Ozymandias and the Black Quartz Sphinx

The sun burned into the sand with wasping fervor. A Man came stepping upon the sun scorched sand, a platoon of men surrounding Him, unfazed by the coarse heat of the desert. A simple pyramid, about 100 meters tall, stood in His path. As they pushed forward, the sands shifted like snakes slithering on top of one another, changing the scenery with the party’s movement forward.

As the group approached the undersized structure, cracked and simple in its structure, the sun seemed to burn brighter despite it sinking into the dunes behind them. Within a few hours, from the time of the first sight of this archaic structure to when the Man came to be at its zenith. A beautiful structure, however small in its nature, was dignified in its appearance. Strong, signified pillars gave way to the entrance.

The Man stepped forward, not a pity in His stride. The pillars gave way to a cave within the pyramid. The Man stepped forward into the abyss. He yelled at His men to bring fire, and light the torches within the depths of the manmade chasm. He was surprised to see that it only took 50 yards to reach the end of the temple.

At the end of the hall stood a great sculpture of a lion's body, with the wings of an eagle and a human face, made from what seemed like darkened glass that glinted with the flicking flames that now lit the temple. The Man stepped into the foyer and yelled at the structure “Look on my works ye mighty, and despair.“ Nothing moved except for the shadows of the cave dancing in unison with the torches. The Man stepped closer and boomed again,

“Sphinx of black quartz, hear my vow.”

The obsidian colored structure creaked as it finally moved for the first time, crossing its paws with interest. “Go on”, the crystalline sphinx whispered, “your vow may be heard, but be wary of what you promise.” The Man stepped up once again, to be closer to this creature of prophecy. “I am the great Ramses the II, the greatest warrior of the past or present, who succeeded where my father did not.” Cheers from His loyal soldiers filled the great hall. “Yet you will not be the greatest warrior of all time,” the sphinx responded with a grating laugh. “What is your vow?” The Man did not take kindly to this slight as he took a few steps. He raised His voice and shouted back, “I the great Ramses, created the first peace treaty with our former enemies the Hittites. I am not only a great warrior but also a diplomat, is it not true?” The sphinx pondered for a moment, tilting its head in the process. After a few moments it responded with what seemed to be a smile on its face. “You indeed have accomplished something great. Is this your vow oh great pharaoh of peace?”

The Man, confident in what He thought was a newfound respect from the gemstone beast, thought for a second and said, “Nay, of course not. It is but one of my many accomplishments, but to be remembered for peace is not a true testament to my achievements.” The sphinx laughed again. “Do go on, oh great Pharaoh Ramses.” Confident with His accomplishments He spoke of how He rose from power despite being non-royal blood. How He has had many wives and concubines, with sons and daughters that followed. Next He boasted of His great temples that He built to honor His predecessors. Or the city He commissioned, Per Ramesseum, a tribute to the Gods. A testament of His reach into Asia and Africa. “This is my vow, oh great oracle. This is my legacy to my greatness. These will stand against the test of time.”

The sphinx slowly rose from its perch, it’s blackish crystal wings scraped the ceiling causing the temple to quake, bits of sand, stone and debris fell from above. The sphinx began to cackle. “Oh Ozymandias, how misguided you are. Your legacy will be rewritten. Your blood squashed. Even your great city will be used as the underground for the ones who come after. You are no god but even the Gods will be forgotten, and others shall take their place.” As the sphinx continued to bellow, the temple took more damage forcing the pharaoh and his men back. “Leave this place noble king or perish now. For you only have this life, not the lives of others, to be remembered.” The sphinx then shrieked and began to barrel towards the king. His men got in the way to protect him as he scrambled for the entrance.

Just as he ran past the pillars, a few of his men in tow, the temple collapsed on itself, nothing more than rubble in its stead. The king looked at the few men he had left. He felt different, smaller than before. He told his men to get a move on with the great moon guiding their footsteps. The sands quickly shifted the temple into something of the past.