Maze

Part Two

"I see the billboard up ahead," Brian said, leaning as far forward as his seat belt would allow. Jefferson had seen it first, but he thanked him regardless. After getting past the large sign, which had blocked their sight, they could make out the turn up ahead. He put on his blinker and it guided him onto the dirt road. There was a thicket of trees on either side of them, but lining the road was an avenue of weeping willows. Draping like curtains, they shielded them from their surroundings, like a window blind that collects more dust than light it keeps out. The headlights of the car bounced off the autumn leaves clinging to the branches of the trees, causing a dazzling display of gold to dance in front of them. The drive now had somehow felt longer than the one before. Jefferson was on auto pilot during it, until he hit his brakes when he finally noticed the closed fence he was quickly approaching, and it brought everyone back into reality with him. To the left of the fence was a sign staked into the ground. In Victorian font read the word "Maze".

"Great it's clos-" but before Tessa could finish her sentence, to which Jefferson would surely have replied with a sarcastic 'ya think?', the gate creaked and they all noticed the figure of a man opening it. They sat, slightly confused. Jefferson was the first to move a muscle when he took pressure off the brake. He put his foot on the gas and pulled the car up next to the man.

"Howdy there, you here for the Maze?" he said, leaning down to be at eye level with them. He was of an average height but had a wide build. His full head of youthful hair, mostly grey with a touch of chestnut brown, made his hardened aged face seem friendly. "I was just finish'd closin' the gate when you pulled up, but we'd be more than happy to let you be our last group of the night. Go up the driveway 'bout quarter mile and park on the grass anywhere ya like." He smiled, tapped the roof of the car, and walked off towards the willows, which were the only type of tree that grew beyond the gate. Brian yelled out a less than whole hearted 'thanks' to him, and they continued onwards. After one fourth of a mile, a sight laid before them that they had not expected.

The dirt driveway opened up into a circle in front of a lovely black wood house. Ivy had grown up the sides, adhering to the structure like cling wrap does to the first surface it touches. The slanted roof was paved in a thick layer of moss. On the porch sat two antique rocking chairs with a large wooden crate turned upside down in between. Tessa pictured the man who greeted them sitting in one, newspaper in one hand and the other reaching for a fresh cup of coffee that was on the make-shift table. The house had stood two stories against a background of a similar color, which would have been difficult to make out if it were not for the amount of light radiating around the property. Just at the edge of where the road widened, two large gas street lamps of equal height burned bright. The main source of light was coming from the real spectacle.

To the right of the house there was a massive tent made from red velvet cloth. Covering what must have been a couple acres at least, the cloth was hung delicately from posts strategically placed inside the enormous walls, meeting at four points. It was almost as tall as the house adjacent to it. Along the outside of it was a row of weeping willows, lined up with each tree an equal distance apart from the next, like soldiers ready for battle. The trunks were wrapped with yards of wire and lightbulbs that shimmered through the hanging leaves. When the wind would blow, the leaves would sway and the lights would start to flicker. Its impressive splendor captivated them all. The car turned onto a patch of grass and stopped.

"Alright gang, I have one rule before we go in. And a rule for that rule is you can't whine and complain about said rule." All eyes were on Jefferson as he spoke; one pair rolling far back into the recesses of their soul. "The rule is, all cellphones must be left here. We are going to have some real life fun and I don't want to see anyone spending that time scrolling through stupid shit on Facebook." It had seemed a touch unnecessary, but they handed over their phones willingly. He placed them in the center console and closed the lid with satisfaction. Jefferson smiled widely to himself and turned off the car. They got out and headed for the front of the maze, marked by a tall arch that had its curtains drawn open. As they approached a woman emerged from inside the tent, the shadows hiding her until she was past their reach.