His mind wandered. Kris questioned himself, wondering if he was slowly going insane. It was either that or the girl was real and there were such things as supernatural forces that were controlling his life. He shook his head, trying to wonder how he would contact the girl again.

      She always came to him when he was dreaming. Who was she? And why was she here? She wanted him to find her in the labyrinth, but she also wanted him to lose himself there. Could this all be a trap?

      Kris closed his eyes and once more he was in the same surrounding. There was a mist about him and he could feel the stones rising. So the labyrinth wasn’t’ always there. He tried to see through the angry fog and only saw the grayness. There was nothing he could see. He thought he could hear someone next to him but when he twirled around to see, he saw nothing.

      The smoke cleared and once more, he was surrounded by a slab of gray cement. The cement changed whenever he touched it, turning into a haunting reflection glass, twisting his image whenever he tried to look.

      He decided to communicate again. “Where are you?”

      The words came almost at once.

Everywhere. I’m here.

      “Who are you?”

      The answer came slower this time. He almost thought she wouldn’t answer.

Either your worst nightmare or your best dream.

      Kris began to walk. He could see that each step he took left a trail of blue dots. He began to walk confidently, knowing that now he had some way of marking where he was. But when he looked back after walking a few feet, he saw the dots were gone. The labyrinth turned into a forest and he bent over low hanging branches and vines that seem to snake out and hold him in his place.

      He ducked to avoid unforgiving trunks and swerved to avoid swooping birds. He could hear her, all the time. Her presence was everywhere. It took him a while before he realized that he was walking in a circle. The forest was never ending, yet he could see a light. He had to find his way back to the stones. He groaned in frustration.

Follow your heart

      He startled at the words that miraculously shone against the dark bark of the tree. Kris closed his eyes and felt a tug at his center. A feeling in his stomach that made him queasy and apprehensive at the same time. Kris’ feet seemed to move by themselves.

      He walked slowly and soon felt himself being propelled into another arena. This was a similar labyrinth and he thought he had gone back to where he began. But he looked closely at the barriers and saw that it was a reflective marble, a house of mirrors, with his reflection echoing his every movement.

      He could see a deeper shadow within the glass and knew instinctively that the mirror may be double sided, that the shadows he was seeing could be her as well. He could hear her tantalizing walk, her heels clacking every time she moved.

      He yearned to see her face. Kris turned corners and went through narrow alleys with moving walls that threatened to squeeze in on him. He walked on and on, hearing the clicking get louder. All the while, he had his eyes closed and walked only by feel. The tugging on his gravitational center grew stronger and suddenly, he was back in a suffocating fog.

      The mist smelled flowery and he couldn’t breathe. The scent was overbearing and the smoke stung his eyes. He waved his hands before him, trying to see, trying to look. His feet stumbled over one another and he choked.

      Just when he felt like he was about to lose all breath, the mist cleared and he was staring at her. He stopped in his tracks and stared at her. She was so beautiful.

      She was slender. Her body was encased in a tight dress of black gossamer, a material that hugged her body and hinted at deadly curves. Her eyes were large as they looked into his and he wanted to fall into their dark corridors.

      Her air curled around her face and the flower in her hair was a blood red, a symbol that has long been the death of man. Kris took her in and he took a step closer to her. She didn’t move and he wanted to speak. He found himself unable to open his mouth and she smiled. The first words out of his mouth was, “You found me in my labyrinth.” She grinned and he felt himself knocked off his feet.