Escape from the Maze
I’
When they opened the door, there was a large room, but no screen.
“I guess the voice already told us about the Chimp-Key.
All there was in the room was three more doors... One on each wall.
Josh walked over to “Door # 1 and waited for Zoe to join him.
“Might as well start at the beginning.”
“I guess so,” though Zoe was trembling at the thought of swinging in the air on vines.
Josh opened the door.
“Ready to play jungle swing?” he asked.
Zoe backed up and refused to go any further.
That’s when Josh remembered she was afraid of heights.
“Why don’t I try and find out if there is another way across?” Josh suggested.
Zoe shook her head and went back to the door they came in through.
After grabbing the first vine, Josh let out his best interpretation of a Chimp-Key and began his trip.
“Well, that didn’t take very long,” Zoe chided.
“In my defense, the do have great aim!”
Once again, he grabbed the vine and quietly began to swing.
When he came back almost as quickly... “Did I mention that they have really great aim?”
“You’re not hurt, are you?” Zoe asked.
“No, those marshmallows are like being hit in a pillow fight. There’re soft and squishy.”
With that, he started across again. This time he was gone a little bit longer, but not by much.
Figuring he was getting the timing better, he started again and again, and again.
The next time, he made it almost halfway to the other side before... you guessed it... he was back where he started.
After a few more tries, he finally gave up.
“Door # 2,” he announced as he walked over and opened it.
“What’s that?” Zoe gasped.
“I think it’s a marshmallow run,” Josh concluded.
“What’s that? Zoe repeated.
“A marshmallow run,” he repeated back. “Run across the plank without getting knocked down by one of the two foot in diameter marshmallows that the Chimp-Keys are swinging at you.”
Figuring Zoe wouldn’t attempt it, Josh stepped onto the narrow plank.
“Timing is everything,” he yelled as he started to run forward, then stop and run forward again over and over.
He made it eleven feet before getting knocked down into a bin of really big marshmallows below.
After a dozen tries and Zoe’s refusal to give it a try, Josh headed for Door # 3 and flung it open.
“Cool, it’s a roller coaster!”
It took Josh quite a while to convince Zoe to get in it.
“I’ll hold onto your hand and you can keep your eyes closed,” he promised.
Once they were both seated a bar flipped down and trapped... held them in.
A few minutes later the voice repeated his tiresome, “Time is running out, then added, but this is not the way to the exit.”
It was too late, they couldn’t lift the bar. They really were trapped.
Zoe held Josh’s hand tight when the car began to move.
Slow at first and then faster and faster for some distance, it passed through a forest of trees covered with miniature marshmallows. Downward and around they went until they were surrounded by a river of white snowy looking... sticky stuff.
It took a long time to get through such a short space, but eventually they speeded up again when the sticky stuff started to bubble.
“Wow! It’s so beautiful!” Zoe exclaimed when they slowed down in the middle of a river with huge marshmallow falls flowing down on both sides. There must have been a half dozen different flavors of syrups blended into the colorful sight.
It was quiet and serene and there were no Chimp-Keys anywhere in site.
Zoe relaxed her grip on Josh’s hand a little as they moved forward.
When the car took a sharp turn to the right, her grip tightened again.
Josh tightened his, too.
When the car, once again, started going straight, they spotted a Chimp-Key holding a three foot long lever with both of it’s hands.
As they got closer, they began to yell, “No, don’t pull it! Please don’t pull it.”
The car had come to a complete stop and all they could do was wait until the lever...
It made a loud screeching noise and slowly the car began to move backward through the marshmallow falls... the river of sticky stuff... the forest of marshmallow trees... and back to where they started.
A loud click brought the car to an abruptly stop. A second click raised the bar and Josh helped Zoe to the walkway back to the room with three doors.
“Now what are we going to do. We ran out of doors!” Zoe assumed.
“Maybe not,” Josh said. “Look! A question mark on the door that brought us in here.”
