Emma started feeling claustrophobic. The enclosed walls made the savior feel even smaller than she already did.
"Don't freak out, Emma. Don't freak out." She constantly muttered this to herself.
She kept running down the labyrinth, twisting and turning. She was absolutely lost. After about ten minutes of running, she was already sweating. She started panting and stopped herself from continuing. She leaned against the wall and released a tear from her eye. Why had she made that stupid wish? Why had she been so hateful towards her own brother? As Emma was about to continue running, a squeaky voice called to her.
"Where ya going miss?"
Emma turned around to face the voice, only to see another brick wall.
"Down here, love!"
Emma slowly tilted her head downward and only found a blue haired worm.
"Was that you?" Emma asked the worm as she crouched down.
"Only me here, so ya!"
Emma was not surprised to find a talking creature in this magical maze, but why would this worm live here in the first place?
"Who are you?"
"I'm just a worm. You though could be a queen for all I know!"
Emma giggled.
"I'm no queen. I'm just a sister looking for a way to get to the Goblin King's castle before tomorrow."
"Well then, follow me! I can show you the perfect way to get there!"
"Really! You would show me?"
The worm nodded and slowly started sliding down the Labyrinth. Emma debated trusting this worm. Emma remembers seeing this movie once. Only once though when she was about seventeen. She remembers the worm only being in one scene. Did he help her? Was he good? Feeling hopeless, Emma followed the worm. The worm stopped moving and pointed his head at one of the floor stones on the path.
"Pull that stone out."
Emma did. It was remarkably light. She threw the stone aside and looked down the dark whole she made in the path.
"Go on... Go inside! You'll only waste time questioning this!"
Emma was hesitant, but why back out now? She closed her eyes and jumped through the hole.
Henry turned left and right. With the book as a guide, he still didn't know the exact way to get to the Goblin King's castle. He knew Emma had to have wished for Neal to be taken. Poor Neal. Where was Emma? Would he ever catch up to her? Henry was having his first adventure where he was actually doing the saving. He kept walking and walking until he eventually came to a small cottage at a dead end. As Henry was about to turn around and choose a different direction to turn, the door of the cottage slowly swung open. Henry peered at the darkness within the doorway, not seeing anyone who opened the door. Henry knew that in the book the cowards ran from eerie obstacles like this. Henry wanted to appear in the book... He wanted to have an original tale to tell that he actually lived through.
Henry walked to the cottage and stood in front of the open doorway. He stopped himself for some reason. He didn't want to stop though. He tried to pull his foot forward, but instead felt glued to the ground.
"You cannot go through there..."
Henry turned around, seeing that the only direction he could move was away from the house. An elderly old woman faced Henry, wrinkled and decayed.
"Who are you?"
The old woman didn't say anything, but slowly walked up to Henry. She peered his face and was right about to grab it when Henry snatched her hand in its place.
"Who are you?" Henry asked more sternly.
The woman laughed, a sinister cackle.
"It doesn't matter who I am... It matters that you glow with courage..."
"Glow?"
"The vibrations I feel from your breath is... Warm and caring. If I wasn't crazy, I'd say you were on a journey to save someone..."
"Yes I... Why tell you? There's no way I think you can help me."
The old hag slid her nail over Henry's chest very seductively.
"I think I can. You have met my brother haven't you? His majesty?"
"You're the sister of the Goblin King?"
"Yes I am... And I have been cursed. Captive in this wretched labyrinth for one hundred years! I know every twist and turn."
"What would you want in return for directions to your brother's castle?"
Henry knew it may prove risky to trust this witch he just met, but what other choice does he have? So far all he did was lead himself to this dead end.
"I want what I almost had one hundred years ago... But this was my punishment for losing them..."
"What?"
"Nevermind that! What you are to do is go into my cottage and go through a special door inside..."
"What door? Is there only one?"
"You'll know it when you see it. You are to go inside and bring me back a jar of milk I once lost through that door. It is heavily guarded though, plus my brother cursed it so that I may never enter. Go and find me that jar of milk, and you will have the child my brother took from you."
"How do you know..."
"I'm a witch! It's not that hard to figure out with my amount of skill. Mind reading is one of my specialties. So do we have a deal?"
The old hag stuck out her hand to Henry. Henry thought to himself. If this place is heavily guarded, how will he defend himself? How will he know if this woman can prove to be trustworthy?
"I can hear your worries like you're shrieking! This is your best chance I tell you... Try getting yourself through this maze on your own if you're so confident."
Henry knew the woman was right. He shook her hand. The woman disappear the moment they touched with a crack of lightning. She left nothing but a diamond sword and a diamond trimmed shield. Henry held both up with pride, finally feeling like a hero.
Emma fell down the hole for a while. She fell for what felt like minutes. Finally she felt herself land in a net. The next engulfed her, trapped her inside. Emma screamed and suddenly regretted trusting that worm.
Emma then looked at her surroundings. Around her was a miniature city that extended around what looked like sewers. The tiny townspeople although were different colored worms. They all laughed and cheered at their victory in capturing Emma.
"What do you fish bait want?"
The familiar blue worm with a red scarf stood forward.
"Long live the Goblin King!"
Of course they work for him. Emma now knew not to trust anyone she met in this maze. Emma was about to yell at the worms once again when she felt something shot into her mouth and down her throat. The fact that Emma swallowed it whole had hurt her throat at first, but then Emma got the taste of a berry that bursted with juice. Emma then suddenly felt like everything was getting bigger. The net grew, and grew, and grew until Emma slipped through one of the holes. Emma fell down until she landed into another net that felt just as large. Now although she saw she was in a net hanging from a rowboat where the blue worm with the red scarf was sitting. The blue worm was there still, but now bigger. Just as tall as Emma. Emma did not like whatever that cake did, but then she finally made one of her first fairy tale connections ever.
"Was that one of those things from Wonderland? You know, that thing that made Alice grow or shrink?"
The blue worm looked impressed.
"Someone knows somethin' about where she comes from after all! I bet your parents would be so proud... Those berries although our king made. He filled them with the 'Drink Me' juice and made an easier way for us to trap problems."
"You're saying I'm a problem? Says the talking worm who is kidnapping a woman."
"Guilt I've lost long ago, miss. Don't try usin' that... Useless on me. Take her to the Cage!"
The rowboat now started being rowed by what were now overgrown, abnormally colored worms. Emma wished she was back home with Henry and Neal.
Henry entered the cottage which had spiral stairs that led down the moment you walk through the entrance. Henry slowly walked down, holding out his sword just in case. Slowly he made it to the base of the stairs where the one roomed cottage was. All that was in the room was a table, two chairs, a shelf with empty bottles and books, and doors going all along the circular room's wall. Henry although could tell which door was the one he was ordered to enter. It was silver with a gold trim and a crystal handle. All the other doors were a dull brown, but this door seemed to be the light source for the room. Henry stood in front of the door. He couldn't move his legs. This time it was not the magic of a witch, but Henry's hesitations. He did not know what lied beyond this door. This could be his end. Does he want this? Is this really his only option. His gut said yes and he knew it was what he must follow. He opened the door and pointed his sword forward. No beast lay there though. All the eye could see were trees. All woods inside that door. In a distance though, you could hear the pounding of some creature. A pound that made the hair on the back of Henry's neck stand up. A pound that only something huge could make.
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