Running for the Impossible

"This Was One of The Years"

Two years ago

The night darkened. The stars glowed above us, making it quite a sight. 

"Drake! Aren't you excited! Only five more minutes!"

I nodded. I was excited alright.

Mira's face glowed brightly in the moonlight as a confident smile slid upon her face. She, for one, was definitely up for the challenge.

Mira was determined to win the annual corn maze contest, no matter what, and prove to everyone how smart she was. She had brought her little sister Arianna with her, who also wanted to compete, though Mira was confident that she would never get through the maze.

Every year, some of the town's best architects come together and create a large corn maze in the center of a corn field located on the outskirts of town. Even though I was a writer, not an architect, and even though I was only thirteen, when everyone else was at least thirty or forty, I always helped design the maze. 

The adults who were in charge always liked my ideas, and together, we made some of the most incredible designs. I would spend hours each day planning, sketching, trying to make the maze perfect in every small detail.

I had to make sure that it was expertly difficult so that very few people could make it through, but at the same time, I had to make the maze wide and large enough to fit however many people would go through it once it opened. Day by day, I would sketch out twists and turns, pathways, and tricks of the mind, while other workers mowed down hundreds of empty corn plants in the field.

It was much like writing, putting together many parts in just the right places to make a masterpiece.

After the maze was completed, people from all around town, and even some from a few cities away, would come for the big event. The maze took up an acre of land, and the walls stretched up ten, fifteen feet. Even without entering it, it was a pretty spectacular sight.

Inside the maze was a whole new world itself. The walls melted down into small scenes of shrubbery arranged on the ground, along with small clumps of wild flowers. Some tall plants on the side of the maze kept shade for those wandering through during high noon. Each pathway was different than the next.

Some people would arrive hours early just so they would be the first to enter the maze. Lawn chairs were set up so that visitors and residents alike could stargaze while waiting for the clock to strike twelve. And then, at midnight, when the night air was cool and calm, the gates to the maze would open.

And when the clock struck twelve, mobs of people would enter my creation, trying to find their way out. For most people, it seemed impossible, and some times, people would even claim that the maze was impossible. Every year, workers were stationed throughout the maze to help anyone who was completely lost, injured, or suffering from dehydration back to the entrance.

Only on rare years, does someone find their way out. This was one of the years.

One day, exactly a week before the maze was scheduled to open, I realized that Mira was competing incredibly fiercely for the win. And in her opinion, Mira's only competition was Arianna. From that day, I would over hear them arguing and bragging for what seemed like hours, from when school started to when school ended. It all came down to the big event.

The crowd was extremely big that year, at least a thousand people or so, all crowded around the entrance. The lawn chairs were all empty now because everyone was crowded by the gate of the maze. I stood at the side of the crowd, waiting for the event to begin. I wouldn't be going through the maze, but it would be fun to see how things turned out for those that did.

However, just minutes before the competition was about to start, Arianna came up to me, crying, and asked me for help. I immediately thought that she had a bad argument with her sister and that I should do something. I wasn't supposed to help anyone with the maze, but on the other hand, I did feel bad for her. I thought it over in my head, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Mira watching me closely.

Finally, after some thought, I calmed Arianna down and guided her to the start of the maze.

"Good luck," I told her.

Patting her on the back, I silently slipped her a miniature map of the maze into her hand.

That year, Arianna won... 

 and Mira was not happy...