You may be in danger, but you are no fool. You know better than to fully close the door with you inside. Leaving the door slightly ajar, you turn to examine your surroundings.
The vault is extremely dark. The thin beam of light from the torchlight in the hallway barely penetrates the inky black. You still hear muffled voices outside, so you slip a little further into the vault, allowing the shadows to engulf you.
Without warning, the door closes tightly with a sickening “thunk,” and the room is plunged into total darkness.
You start to panic, but before you can even contemplate the danger, you hear a voice from the deep blackness.
"Hello. You are no goblin. Nor are you a member of the Department of Mysteries. You are just a young ."
You aren't sure how to respond so you just blink into the darkness, hoping that your eyes might adjust and provide some hint as to what you might do next.
"You are going to die in here. I have been sworn to protect this place from intruders and those who would seek to take from this vault that which does not belong to them. For I am a Sphinx."
You know that you are in danger. The sphinx seems to sense your rising tension.
"I will give you a single opportunity to live. Answer my riddle or die."
I fill up a room, but take up no space;
And nothing can keep up with my pace.
I cause fear to flee and drive back the night,
If one only remembers to turn on the …
As the sphinx’s riddle comes to an abrupt end, you know that the next words from your mouth needs to satisfy the Sphinx.