Raman looked at the human down his nose. "What did you expect from the Labyrinth? Simple twists and turns?" Putting his hands on his hips, he surveyed the hourglass as the girl approached it, a wondering expression on her face. Humans would never cease to amaze him with their small minds, expecting everything to be predictable--

"Hmm?" A woman's voice suddenly cut through the air. "Oh! A human? How delightful!" There was a merry chuckle, and Raman's attention was drawn to the hourglass itself. It towered over the human girl, and there was a large brass medallion fabricated onto the glass. The face of a breathtakingly lovely woman was crafted onto the medallion.

"And a fairy? Of course I see YOU lovelies around every now and then, but last time I knew, you didn't care to dabble with humans much..." The woman frowned prettily. "Unless times have changed? Dear me, have I been alone for THAT long?"

"No, Time Witch; only forty years have passed since the last--"

The hourglass cut him off with an offended sniff. "Oh! You of all creatures should know that I HATE being called that! Me, a witch? With this face?" If the hourglass had had arms, it would have preened. "Please, my dear fairy, 'Timeless One' will do. It is what I am, after all!" Another laugh.

"Oh, but it is you that I should be concerned about." The hourglass's eyes focused on the human girl. "What a lovely young girl, such a shame you have to be put through an ordeal such as this... Well, there's no help for it. You must answer my riddle correctly, or else I can not let you pass. And since there's no way back--" the hourglass's eyes flicked to the wall behind Raman and the girl. "--and no way forward except through me, I'm assuming that you DO wish to hear my riddle?"

With that, the Timeless One made a sound like clearing her throat, and then in a surprisingly solemn voice intoned:

"What is:
The beginning of eternity
The end of time and space
The beginning of every end
And the end of every place?

"Take as long as you need, dear," the hourglass added in its usual merry tone. "Try to puzzle it out any way you can think of... Only, there is a rule." Its eyes went to Raman, who stared haughtily back. "No one can help you... But you!" One more laugh, and the hourglass' eyes closed.

"Ooh, all that talking after years of silence..." It yawned. "Wake me when you have the answer, all right, love?"