Entering the Labyrinth

The First Hour

Alexis has always had a very vivid imagination. She has lived many lives in many fantasy worlds. She always has dreamed of falling down rabbit holes, stumbling upon witches' huts or enchanted castles through the woods, dancing with fairies, or being rescued by mermaids in the ocean, fantasizing about different ways she could find a magical world within her own. She has always believed there was more out there than the eyes, myth, science, and religions could capture alone. She would wait for the day she could have the adventurous and mystical life she had dreamed of since she was a child.

This was her dream come true in a dark, twisted, nightmarish way. She could not help the excitement that welled in her as she looked upon the Labyrinth, wondering what kind of creatures and unimaginable wonders she would find there. But the small bit of excitement she feels at living out her childhood dream is heavily outweighed by the fear in her heart, worrying over Kit and how they were doing and whether they were safe. Also, she feels sad that she can not enjoy this experience under more pleasurable circumstances. But those emotions take root in her heart next to the guilt she feels for feeling any excitement over this at all, detesting this selfish side of her. She has no time to savor this dream come true; she has to block all of that out and prioritize figuring out how to navigate this Labyrinth and bring Kit home safely. So she shoves down that wonderment and focuses on where to start.

The desert landscape and the Labyrinth outer wall seem to stretch on without end. There is no sun in the auburn sky; the golden light still shines bright but reveals no way into the monstrosity she is looking at. The walls must be triple the average human height or quintuple the average goblin, so she could not scale it alone. No doorways, no loose stones, so signs that read "entrance with escalator to the castle this way!". She is a millennial, after all; how is she supposed to know how to get around without GPS?

She feels as though all she is doing is circling, but she does not know what else to do. She feels as lost as a damsel in the old fairy tales, which she imagines is how this Labyrinth was designed to make her feel. She will not play its game or fall into the trope; she is an educated, accomplished woman who can be smart about handling this. She takes a moment to assess her options: she can walk the wall to look for signs of how to get in, or... Well, that was pretty much her only option. Otherwise, she would just be a sitting duck here. So she decides to just start walking; something has to appear at some point, right?

It did not take long for Alexis to become anxious about her decision, walking and seeing only a long stretch of stone and sand in front of her. Her stomach started to twist, and doubtful thoughts repeated in her mind, but she knew this was really the only option she had right now, and as uncomfortable as that was, at least keeping herself moving would eventually present more options. She just wishes she knew what to look for; she would take any sign right now, even if it wasn't perfect or easy. Anything that would help her to get in there to get one step closer to Kit.

Alexis notices something small and far ahead, different from sand and wall. It puts a bit more spring in her step as she starts to rush in that direction. As she gets closer, she is able to make out the two gargoyles sitting on top of stone pillars. They are carved in towering positions, seeming intimidating and regal, and stand on opposite sides of a large stone doorway.

Elation lights Alexis into action as she rushes to the door. It is carved and crafted with ornate swirls and three-dimensional stone flowers. But it seems to be lacking a door knob or leaver of any kind. She pushes, pulls, slides, and even knocks on the doors to no avail. So there is a door but no apparent way to get through it; these are the games the Labyrinth likes to play, huh?

"Hah, look at the newbie, trying to knock on the door to open it," a deep, gravel-filled voice laughs at Alexis' expense.

"Yeah, that's a new idea of how to get it open," another gravelly voice sarcastically remarks, sending them both into roaring laughter. Alexis steps away from the door to see the gargoyles clutching their sides in laughter, and she expects they would be crying if they could produce tears. As amazed as she is to see animated gargoyles, she likes the singing cartoon ones better.