Finster’s Most Elegant Monster: The Price of Being Clever
This story is Part II of Finster’s Most Elegant Monster, a three-part Power Rangers short story series. In this chapter, Finster presents King Sphinx to Rita Repulsa and explains a riddle game where pride, consent, and cleverness come at a permanent cost.
A Gift For Rita
Rita Repulsa circled the table once. Slowly. Methodically. She leaned in close to the clay figure, her staff dangling from one hand, its chains chiming softly as she laughed.
“Ohhh, Finster,” she purred. “Look at him! He’s adorable.”
Finster stiffened.
“Ah—yes, well,” he said, adjusting his monocle, “I wouldn’t recommend underestimating him, my Queen.”
Rita waved a hand dismissively. “He’s barely taller than my boot.” She tapped King Sphinx lightly on the head with her staff. The smile did not change.
A Monster of Choice
Finster cleared his throat and stepped closer to the table.
“King Sphinx,” he announced, “is not a monster of force. He is a monster of choice.”
Rita paused. “Choice?”
“He cannot ask his riddles unless his challengers agree to hear them,” Finster explained.“A simple condition, sealed with verbal consent.”
Rita’s eyes narrowed, intrigued. “And if they don’t agree?”
Finster smiled thinly. “Then nothing happens.”
Rita frowned. “That’s disappointing.”
“Oh, not at all,” Finster said quickly. “King Sphinx is… persuasive. He taunts. Provokes. He makes the challenge sound like a game with a test of intelligence. Pride usually does the rest.”
Rita’s grin returned, wider than before. “So they choose to doom themselves.”
“Precisely.”
Rita laughed, sharp and delighted. “Oh, I like him already.”
She gestured toward the statue. “And the punishment?”
Finster folded his hands behind his back, clearly pleased. “Five riddles,” he said. “Each one binding. One wrong answer—just one—and King Sphinx responds.”
“By attacking them?” Rita asked.
“By correcting them,” Finster replied cheerfully.
He gestured vaguely toward the far-off forests beyond the mountain. “A thunderous beat of his wings hurls the offender away—blasted from sight and into the depths of the forest, where they are sealed inside a living tree.”
Rita froze. Then she burst into laughter, loud and unrestrained.
“Oh, wonderful!” Rita laughed. “No rescue missions. No second chances. Just the Rangers—sealed away, screaming!”
“Exceptionally well-contained,” Finster added helpfully, straightening his apron. “I hate repeat performances.”
Rita Repulsa Approves
Rita leaned down until her face was inches from King Sphinx’s. “Well, my clever little king,” she crooned, “they won’t be able to resist proving how smart they think they are.”
She straightened and pointed her staff at Finster.
“Finish him.” She grinned viciously.“I can see it now! The Power Rangers trapped forever—watching the world go by from inside a tree!
As Rita swept from the chamber, still laughing, Finster remained behind, staring at the clay figure. For a moment, he could have sworn the wings were wider than before.
He blinked.
Nothing.
Finster picked up his tools again thoughtfully. “Remember,” he murmured, more to himself than the statue, “they have to agree first.”
King Sphinx’s smile seemed very patient.
– Copyright © 2026
Next in the series: Finster’s Most Elegant Monster — Part III
About These Toy Figures
This Power Rangers short story, Finster’s Most Elegant Monster, scene was photographed indoors using a simple drop-cloth diorama and lightly enhanced in Photoshop Elements. The story is inspired by Zyuranger, the Japanese Super Sentai series that later became Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1, Episode 4.
- Finster – Super7 figure. Additional props include Finster’s sculpting tools and various clay figures. Rita Repulsa’s loyal monster-maker, Finster is an intellectual alien scientist and alchemist who sculpts monsters from clay and bakes them in his Monster-Matic to create fearsome beasts.
- Rita Repula – Super7 figure. An evil space witch obsessed with conquering the universe, Rita thrives on schemes that humiliate and destroy the Power Rangers rather than confronting them head-on.
- King Sphinx – Super7 figure. Created by Finster through a mixture of clay and Egyptian sand, King Sphinx is a monster who relies on riddles, pride, and choice rather than brute force.
Entertainment & Props
- Finster’s Work Table — 3D printed and hand-finished using airbrushing.
- Floor — Wood grained slab panel.
- Background — Black drop cloth.
