Wishful Thinking

Which Is Which

Taking another deep breath, Sarah and Stephanie began to run. The only difference now was that the walls revealed their endlessness more quickly. They ran faster, skidding in mud, banging against the brick sides of the passage, faster and faster, and the walls stretched out ahead of them without turning or feature or end, until the walls began to spin above their heads, and the girls realized that they were collapsing, exhausted, with sweat running down their faces.

They lay together in a heap, gasping for air. Sarah knew she probably would have been sobbing if Stephanie hadn't been with her. A clump of lichen nearby stared down at the girls sympathetically, its eyes boggling.

When the girls recovered, they opened their eyes very slowly, hoping they would see something different this time: a corner, a door, anything but more of the same. All there was to see were the two walls.

With a yelp of frustration, Sarah beat her fists upon one of the walls.

As though answering a doorbell, a tiny wormlike creature with large eyes popped its head out from between the bricks where Sarah had pounded. " 'Allo?" it asked in a cheery voice.

Woebegone, Sarah and Stephanie both looked at the worm.

"Did you just say, 'hello'?" Sarah asked.

"No, I said ' 'Allo,'" it answered, "but that's close enough."

Upon realizing it really had spoken to them, the two sisters exchanged a glance. A talking worm, they reflected; yes, they should never have taken it for granted that a worm can't talk. Stephanie thought it was actually strangely cute, especially in that little scarf it was wearing. It reminded her of the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, but without the bad smoking habit. The two sisters exchanged a look and shrugged. If a worm could talk, perhaps it could give them some advice. In a low voice, Sarah asked it, "Do you know how to get through the Labyrinth?"

"Who, me?" It grinned. "No, I'm just a worm."

Sarah and Stephanie nodded. They might have expected as much.

"Come inside and meet the missus," the worm invited them.

Stephanie found the idea amusing. Two worms playing house? She would have liked to see that, if they weren't so pressed for time.

Sarah managed a faint smile. "Thank you," she told the worm, "but we've got to get through the Labyrinth. And there are no turnings, or openings, or anything." She blinked away hot tears. "It just goes on and on." Stephanie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Ooh," the worm said, "you ain't looking right, you ain't. It's full of openings. It's just that you ain't seeing 'em, that's all."

Stephanie furrowed her brow slightly in confusion and looked around again. Sarah gazed around in disbelief. The walls stretched away forever on either side.

There was no logic to it. Or maybe there was nothing but logic, and that was the trouble: all logic and no reason.

"There's an opening just across there," the worm went on. "It's right in front of you."

They looked. Brick wall, damp mildew, clump of lichen, nothing else. "No, there isn't."

The worm sniffed, and in a kind voice said, "Come in and have a nice cup of tea."

"There isn't an opening." Sarah's voice was insistent. But, at this point, Stephanie was willing to try anything.

"You try walking that way, over there," the worm said, with a nod of encouragement. "You'll see. But first, why not have a nice cup of tea?"