W is for Watchtower
My parents keep telling me not to visit- for it is an ancient crumbling structure, but I cannot help myself. I steal away as often as I can to wander the path I know so well. Eventually, it leads to a weather beaten half-caved in building. I climb the cool stone stairs to the very top and look out. A blood red sun sinks slowly casting its crimson rays across our land. A breeze kicks up to run its invisible fingers through my hair and caress my skin. I close my eyes and lean into its embrace.
It's almost like flying.
Opening them, I can see our castle on the horizon, surrounded by the vast protectiveness of the Labyrinth. Father says that before the Labyrinth came to be, there were dozens of watchtowers just like this to keep the castle, its inhabitants, and the Goblin City safe. The one I'm currently in is the last.
When it finally falls down I'll no longer be able to see the twists and turns of the Labyrinth's walls- watching them move and change, never the same pattern twice. Or the edges of the Firey Forest to the east, or the dry, barren land where Father brings the Runners to start their trials. All of which will be mine someday.
It's a huge, terrifying responsibility. And this feeling, this almost-flying, helps. It allows me to put things into perspective. But it is also a blessed freedom- one that I'll also miss when this sanctuary of mine returns to the earth.
However, there is hope. Both Mother and Father's alternate forms are avian. Perhaps, mine will be as well.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Jim Henson and Co.