Amazing Adventure [FICTION]

“Oh no. I’m late.” I mumble as I open my eyes to bright sunlight.

As I blink back tears, the world around me comes into focus. Leafy green branches reach toward a deep blue sky way overhead. I turn my head to see immaculately trimmed hedges encircling me with gaps every ten feet or so. I sit up slowly. Every muscle in my body complains about napping on the hard ground. Even the lush grass underfoot didn’t fool my body into believing it rested on a nice firm mattress.

I take a closer look at my surroundings and find myself drawn to a sign hanging amongst the ivy on the far hedge. I limp toward it as my legs protest wakefulness. I finally get close enough to read it and almost wish I hadn’t.

“If in an hour this maze isn’t completed

You’ll remain here until eternity is repeated 

Just one warning, we must give

If you touch the walls, you may not live”

I peer at the walls more closely after reading this warning. I shudder as the ivy seems to slither under my scrutiny. I glance down at my watch and wonder if my hour started when I arrived here or the moment I read the ominous warning. I could have no time at all or almost sixty minutes or infinity if this proves an elaborate ruse.

I begin counting the possible exits. Three arches of greenery lead away from the circle in which I find myself. I have a one in three chance of choosing the right one. And the chance of finding my way out increases or decreases based on the luck of this first choice. As I contemplate my options, looking for any unique feature to distinguish one door from another, a small brown rabbit hops past me.

“It worked for Alice,” I murmur as I follow my new leaping friend through the archway to the left of the sign.

Noticing me behind him, the little creature hops quickly away, disappearing around a bend before I can catch up. I turn that corner and find myself facing a choice between traveling forward or left. A sound overhead draws my attention and I look up to see a buzzard flapping his giant wings to maintain his height above the maze. He seems to be circling above something on the path ahead of me.

As I take in his bald head and sharp eyes, I picture a carcass lying on the path ahead of me. I shudder. He would surely be drawn to someone else’s unfortunate demise. I turn left and continue scurrying hopefully toward an exit.

The path I travel seems to twist back on itself somehow. Then the path dead ends with another. I look both right and left. They look exactly the same, continuing the exact same distance before turning again. I look back and forth, unable to choose. I glance at my watch. Knowing how little time might remain doesn’t help me make my decision.

As I stand undecided, something slithers across my foot and I leap back, startled. When I look down, I see what looks like a flesh-colored snake about the same length as my foot is wide.

“How peculiar.” I whisper to myself.

Then I take a closer look and notice the grass ahead of the snake moving before it does. The snake disappears. I crouch down and fall to my knees, so I can see the grass better. The rustling continues toward the right hand path and I follow it.

I blink and lose sight of the rustling. I sigh and stand up, looking around again in the hopes of finding another animal guide. A crow caws overhead. The sound causes me to cry out. I clap my hand over my mouth, suddenly convinced too much noise will awaken whatever lives on the walls to permanently destroy my hopes of escape.

I keep track of the crow, determined not to travel toward it if I can help it. I breath a sigh of relief when the path splits in two. The crow goes one way and I hurry in the other. I think I hear traffic sounds on the other side of this hedgerow. My footsteps quicken until I reach a split that leads off in three directions.

I start to take the center path but am drawn to the left by an insistent meow. As I follow the sound, the path turns and I find a large, orange tabby regarding me with stunning green eyes. A rumbling purr erupts from it as it sets eyes on me. It stands up slowly and twitches its tail gracefully as if to encourage me to come along quickly.

Following the animals who seem to be surviving whatever terrors lurk inside the maze has worked for me thus far, so I follow. The cat moves quickly along the path, apparently uninterested in whether I keep up. My earlier comment about what works for Alice occurs to me, but I push it aside and keep following that wavering tail.

Unlike the cat who confused Alice, this one proves to be a good guide. I step out of the archway and into my own backyard. Startled I turn back toward the maze and see my own weatherworn fence. The orange tabby sits on top of it, happily licking his side. 

“Come on, Cheshire,” I say, walking toward my back door.

He meows and jumps down from the fence to follow me inside.

~~I could use a cat right now to snuggle my knee and purr until it feels better. That’s how purring works, right? Sorry for the late posting. I managed to fall on my knee not once but twice last week, so I have been a little distracted by trying to rest my leg and ignore the many tasks that await us mere mortals every day of our lives. Hopefully, this week is less painful.~~