Once upon a Labyrinth

Milos had never liked the sea.

It wasn’t fear exactly but there was something about the way the horizon swallowed everything that unsettled him. So when the ship cut through the gray water toward Crete, he stood near the stern and watched Athens shrink into a smudge, as if distance alone might erase what awaited them. There were fourteen of them, seven young men and maidens on this ship heading toward their imminent death disguised as a ceremonial tribute. Milos knew better. He looked at the others who were quieter than a sanctuary in the temple of Apollo. No one spoke much. At first, there had been whispers, rumors about the labyrinth, and the creature. But now a heavy silence settled. It was not the fear but the certainty of it. Even the bravest among them had grown quiet.

Milos stayed apart from them. He kept his thoughts to himself as he always did. He stared out across the water and watched as the waves crashed against all the ships at sea. Somehow, the waves reminded him of childhood, restless, lonely things that never stopped moving because they belonged nowhere. He understood that feeling. His mother told him once that he was “born with winter in him.” He had been ten years old then, standing awkwardly in the doorway while she was slicing cabbages. He can still smell the coriander and rue. She said the words without even looking at him. She had loved him cautiously, as though afraid too much affection might break something delicate inside him. Milos had never blamed her for it. Some people were easy to love, hold, or easy to know. He had never been one of them.

The ship creaked softly. He glanced back toward the others again. One of the girls was crying quietly while another comforted her, arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Some of the others came to show their support. No one reached for Milos. No one ever did. It was not because they hated him. It was because they forgot about him. He was the one standing slightly outside the circle. The last chosen for games as a child. The quiet voice interrupted before finishing its thought. The face no one remembered fully after looking away. Even now, surrounded by people condemned to die beside him, he felt separate from them. The thought should have hurt more than it did. Instead, it simply felt familiar.

Ever since the decree, people realized that he existed and gave him a sympathetic smile when they saw him. How sad is it, that his existence would only be recognized for his imminent death. How pitiful, he thought. But what had been more pathetic was he had been chosen not for strength or beauty, but because his name had been drawn. That was all. No prophecy, no hero’s calling. Just chance. He found that detail almost insulting. He would have preferred a more meaningful death.

When they reached Crete, guards escorted them through the palace gates without a word. Their footsteps rang against polished floors as they were led deeper and deeper into the structure. The corridors seemed to fold in on themselves. Milos wondered if they did that on purpose. Another girl began to cry softly.This time, no one comforted her. At last, they emerged into a wide courtyard. In the middle was a simple opening in the earth, framed by rough stone, descending into an abyss of shadows. The entrance to the labyrinth was almost insulting. There was nothing grand or mystical, no carvings warning of danger and no torches lit its interior. It was just…there; quiet, patient and hungry.

He stood at the back of the group while the others clustered together instinctively, shoulder to shoulder like frightened animals seeking warmth. Even now, at the edge of death, they formed circles that did not include him. Milos watched them from a slight distance. A girl clung tightly to another’s arm. No one had noticed that Milos drifted back from the group. Would they even notice if I ran now? He wondered silently.

As if the guards read his mind, one of them stepped forward and gestured.

“Enter.”

That was it. There was no speech or ritual or well wishes. There was no bidding of farewell or words of encouragement or gratitude for their sacrifice. For a moment, no one moved. Then a boy took a shaky step forward, then one by one, they began to walk. Milos lingered at the end and watched the darkness ahead. He had imagined this moment differently during the voyage. He thought terror would overwhelm him completely, that his legs would fail or his body would revolt against the certainty of what waited ahead of him. Instead, he felt peaceful. The darkness felt less like entering a monster’s den and more like stepping into a place where forgotten things were sent. Finally, Milos entered.

He looked back once, half-expecting someone to stop this, to shout that it had all been a mistake. But the guards were already turning away, their task complete. He swallowed, forcing his feet to move. The stone steps were cool beneath his sandals. Each step carried him further from the sun, further from the world he knew. He took another look behind him at the border of light and darkness then reached in a fold in his cloak and took out a sharp rock. He took a few more steps and using his rock he carved a small indentation in the wall next to him and continued walking. As he delved more into the maze, the air grew damp, tinged with something metallic.