Anxious to leave this place, they walked quickly... flung it open... and went through thinking it was the exit.
Instead...
“An Amusement Park?” Zoe said with a hint of surprise and a little anger because they were still trapped.
Trying to keep Zoe’s spirits up, Josh offered the suggestion that they start with the Hall of Mirrored Doors?”
Reluctantly, she agreed but only because there was a sign that said, “Find your way out!”
The entrance opened into a long hall with doors on both sides.
One by one they began to try each door on the left side, however, they were all locked until the last one.
“Ready?” Josh asked.
Zoe nodded and he slowly open... “Shut it!” Zoe yelled.
“That was close,” Josh said as they narrowly escaped a barrage of marshmallows.
“Right side?” he suggested.
Zoe nodded again and he slowly open... “Shut it!” she yelled again.
The next four were like the other two. Behind them were a bunch of Chimp-Keys waited to throw marshmallows at them.
The seventh door lead to another hall with more doors on each side. Behind them were more Chimp-Keys until they found yet another hall and more doors.
Finally, Josh asked Zoe if she could get them back to where they started only to realize what a silly question that was.
A while later, Zoe announced, “We’re here!”
After opening the door they entered in on, instead of being an exit, they found it only lead to another hall, more doors and more Chimp-Keys and a lot more marshmallows.
It had been some time before they were about to give up, when the voice said, “Time is running out!”
Josh was angry and Zoe was just plain mad when she opened the next door.
When Josh tried to close it, Zoe held it open.
“Bam! Bam! Bam! over and over they were hit with the soft marshmallows.
The next thing they knew, they were back outside the entrance.
The voice came out over the loud speaker, “Well done, you found your way out!”
They looked at each other and began to laugh.
The sign did say, “Find your way out!”
Not wanting to be tricked again when the sign over the next game said, “This is your way out!”, they decided to just have fun playing.
Be the first one to knock down your target and you will find your way out.
Try as they would, the Chimp-Keys were much better at this game... did I mention they have great aim!
Then it was on to the next one.
The sign above, said, "Fill the dish and the door will open."
“A dart game!” Zoe exclaimed. “Did I tell you I am a champion at this.
Josh bowed to her expertise.
Every dart hit a balloon filled with liquid marshmallow. Soon, a door did open. The only problem was it was only a foot in diameter.
Inside, there was another balloon which Zoe hit on her first try.
They stood there and waited.
The voice said, “You won the game! Take your prize!”
A large key dropped down in front of them and together they grabbed it.
“I wonder what it opens?” Zoe questioned.
Lights lit up on a sidewalk, so they followed them until they stopped in front of a huge door.
“Try the key,” Josh said.
Zoe put it in the lock, slowly turned it and pushed the door open.
The sign above the game said, “Fill the barrel and win your way out!”
They were sure this was just another funny Ha! Ha!
“Time is running out! Take a seat!” the voice said.
They didn’t have much of a choice, so they went over to a bench and sat down.
As soon as they did, marshmallows began falling down.
They began catching and throwing them one by one until the really large clear glass barrel was full.
Click... A bar unlatched! Click... The bar came down! Click... It locked in place, then the bench began to move down... and down... and down some more.
When they reached the bottom, the bar raised up and they got off. As soon as they were both standing, the voice warned, “Hold onto the rail!”
Just as they grabbed to bars beside them, the floor started to move upwards.
It didn’t take very long before it stopped in front of a door that had already started to open.
Taking Zoe’s hand, they rushed through it just before it slammed shut.
Again, they found themselves in another room that was empty except for a screen on the far wall with a picture and a note that read:
The Goo-Sters love to hide their eggs.
Find them all and give them to the farmer
and you will be rewarded with the next exit.
Be careful, those eggs can disappear quickly
so keep a really close eye on them!
The eggs... and the Goo-Sters!
A door began to open and Josh and Zoe raced through it just in time.
This story will continue next week!