Escape from the Maze
I’
As he stood there trying to make out what the figure was, that pesky voice said, “Time is running out. Hop on and go for a ride.”
He walked slowly down the steps to the lower walkway keeping his eye on the door by the small building. When he finally reached the bottom, all he saw was a shadow from a light inside the room.
Dismissing the thought that maybe he was not alone in this quest, he hopped on the back of the... the Hippo-Dile, a huge... dual-animal with small ears, a large head, a grin on its face and a long tail like a crocodile.
Using his best surfing stance, he waited to see what was going to happen next. At first it moved very slowly before picking up speed. The faster it moved, the more it wobbled until he found himself in the water being pulled by a heavy current back to the walkway where he started.
Again and again and again he tried with the same results.
If he had been counting, he might have gotten to five before the Hippo-Dile dumped him off and he was sent back to the walkway.
After a dozen tries he was still back at the beginning. Exhausted from trying to swim against the strong current, he laid down with his eyes closed trying to figure out what he was doing wrong until he heard a soft voice laughing.
He opened his eyes to see who or what it was that thought this was so funny.
“Hi, my name is Zoe. What’s yours?” she asked with a sweet smile.
Startled to see someone else there, he jumped up and stared for a moment.
She had long brown hair and hazel eyes. She was slender and looked to be about his age.
Hesitantly, he replied, “Josh, I’m Josh.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Josh.”
“What, How, Are you?”
“I was kidnapped from my home in Wyoming... in the United States... on Earth.”
“Me too, from Earth, not from Wyoming,” he told her though he couldn’t help feeling a little sad, because he quickly calculated that she lived almost eleven hundred miles from him.
He held out his hand.
They shook and continued to hold onto each other trying to decide what to do next.
Minutes might have turned into hours if it hadn't be for, you guest it, "Time is running out."
"I wondered what will happen if, "Time did run out?" he said.
"The door to leave will open and then close very quickly," Zoe announced.
"How long have you been trapped here?"
"I'm not sure, but the door has opened and closed twice."
"Then we still have a chance to get out!" Josh exclaimed. "All we have to do is figure out how?"
"Yeah," Zoe said in a sad voice.
"I tried standing up really straight, crouching and everything in-between."
"So have I, but you did it better than I did... Where do you live?" she asked wondering if he lived near the ocean.
Reluctantly, he admitted he was from San Diego, California.
"Oh," was all she said.
Josh was hoping it might have upset her at least a little more than it apparently did.
"Well, got any ideas?" she questioned.
It took Josh a few minutes to convince himself that they could never have a future relationship before asking, "Why are there two of us now?".
"Because I couldn't get across to the other side," I guess!
"By yourself," Josh added. "Maybe it takes both of us."
"It's a weight problem like in my Physic's class, I'll bet!"
Josh grabbed Zoe's hand and they rushed over to the Hippo-Dile. After helping her onto its back, he quickly jumped down behind her and then they waited.
Very slowly it began to move before speeding up, but this time it never picked up enough speed to dump them off.
It had taken both of their weight to get across.
On the other side the Hippo-Dile came to a stop next to another walkway and where they got off.
They made their way to a door that was opening and stepped inside just as it closed behind them.
Instead of entering an empty room, there was another walkway, another set of steps, and another body of water. This time, however, there were no Hippo- Diles. They could see the current moving towards them very rapidly.
"There's no way across!" Zoe yelled.
"A moment later... Yes there is! Look!" Josh said pointing to something oblong about a foot wide raising out of the water. They didn't stay up for very long, then they went back down out of sight.
"Will have to time them just right or we'll find ourselves right back here," Zoe concluded.
After looking a little closer, Josh saw that the objects were actually baby Hippo-Diles.
"They're so cute," Zoe said.
After watching for a while, they felt confident they had the rhythm down enough to give it a try.
Josh watched as Zoe made it to the other side, then he followed her about four minutes later just as the door there was about to close.
Once again the room was empty except for the screen on the far wall with a picture and a note that read:
Through the door you will encounter the Butter-Bee.
They have escaped from their habitat and won’t go back.
You need to capture them and return them home.
There are protective suits and a net in the next room.
“Hope you don’t mind get messy!”
Then another door opened. Josh took Zoe’s hand and they raced through it just as it began to close.
This story will continue next week!