Into the Labyrinth

“‘Say your right words,’ the goblin says.”

I want…. I want…

“Speak, and the door will open.”

Words ring with the weight of a gong. A doorbell. What I once thought an unending wall blinks stones out of their ordered illusion into an entrance. Unlike Sarah, however, I make no false pretense of entering with the valiant goal of saving a child. This is a pure adventure, and I am neither so young or naive to take for granted the risks laid out before me. I am at least honest enough to admit I move forward with the force of my own desires.

Yet I wonder how long will the parallels last? Will I inevitably have to grow and say the final words, stepping back out of the maze having learned my lesson? Will I need to say them but, having no sense of duty to resort to for strength, lack the will to speak and become enmeshed in precisely the way the ruler of the realm desires? Or will this story play out different enough that I can say those crucial words, and still stay, happy to dance on a tightrope?

My first good sign is the lack of a time constraint. No ticking of the hours breathes down my neck, egging me to move forth without getting the chance to see the next step clearly. Even now the threshold has not been crossed, only discovered. And yes, I think I will stop in with the worm and its missus for some tea.

My second good sign is that I do not approach an adversary. My invitation is not laced with transgressions, only the wariness of the legends whispered over time.

So that leads to the most important question: am I too mortal to handle the famed Labyrinth, or am I truly a goblin, finally provided the chance to return to my own kind?

All quotes and references made towards the classic Jim Henson’s film Labyrinth.