottle, uncapped it with a little tool, and poured the yellow soda into the ly foa each other with a low table in between168 Kendra took a seat and the Sphinx handed her the 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 issat on the table between the vibrates, none can overhear our conversation I have at least part of the answer you ca You are fairykind

I a 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

Inyears and h I ans 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 thehtly, showing diave 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 ed you, so that you no longer required curing

Kendra stared at him People have said I was fairystruck

I have met individuals ere 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 y that naturally dwells in them noells in you The diverse effects that could flow from this are difficult to anticipate

That’s why I don’t need the milk to see anymore?