The words were so intense when said, they took my breath away. "Don't go past the light in the labyrinth." I heard the voice  say. I had no idea what it meant, what labyrinth, what  light? Wondering about it kept me up all night. I must have had a dream, but that's all I could remember.Next day after lunch with my friend Clara, she said: "Let's go look at the new Maze it's finished."  "What new Maze? " I asked, knowing nothing about it, she directed me ,and when we pulled up to where it was located I gasped. A sign said " If you are a beginner do not try this labyrinth without a guide. I told Clara, I could not go inside. She said, "you know me I just have to go through,"  "Go ahead I'll wait for you." I thought they must have put it up  the two months I was away on vacation. About 45 minutes went by, beforeI got out of the car and went to the entrance to ask an attendant, how long it took.  He said: "if you know what your doing usually 20 minutes, but if you don't it could take an hour.

I said thanks and walked around a bit after 20 minutes I went back and said "it's been about an hour and 15 minutes. I think someone should go in. He said " We give a phone and a flashlight to everyone. I haven't heard from anyone yet."I said "Well, I want to look for her, and I need a guide." He said " we don't have guides right now, that's why we give  the phone and flashlight. So I paid, and had him show me where to start, and he led me to the entrance.  There was a huge light above that looked like a gothic monster man/animal with many candles in front.It covered the entire double black iron gate to the entrance , about 30 feet. He saw me staring and said: " Beautiful isn't it? it's the only light in the whole Maze, that is kept mist shrouded for mysterious atmosphere, but the candles have a special projection and give a diffused light over the whole area, and there are lots of other gothic sculptures"

I stared and could not move, remembering the warning "Don't go past the light in the labyrinth."  Then I knew, no matter what,I had to try to find her and get rid of this unknown fear, so I started out.  About 15 minutes into it I knew I was lost, and prayed I'd find Clara  soon. Using the flashlight made me feel better, another 20 minutes later I saw Clara sitting on a bench, her back turned to me. So excited I ran yelling " Clara, It's me, I'm so glad I found you." She turned around as I came beside her, and her face was gone, I screamed and fainted.When I awoke Clara was gone, and I was sitting on the bench, I was sobbing I coudn't find the phone or the flashlight, and I sat in an eerie grey mist. I could barely see about 5 feet in front of me. I stayed on the bench wondering what to do.  I put my hand up to rub my eyes and there was nothing there, I screamed and fainted again. When I next awoke I was on the ground. I got up and started  walking, sobbing and praying as I did so.

Then I heard a kind of  soft bark, and a dog came alongside of me, but it had no tail or ears, and a snarling mouth with rotten fangs. I was so frightened all I could do was run, but it kept up with me, as I stumbled and fell it kept on
running. I couldn't take much more, I couldn't see the dog, yet I heard it barking like it was next to me. I got up and resumed walking and praying. I saw several gothic angel statues, with one wing black and one white,and some were faceless. Then I came to one that had what looked like Clara's face and I began to tremble as I ran as fast as I ever have, crying and shivering in fear, until I came before two treelined openings like alcoves which I couldn't see too far into just the same dirt like paths I was on, I had to choose one to go through.

I prayed and went to the right and soon came to a clearing and all of a sudden I was next to my  car, and Clara was sitting in it. She looked normal, and said as I opened the door, "What happened to you, your a mess. Your as white as a ghost. I've been waiting since the attendant told me you went in to look for me, that was half an hour ago." I was still shaking and told her what had happened. She said" Norma, you have some kind of imagination. Really, I'm fine and you never saw me in there, the attendant said you had just gone in a couple of minutes before I came out , and we even went in a little way to see if we could stop you before you went looking for me.  You must be having one of your dreams again.   

I was trembling while starting the car, and I said, "that was no dream Clara, I know it wasn't." I started to pull away and when I looked past Clara  to make sure all was clear, again she had no face . I yelled," My God Clara, your face is gone again, and there was nothing but silence, I fainted.  When I awoke I was in a hospital and they said I had been in a coma for 6 weeks. It seems that Clara had disappeared and when I had told them what happened in the labyrinth, they didn't believe me. They said I had come out of the labyrinth and told the guard that I couldn't find Clara, and he sent in a search party, when no one found her they tried to calm me down but I fainted again, and that was the last thing I remember until waking in the hospital. The doctor told me I had an oxygen problem which they had corrected, which was the cause of my fainting so much.

It is six months later and an investigation into Clara's wherabouts has concluded with her still missing with no clues as to what happened. I had gone back to the labyrinth one time to show the police where I had seen Clara, and I found the Angel with the face that looked like hers, but they said that was impossible, and it was only a very sight resemblance to only one of her
photographs,which meant nothing. I knew  somehow, that it was her face, and though I couldn't prove anything, I warned everyone I could to never go into that labyrinth. It was eventually closed down after two more people went missing in that area.

None were ever found, and no one ever believed my story. I live elsewhere now , but can never forget, what happened.  I'm haunted by Clara's face in the gothic angel statue with one black wing and one white. I see it often, I have tried to get help to find out where the Maze owners went to, and  about their statues, they have no trace of them at all. One of the detectives said it's as if there never was a maze there, all signs of it have disappeared.  
                                                                                                               
Eileen T. Waldron 

written in 2000 never posted!