loud:
â Welcome to the Curious Maze.
Walk the path,
Clear your mind,
Reach the end,
See what you find! â
âWell, that still doesnât tell us anything. Whatâs curious about it?â Carter complained.
âWhy donât you walk the maze and see?â a voice said, making Carter jump. The voice came from the other side of the bushes.
âHello?â Carter called. There was no answer.
Sydney took a few steps into the maze with Carter close behind her. The bushes followed a brick pathway that wound back and forth and then disappeared around a corner. The maze was green and leafy and looked just a tiny bit inviting.
âHello?â Carter called again, a little louder.
A voice answered ahead of them this time, an old manâs voice, just of out sight around a bend in the path. âYouâll have to come in further. Iâm over here,â the old voice croaked.
Sydney and Carter took a few more steps. It was quiet and surprisingly cool inside the maze. Suddenly, the heat of the day fell away.
âWhatâs ⦠whatâs a curious maze?â Carter called out.
A man appeared right behind them, an old, old man, holding a huge pair of red-handled garden shears. Carter whirled around and gasped.
Whereâd he come from? Out of the hedge?
The old man was tiny and bent. He wore a long green smock almost to his knees and clutched the garden shears by his side. Carter had never seen such an old man. He looked like he was made out of wood, he was so gnarled and bent and warped, just like an old tree. There was something terribly wrong with one of his thumbs. It was far too large, and Carter wasnât sure but it looked almost ⦠green ⦠and leafy .
Carter looked away, trying not to stare.
âHello,â the old man rustled. âIâm the maze-keeper. You can call me Mr. Green.â
âOh ⦠hello. That was you just now, beside the tree, waving at me?â Mr. Green blinked and looked at Carter and then nodded ever so slightly.
âCan I help you? Did you want something?â Carter asked.
âI wanted you to discover the curious maze.â The old man clutched his garden shears, and Carter tried not to look at his weird thumb.
âWell, whatâs a curious maze anyway? Your sign doesnât say, doesnât really explain it,â Carter answered, struggling to remain polite while he rolled his eyes away from the strange hand.
The old man grinned, and Carter thought the ancient face was going to crack like tree bark.
âA maze is a pathway. Some people think it represents a meditation, or a journey. If something is troubling you, you walk along the path and see where it takes you. What could be more curious than a pathway that calms your troubles?â the old man said.
Mr. Green.
Now the old man was closer, there was definitely something off about him, and it wasnât just his thumb. He was ⦠creaking, almost like you could blow him over with a strong breeze. And then there was the small fact of the creepy thumb sticking out of the sleeve of his smock, grasping at the garden shears. Funny, thought Carter, that when you try NOT to stare at a thing, sometimes itâs all you can see.
Mr. Green caught Carter staring and pulled his thumb up his sleeve.
âWhy donât you just walk the maze? Itâs very interesting ,â the old man creaked.
âUm â¦â Carter hesitated. âI should ask my sister. We really ⦠we really should be going to find our mom.â He looked around for Sydney, but she was already disappearing down the pathway. Her tall red squid hat bobbed just above the bushes.
âCome on, Carter!â she called in a voice that sounded too far away. He didnât WANT to follow her into some boring garden maze.
He REALLY just wanted to go home â¦
⦠when the old man cackled, and his laugh, if it WAS a laugh, sounded like a tree about to snap in the
â Welcome to the Curious Maze.
Walk the path,
Clear your mind,
Reach the end,
See what you find! â
âWell, that still doesnât tell us anything. Whatâs curious about it?â Carter complained.
âWhy donât you walk the maze and see?â a voice said, making Carter jump. The voice came from the other side of the bushes.
âHello?â Carter called. There was no answer.
Sydney took a few steps into the maze with Carter close behind her. The bushes followed a brick pathway that wound back and forth and then disappeared around a corner. The maze was green and leafy and looked just a tiny bit inviting.
âHello?â Carter called again, a little louder.
A voice answered ahead of them this time, an old manâs voice, just of out sight around a bend in the path. âYouâll have to come in further. Iâm over here,â the old voice croaked.
Sydney and Carter took a few more steps. It was quiet and surprisingly cool inside the maze. Suddenly, the heat of the day fell away.
âWhatâs ⦠whatâs a curious maze?â Carter called out.
A man appeared right behind them, an old, old man, holding a huge pair of red-handled garden shears. Carter whirled around and gasped.
Whereâd he come from? Out of the hedge?
The old man was tiny and bent. He wore a long green smock almost to his knees and clutched the garden shears by his side. Carter had never seen such an old man. He looked like he was made out of wood, he was so gnarled and bent and warped, just like an old tree. There was something terribly wrong with one of his thumbs. It was far too large, and Carter wasnât sure but it looked almost ⦠green ⦠and leafy .
Carter looked away, trying not to stare.
âHello,â the old man rustled. âIâm the maze-keeper. You can call me Mr. Green.â
âOh ⦠hello. That was you just now, beside the tree, waving at me?â Mr. Green blinked and looked at Carter and then nodded ever so slightly.
âCan I help you? Did you want something?â Carter asked.
âI wanted you to discover the curious maze.â The old man clutched his garden shears, and Carter tried not to look at his weird thumb.
âWell, whatâs a curious maze anyway? Your sign doesnât say, doesnât really explain it,â Carter answered, struggling to remain polite while he rolled his eyes away from the strange hand.
The old man grinned, and Carter thought the ancient face was going to crack like tree bark.
âA maze is a pathway. Some people think it represents a meditation, or a journey. If something is troubling you, you walk along the path and see where it takes you. What could be more curious than a pathway that calms your troubles?â the old man said.
Mr. Green.
Now the old man was closer, there was definitely something off about him, and it wasnât just his thumb. He was ⦠creaking, almost like you could blow him over with a strong breeze. And then there was the small fact of the creepy thumb sticking out of the sleeve of his smock, grasping at the garden shears. Funny, thought Carter, that when you try NOT to stare at a thing, sometimes itâs all you can see.
Mr. Green caught Carter staring and pulled his thumb up his sleeve.
âWhy donât you just walk the maze? Itâs very interesting ,â the old man creaked.
âUm â¦â Carter hesitated. âI should ask my sister. We really ⦠we really should be going to find our mom.â He looked around for Sydney, but she was already disappearing down the pathway. Her tall red squid hat bobbed just above the bushes.
âCome on, Carter!â she called in a voice that sounded too far away. He didnât WANT to follow her into some boring garden maze.
He REALLY just wanted to go home â¦
⦠when the old man cackled, and his laugh, if it WAS a laugh, sounded like a tree about to snap in the
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