Evan and Mitch went down the north hallway which proceeded on to an old fashioned kitchen. There was a cauldron bubbling over the fire along with a shelf with a variety of jars and various herbs hung up for drying. And there was also a pretty young woman who was dressed in a red gown and looked like she'd just escaped from the Ren Faire as reinterpreted by Victoria's Secret.
Evan looked at her. "You the maiden?"
She smiled. "Of course! And you must answer my riddle or be transformed."
"Okay..." Mitch said meekly.
The maiden gravely intoned "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
Evan looked blank while Mitch just looked at the floor. "Uh..." Mitch said, "there's not supposed to be an answer to that one."
"Then you are doomed!" the maiden laughed. "If you cannot give me a fair answer, then I must transform you."
Evan grimaced. "If you have to, I guess. Will you lose your job if you don't?"
The maiden paused. "I... I hadn't thought of that. But still, do you have an answer to the unanswerable riddle?"
Mitch raised his hand slowly. "Uh, they alliterate."
"What?" asked the maiden.
"They alliterate," said Mitch. "They both start with 'r' sounds. That's how a raven is like a writing desk."
"No!" wailed the maiden. "You have answered my riddle and now I must suffer the curse! But which shall I be? You must choose between the two!"
"Which would you rather be?" asked Evan kindly.
"A raven," said the maiden. "At least I'd still be alive then."
"Okay then," said Mitch and then the maiden shrank and grew feathers and shrank more until there was nothing except a large black bird standing atop a racy red negligee.