The Maze The Lost Labyrinth - By Jason Brannon Page 0,49
that the girl felt comfortable enough around me to show herself.
“Where are you? This would all be so much easier if I could only see you.”
“I’m right here”. Her voice sounded close enough to touch. I spun around quickly, but no one was there.
“Enough games. Tell me what I’ve got to do to get out of this place.”
“Think of this maze as one big example of cause and effect. Everything you do has a consequence here. Getting here was a consequence of intent. This place is a manifestation of your entire life. Your deeds are sewn into the fabric of this maze. Your sins are the mortar that holds these walls in place.”
“I thought God was the only one who could judge sin.”
“This isn’t a place of judgment. It’s a place of enlightenment. Some people don’t react well to subtle hints and nuances. Some people need to be slapped in the face and roused from their sleep. You‘ve been slumbering for far too long.”
I tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. “You don’t talk like a little girl.”
“I never told you I was a little girl. You assumed that. Like so many, you hear what you want to hear. And in doing so, you hear nothing.”
“Is that important?”
“Not really. Appearances can be deceiving. What’s important is that you recognize this maze for what it is.”
“And just what is it?”
“A second chance,” the voice said. “Not everyone gets one. Some of those who do, waste it. Very few make it count.”
“The minotaur said that one way or another, I would die in this place. What good is all this enlightenment if I won‘t live long enough to make good use of it.”
“The minotaur.” The girl gave a haughty laugh. “That old walking carpet. Each maze is different, but invariably he shows up somehow.”
“He’s symbolic too, I suppose.”
“Oh no, he’s real. A maze is no good if you don‘t have a monster roaming the corridors. You are the cause, and he is the effect.”
“At first I thought he was here to kill me. Then it seemed as if he wanted to help me. Should I be afraid of him?”
“Oh, yes, be very afraid. He’s spilled blood before, and he will again. Asterion has his own agenda to further down here. He’s the dark side of the coin.”
“But darkness can serve a purpose sometimes, right?”
“Darkness makes the light seem all the brighter in comparison.”
“You’re making my head hurt. Can’t you speak in something other than riddles?”
“I’m answering your questions in the only way I know how.”
“So is it true that I’m going to die here?”
“One way or another.”
I sighed, getting more and more frustrated. “What does that mean?”
“Death doesn’t always involve congestive heart failure or cancer or head trauma from a car wreck. It can also involve casting aside old ways and being reborn. Death can be literal or symbolic, depending on how you look at it.”
“So are you saying that the only way I can save myself in this place is to repent?”
“That would imply that your choice is forced. That isn’t true. You always have the final decision. God created things that way. Just remember that this place is largely symbolic. Hopefully the dangers you face here will open your eyes and make you see the way you’ve been living your life. But if they don’t then you’ll continue to stumble in darkness. And that’s all that being lost truly is.”
I rubbed my hand against one wall and noticed how cool it felt, how solid. “This doesn’t feel very symbolic to me.
“Just because something’s symbolic doesn’t mean it can’t be real. The Statue of Liberty stands for freedom, doesn’t it? And yet it’s an actual place. A crucifix symbolizes Christ’s sacrifice. People wear them around their necks every day.”
“Okay, so the maze is real. What are you a symbol of?”
“Think of me as a navigator for the road less traveled. I’m here to show you the way out, but you have to ask the right questions first.”
“Am I asking the right questions?”
“Some of them.”
“What is your name?”
“Conviction. You can call me Connie for short.”
“Conviction,” I was still confused. “I thought that was the purpose of this entire maze.”
“It is.” Connie let the implications of that sink in. “Now, maybe you understand why I haven’t shown myself. You‘ve been seeing me all along.”
Chapter 25
So there I was, trapped inside a maze called Conviction, with no clue how I was supposed to get out. Oh, sure, there were hints, thinly-veiled metaphors,