It was probably blood.

Milos made small indentations in the wall as he kept on walking. He was perplexed by how many corridors branched, twisted, and overlapped. The walls were high and rough, their surfaces cold and jagged at time. He didn’t think it would be this dark. It was darkness that was deeper than night, swallowing the edges of everything. But he didn’t let that stop him as he continued to delve into this diabolical labyrinth . He hoped that his plan of wall indentations and always turning right would work. He also hoped someone from his group would be able to kill the monstrous beast or at least injure him. As he wondered where did everyone go, a terrifying and haunting scream broke the silence in the labyrinth and made his heart hammer against his ribs.

The screaming continued far too long that it paralyzed Milos that he fell to the ground and crouched by the walls. As terrifying as the screams were, the sudden silence that followed was even more paralyzing. This was no longer a story told by the elders. This was the merciless reality that was now alive, breathing and swallowing him whole.

Milos didn’t know how long he sat on the ground, unable to move but he finally stood up and continued to walk. Time lost meaning. Distance lost meaning. Every direction felt wrong but he kept walking in passages that felt too narrow and turns that led nowhere. He pressed on, one hand trailing along the walls as if this could anchor him. For days Milos walked slowly taking breaks here and there. Every step scraped pain through his legs. His throat felt flayed raw from thirst, and the smell of dust and blood clung to the air so heavily he could taste it. He had stopped counting the days and the hours. The labyrinth twisted endlessly around him, cold stone repeating itself. He had passed the same cracked pillar three times. Or perhaps there were many pillars. The labyrinth played tricks like that. He stopped counting the screams that echoed through these corridors of hell; some were closer than others. Too close. But the more screams he heard, the more he got used to them. Milos was sure that everyone was gone by now.

Milos’ knees gave up when he stumbled on something on the ground. Maybe it was a rock or a bone. He wasn’t sure and he did not want to find out. He leaned against the wall with a groan.

“I can’t…” he whispered hoarsely.

His eyes fluttered as his body begged for sleep so desperately. Just for a moment, he told himself. Just enough to breathe. The silence pressed heavily around him. Water dripped somewhere in the distance with maddening rhythm. Before he realized, Milos fell asleep.

Not too far from Milos, a whisper broke the silence.

“ I did not ask for this. I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to be born..”

the voice muttered bitterly. “I was a child once, did they forget that?”

The darkness of the labyrinth swallowed his words. The voice echoed through the maze, returning to its source warped and lonely. The sobs that followed however reached Milos in his slumber.

Milos was relieved that someone else was alive and it wasn’t just him. Maybe they can work together and defeat the beast together. Maybe, there is hope after all.

The voice began talking again.

“I tried…” it paused again to sob some more.

Milos was about to speak and comfort whoever was talking when the voice continued.

“I tried not to hurt them…”

Milos breath caught instantly. Hurt them? Hurt who? He wondered.

“They scream before they even see me,” The voice continued wretchedly. “Every time.”

Milos froze. He was no longer confused who was talking, yet he was still confused by the strange ache growing in his chest. This was not the voice of a raging beast he had imagined fighting. There was no roaring or bloodlust. There was only misery and…loneliness.”

Milos didn’t understand a lot in this world but he understood loneliness. He suddenly began to wonder if this Minotaur knew why was he here or understood why it was hated so much. Did he opened his eyes to a world of hatred and fear?

“They come with swords already drawn… already hating me and don’t even know their names. They say I am savage, but what was I supposed to become down here? What did I do wrong? Husband of a queen sins against the gods, and I pay for it. Kings lie, gods punish, men build prisons…and they call me the monster.”

“Hello?” Milos called cautiously.

The crying stopped immediately. For a moment there was only silence. Then the Minotaur spoke.

“You should leave.”

“Are you hurt?” Milos asked.

