Chapter 2: A Maze of Maize
The fire surrounding the strange carriage shrank to nothing as the old man atop it laughed with delight. Most of the children made their way to the strange vehicle unafraid. Word of the prank’s true nature spread quickly once they realized who perpetrated it. Charles’ brother Mark enjoyed any opportunity to play practical jokes. Instead of blazing heat, the chariot presented a load full of hay bales waiting for passengers.
“All aboard!” He shouted.
Goblins, knights, and princesses raced to be the first one on the ride. After a good ribbing from Charles and Mark, Ellen reluctantly agreed to take her new fiancé on the ride. They climbed aboard and squeezed into the tightly packed cart. The trip around her family home hardly surprised her, but the moments away from the loud party eased their growing headaches. A star packed night sky looked down on them during the ride prompting a moment of shared romance.
“Ew, gross!” The kids complained as the older couple kissed.
“I’m so telling momma,” Brandon threatened.
Andrew did not care. He was engaged to the most beautiful girl in town. Ellen loved him, wanted to settle down with him, and have children together. The farm would be a great place to raise kids. He finally felt like his life was shaping up right.
They found everyone waiting for the cart’s return outside the mansion. Disembarking became hazardous as handfuls of candy corn suddenly pelted them. Her father’s idea of blessing, Ellen figured. Eventually the attack ceased and everyone quieted down. The evening waxed long and many partygoers retired from the celebration.
“Was that archway always there?” Andrew asked from the porch swing.
“Father?” Ellen looked to Charles for an answer.
Her father shrugged and shook his head.
“It’s a maze!” Brandon shouted from just inside the cornfield.
The werewolf boy disappeared down the path after his announcement.
“I better go look for him,” Andrew sighed. “He’ll be lost all night if I don’t.”
Ecstasy filled the creature’s primitive mind. His trap was set, his prey eager to leap into it, and the night was still young. Its head happily rolled around as it danced with joy. Tonight presented his freedom and an end to his hunger. It meant to see things worked out appropriately.
Andrew clamored into the maze with annoyance. His little brother habitually got lost everywhere they went. An actual maze was bound to hold him captive for hours. The little runt knew this, of course. Andrew suspected it was an elaborate plot to spoil his evening with Ellen.
His bride-to-be joined him on the search. At least they were together in this charade. The corn grew several feet above their heads, enchanted with special magic to enlarge its yield. Thick overlapping leaves blocked any view beyond the walls. Multiple angled turns and even curved paths twisted through the heart of the cornrows. So precise were the cuts, the pair suspected magical intervention.
On the mansion’s porch, Mark and Charles continued to laugh between themselves.
“You have everything under control?” Charles asked.
“Not to worry,” Mark beamed.
“I’ll go get ready then,” Charles said.
Ellen and Andrew were not enjoying their alone time. After only a few short minutes, they ran into a dead end. Brandon disappeared in this direction but other forks lay between them and their little target. Andrew doubled back, Ellen in tow, his annoyance growing with each minute spent searching. They found another dead-end back the way they came. Their planned escape route abandoned them.
“We’re lost already?” Ellen complained.
“When I find that rascal,” Andrew groaned, “Momma’s going to whip him something fierce.”
“Andrew!” Ellen shouted in surprise.
A wiry thorn briar wrapped around her beautiful dress. The piercing needles tore into the lovely fabric easily. As she struggled to pull free, more holes appeared in her outfit. Andrew assisted by breaking the vine in two, freeing it from the corn wall. Despite their care, the dress suffered severe damage along the hemline.
“Oh, my beautiful dress,” Ellen complained. “How did that happen? I swear that vine was not near me a moment ago.”
“Maybe I did it!” A shrill voice roared at them from the intersection. The werewolf boy giggled stupidly at their genuine fear. He disappeared around the corner again. More winding paths protected him from their gaze.
“Brandon, you get back here or I’ll have momma tan your hide!” Andrew shouted.
No response came from deeper in the maze.
“I’ve half a mind to leave him in here overnight,” Andrew said. “Teach him to run away from me when I’m serious.”
“We can’t do that,” Ellen fussed. “It’s just a maze. How hard can it be?”
She underestimated the maze’s hunger. Another turn and they realized just how lost they truly were. Instead of an intersection, they found another dead end. They recounted their last few turns and felt they could not possibly have lost their way again. Andrew began to mark their path by drawing lines in the soft soil.
“Did I ever mention I’m claustrophobic?” Ellen asked.
“I’m sorry you’re out here chasing my runaway brother,” Andrew apologized. “I’d do it alone from here but I need to get you out first.”
