Tales of Unfortunate Situations

The Maze

I'm not sure if what I am about to tell really happened or if it was a dream. A work of my childish imagination. Still it is in my mind, creating roots and giving me nightmares from time to time, tough I am no longer the little girl I was. When I told my parents they did not believe me. The imagination of a girl that would like to be a mermaid, like Ariel, was not to be trusted, right? Plus, my story was insane. The kind of thing that happens in a horror movie and our life was idyllic. I did not tell what happened to nobody else, because I could not see the point. All I could do, I decided, was to forget. 

But I cannot. It shall stay in my mind until the die of my death. 

My grandparents house was a very big place. They were quite rich. Everything in the house was pretty to my eyes and I felt a princess in it. By that time, when I was eight, my parents and I visited them at least once a week and I loved it. After all, I was their only grandchild, which made it their work to spoil me. And so they did, giving me all sort of gifts and letting me do whatever I wanted. My mother liked to see me so well loved, but my father was worried about it making me a future brat. I already had all attentions on me.

The house next to my grandparents was even bigger, but abandoned. I did not see in it the same magic I saw on my grandparents small mansion. Still, it had something that interested me. I did not find it anywhere else and I do not wish to see it ever again. 

It had a maze. 

The maze was an enormous thing on the back of the house. The builiding was smaller because of it, actually. The place had become abandoned, but my grandfather, who really liked gardening, took care of it even if that could get him into big trouble. So, the maze was very beautiful, being well taken care of and exuded a feeling of magic and wonder. My grandfather always told me not to go there without him, because I could get lost. My parents did not liked the idea of me going there either. I was an eight year old curious girl. Obviously I did not obey. 

One day, I told my family I was going to play on the garden, while they were having a game of cards in the dining room. But I did not stay  on my grandparents garden for long. After just a little time I was on the other garden, having climbed the fence, which was way to high for me to have done something safe. Now that I look back, I could have broken my neck. At least I would not have seen the things I saw. 

Looking at the maze, I believed without a doubt that I would not get lost in it and I would be able to get out without breaking a sweat. I was smart, but as every child, sometimes I thought way to high of myself and that made me a dumb girl. I stood at one of the entrances, without knowing what I was getting myself into. 

I got inside the maze. Stupid girl.

I saw myself surronded by big walls of bush that did not let me see the outside. Especially since I was a child, small. It was overwhelming. But I did not leave, despite the fact that getting out would just take a dozen steps. I thought of Alice in Wonderland. I was Alice and I was not a coward. I was Ariel and I was not afraid. I was doing what I had decided and fear would not get on my way. So I started to walk deeper into the maze. 

Right, left and left again, I think that's the way I went once I entered. Walking slowly and carefully, thinking how my grandfather kept things pretty, I was happy being in a different world. I knew the way I was going and I knew I would leave the maze as if I had done nothing wrong. All was going to be just fine. Still, the more I walked the more I faltered. I was surronded by such big walks and everything was so much alike. There was nothing that could tell me that I had even advanced. Where could I be? And how far could I be from the center. I knew there was a small fountain that was turned off. I would not hear any water. 

But I was going to get out. I was determined to do so and maybe I could even tell my family of my feat, despite the fact that I would probably get into very big trouble.