Escape from the Maze
I’
“Left!” Zoe announced figuring they could always come back and go right.
They walked for awhile, turning several times only to end up at a dead end.
Josh became concerned because he had know idea how to get back to where they started.
“It’s a good thing I have a photographic memory,” Zoe told him. “This way,” she pointed with confidence.
Before he could comment on her gift, she started retracing their steps back to the beginning.
When they got there, “Right?” Zoe said.
“Right!” Josh agreed thinking how great it was knowing that it might take a while, but they couldn’t get lost... that is until after going right, straight, then right again, straight, then left 3 times, right once, then straight and coming to another dead end.
Zoe once again retraced there steps and got them back to where they started.
“Now what?” Josh asked as if Zoe would know the answer.
“Maybe it’s like on a combination safe. First you go right and then left and right again.”
“Okay!”
When they went right the second time, they hit another dead end.
After standing there for a while trying to decide what to do next, Josh finally said, “I have an idea”, so once again Zoe lead him back to the starting point.
Before she could say, no... Josh opened the first door they came out of and like before the room had changed.
Inside now, there were dozens of overly excited Chee-Gers running around.
They looked more like they were playing, then fighting. They had spots all over their front with gold colored eyes that seemed to be laughing every time they pounced onto each other. They had stripes on their backside and their tails were curled up at the end.
“I thought they would be much bigger, not like a very large house cat,” Josh commented.
“So did I! They’re so... cute! Do you think they’re dangerous?”
“Since nothing else here has harmed us. I’d so ‘No’!
“What now?” Zoe wondered out loud.
“There's another door just in front of us. Let’s use it and find out,” Josh suggested.
After he opened it and they walked through, it shut tight with a loud slam which caused Zoe to jump into Josh’s arms.
It took a few minutes before they let go of each other. When they finally did, they found themselves back outside where they started... or so they thought.
“Back where we started... again!” Josh complained.
“No! Look there’s only one path,” Zoe pointed.
“Not again! Another maze!” Josh complained again.
“At least we won’t get lost, Zoe reminded him.
With that, they headed down the hallway.
It seemed to go on forever... that is until they hit... you guessed it, another dead end.
When they turned around to head back, there was a door only a few feet in front of them.
“Do we dare open it?” Josh questioned.
“Do we really have a choice?”
“Good point!” Josh said reaching for the doorknob, then hesitated, and then yanked it open. “No! Back where we just came from!”
“It looks like it... no wait. Look! A winding staircase that leads down to the Chee-Gers.”
Josh took Zoe’s hand and lead her to a handrail at the top of a twisting, winding... only way down to a lot of possibly dangerous or maybe friendly dual-animals. Josh voted for the latter.
Each step brought them closer and closer to the Chee-Gers, who had stopped playing and were now staring at them.
“Do you think they will attack us?” Zoe nervously asked.
Before he could respond, they heard something that sounded like...
“Purring... they’re purring!” Zoe said all excited.
Both of them began laughing softly at how scared they were.
“Do you think they can talk?” Zoe continued.
“Only one way to find out? Hi, my name is Josh and this is Zoe,” he began.
Several of them that were closest, tilted their heads to one side.
“I guess that’s a ‘No’ Zoe concluded.
“Of course, that would have made it to easy. Still, it would have been nice to be able to just ask them why they couldn’t sleep.”
Zoe agreed, then began to feel faint.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t no!”
“Since we’ve been here,” Josh asked, “have you eaten or drank anything?”
“Not since the fruit I ate...”
“In the orchard where you met the Rabb-Aroo,” Josh said, finishing her sentence.
“Yes! I’ve been afraid to eat anything since!”
“Me either,” Josh agreed. “Look, there’s a water fountain across the room. What’s the worse thing that could happen... we’ll fall asleep, again. Maybe these guys will get the hint and drink and then they will fall asleep, too.
When they tried to go towards it, the Chee-Gers blocked their way.
Josh and Zoe looked at each other, then made another attempted to move, but this time...
“Growls, they’re growling!” they said at the same time, then backed up.
The growling stopped.
Josh tried to move forward again... growling... moved back... the growling stopped again.
After talking it over, they concluded the water had something in it that hyped up these sweet Chee-Gers.
“That must be why the can’t sleep!” Zoe said before Josh could.
"They are trying to protect us," Zoe whispered.
“There’s another door... to the right.”
“No... to the left!” Zoe whispered again.
“Okay, left!” Josh agreed.
When they got there, the door was locked.
“The other door!” Zoe pointed.
When they got there, it opened and the irritating voice repeated, “Time is running out!”
Inside the room was the most beautiful water fountain they had ever seen. This time, however, the door didn’t slam shut. All of the Chee-Gers ran past them full speed to the awaiting pool at the base of the fountain and began to drink.
“I guess the drug in the other fountain must make you very thirsty!” Zoe said and then headed for a table which had food and water on it. “I don’t care if this puts me asleep... as a matter of fact... I hope it does.”
After they both ate and drank all they could, they waited... but nothing happened.
“Well, there goes our hope of putting them to sleep,” Josh said as they turned around.
“There gone! Where did they go!” Zoe exclaimed.
When they began hearing noises coming from the other room, they realizing... Play, they’re playing again.
“Come on,” Josh said sounding a little excited , “Maybe the other door is open now.”
Racing for the doorway and then across the room, they tried again to open it.
To their disappointment, it was still locked!
After turning the handle to the right and then to the left and right again, it made a clicking sound like a safe made when it was unlocked.
But, instead of the door opening, a hatch in the ceiling slid sideways and balls began falling down... big one’s... little ones... and every size in between.
Josh and Zoe just stood there in shock.
After a while, they said to each other, “It looks like fun!”
Picking up a ball, Zoe through it at Josh hitting him in the shoulder.
He retaliated.
She picked up another ball and missed.
That’s when the free for all began.
The Chee-Gers were excellent catcher and kickers.
Balls flew in every directions for quite a while, until even Josh and Zoe were getting tired.
Slowly, one be one the dual-animals began to fall asleep.
Soon, they were standing in the midst of a room full of the sounds of soft purring.
That’s when the voice whispered, “Time to leave. Climb the staircase. The exit awaits you at the top.
Tippy-Toeing as quietly as possible, Josh and Zoe made their way across the room, up the stairs and through the exit into another empty room except for a screen on the far wall with a picture and a note that read:
This is the house of a local school teacher!
While she was away, a gang of Fro- Meleon,
left their home in the rain forest at the Zoo,
and are hiding out in our teacher’s home!
The zoo keeper is at the front door waiting.
Don’t disappoint him!
You can’t leave until you find them all!
Good Luck!
Oh! By the way...
They are very good at blending into their environment.
With that, a door opened behind them and they made it through just before it closed.
“A library!” they both said.
This story will continue next week!