“I’ll be okay for now,” Ellen dismissed his concern. “We can always cut through the corn if we need to.”
“Did you hear that?” Andrew spun around in place.
“Please don’t start saying things like that,” Ellen begged.
“I’m serious, it sounded like bugs or something,” he explained.
“To quote someone I heard tonight, ‘Ew, gross!’” Ellen joked.
They stopped laughing when around the next wall a shambling mass of locusts swarmed them. The biting insects raced after their heels. Hundreds of the creatures surrounded them and began climbing their clothes. Ellen, who always hated insects, ran wildly down the pathway. Andrew chased after her dutifully. They turned every direction randomly. He quickly lost track of their path.
Gripping claws and gaping maws ripped into Ellen’s dress and chewed her hair. The more of them she swatted away, the more seemed to appear on her skin. She screamed as loudly as her fragile lungs allowed. If the partiers beyond the maze heard her, they made no indication of it. The walls disappeared around her and she fell into an open space. Her fingers raked against her face and body wildly attempting to dislodge the clinging insects.
Andrew found her flailing on the ground just inside a circular garden. He wrapped his arms around her and called out several times before she opened her eyes. No more insects ate at her with their disgusting mouths. The swarm retreated beyond the garden and left them in peace. Ellen’s heart beat loudly in her ears. She never wanted to let go of Andrew.
“I’m sorry I ran off like that,” she apologized after catching her breath.
“Not at all,” Andrew said while coddling her. “Those bugs freaked me out too.”
“That was weird. I’ve never seen such an aggressive swarm before,” Ellen commented.
“Not to mention how they ignored the crops,” Andrew added. “When did your father build all this?”
Looking around at the garden astounded her. A large triple tiered fountain sprayed fresh water into a wide bowl. The surrounding vegetation grew like bushes outward from the fountain’s raised platform. Four hedge sculptures grew equally distant around the circle. They resembled a small elephant, a boar, a tiger, and a leaping fish. Such care and detail went into making them that each scale on the fish was clear.
Ellen carefully examined the fish sculpture’s round head when the plant’s eyes rotated her way. Then the entire head bent towards her. Its wide mouth snapped at her nose, missing her by an inch. She fell backward with a yelp. Andrew similarly cried out as two of the things leapt from their pillars and chased him.
“The entrance!” Ellen screamed.
; Andrew spared a glance toward the path they just left. The corn on either side shifted close, barring the way. So the plants really moved on their own. He noticed no other exit from the garden. The elephant and the boar chased him to the edge of the garden. Two years of training taught him self-defense techniques. When the first hedge monster reached him, he grabbed the most substantial part of it and threw it back at the second.
The fish sculpture thankfully fell over and floundered off its podium. Its companion, the tiger, leapt for the fallen Ellen. She scrambled away, desperately trying to climb to her feet. Claws formed of briars and sharp twigs raked against her back ankle. Something else grabbed her dress and prevented her escape. A long thorn vine held her shoulder with painful pricks.
She screamed as the tiger leapt on top of her. Andrew reacted just in time to catch the plant in its side with a hard kick. He drew his sword and slashed at the topiary. Despite its dull edge, the hardened steel easily crashed through twigs and leaves. The tiger stopped attacking. His next attack struck the elephant’s side, crushing a large section of it.
Seeing its companions felled, the boar turned tail and fled into the maze. The final sculpture, the fish, continued to flop harmlessly where it originally fell. Andrew sheathed his sword and offered a hand to his partner. Ellen extracted herself from the entangling vine and accepted his help. After brushing herself off, she calmly explained that she wanted to leave.
“Get me out of here!” She shouted.
“Working on it,” Andrew responded.
A new opening presented itself at the far end of the garden. They decided not to try their luck. Andrew’s brother was lost in here somewhere, but Ellen needed out of the maze now or she risked a complete nervous breakdown. The soldier drew his sword and hacked at the corn where he guessed their original entrance was. More stalks immediately replaced the broken ones.
He tried to force his way through the unforgiving vegetation. It refused to yield against his strength. Fragile leaves became razor wire and repelled him. Ellen quickly wrapped his wounded arm with a fragment of her dress. They called for help for several minutes but no one answered. No other paths opened for them.
“Anything else?” She asked.
“Can’t think of anything,” Andrew sighed.
“Only one path left,” she eyed the new opening suspiciously.
“I hope we find my brother along the way,” Andrew said.
That took less time than he guesses as the werewolf boy leapt out from the opening and howled at them. To his horror, the mask actually moved on his head as he grunted and growled. The snarling fangs dripped real saliva. Brandon’s fingers no longer mimicked claws. They really ended in sharp talons.