A bitter laugh echoed through the corridors.

“Hurt? These people send people here every and still ask foolish questions.”

“I can help you.” Milos couldn’t believe the words he just uttered.

“No one can.”

“You sound alone,” Milos said carefully and this time there was no response. He wondered if the beast left. He stood up slowly to try to find where the voice came from. Then…

“I am alone…My own mother cried when she looked at me. Do you know what that does to someone? To be hated by the first eyes that ever saw you? Could anyone ever love something they fear? … I remember sunlight. I remember the warmth of it on my skin before they brought me here. Now all I know is darkness and fear. I never wanted to kill anyone….but they run. They stab me. They scream. They look at me like I am death itself. And when you are treated like a monster long enough…well.. you know what happens. I wish once…just once someone tried to know me before they decided what I was. I didn’t ask to be born like this I didn’t ask to become a story people tell their children….please just leave.”

The corridor fell quiet again. Milos felt torn. This was his opportunity to run. The Minotaur told him to. But…the grief in that voice had sounded too…familiar.

“I know,” Milos said quietly. The words slipped out before fear could stop them.

“Don’t,” the Minotaur growled immediately, harsher now. “Do not pretend you understand me.”

Milos shook in his place. He didn’t anticipate this response but he forced himself to continue.

“I won’t pretend that I understand all of it or even imagine living here all alone,” he admitted. “But I understand what it feels to be alone. I understand what it is to walk into a room and feel unwanted or people deciding who you before they even speak to you….” He paused as he suddenly became overwhelmed with a mix of feelings that rattled inside of him.

“I spent my whole life feeling different from everyone else…separate from everyone else. I was not feared like you. I was simply forgotten which is its own kind of loneliness. ”

The Minotaur did not say anything. Milos did not know if he should keep going or not but he felt a sense of relief to tell someone, even if it was a Minotaur, about how he truly felt. So he decided to continue.

“I was the oldest son yet my young brother and sister were my parents true joy. Everyone loved them immediately. They filled the room without trying. My father used to lift them onto his shoulders in the market while I walked behind them. I remember one time I got separated from them in the market in the middle of a crowd. I panicked. I did not know where to go or if I should stop so they can find me. When I finally found my family they were walking still as if nothing happened. No one noticed when I disappeared…I remember standing there staring at them thinking…if I disappeared forever, how long would it take before someone noticed?” Milos stopped again as the words seemed difficult to admit aloud. He felt shame, even thought none of this was his fault.

“I was too quiet, too strange and thought too much. The other children felt it immediately and they are truly cruel to anything different. That feeling never really leaves you. So, I learned to just make myself smaller….quieter. I stopped asking people to see me after enough years of being overlooked. It became embarrassing to want it…and eventually people’s silence becomes your own voice. You begin to believe there truly is something wrong with you….and it very hard not to become lonely enough to disappear inside yourself…so yeah I understand what you meant.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke as Milos’ confession permeated the stagnant air of the dark corridors of the labyrinth . The Minotaur tried to speak but choked over his own emotions because for the first time in his entire life someone was speaking to him as another soul and not as a hideous beast. There was no terror, exaggeration or slyness; only understanding. He exhaled slowly.

“I think…” He hesitated, unfamiliar with speaking thoughts no one had ever cared to hear before. “I think there are many ways to become isolated. Some of us are locked away by walls and some by silence. When people fear me, at least they see me, but you stand among people and disappear…you learned how to disappear before anyone could abandon you again.”

Milos throat tightened as he felt tears burning unexpectedly behind his eyes. No one had ever said it aloud before. No one had ever noticed. Hearing the Minotaur speak with compassion made something ache inside him. He was now weeping helplessly into his hands and in his anguish he didn’t hear the slow and heavy clops that were coming toward him. Then, a warm breath stirred faintly behind him.

Milos froze as every muscle locked instantly. He had been consumed by his intense emotions and emptying years of loneliness into the dark that he failed to hear the Minotaur approaching. He was now a few feet away. Milos couldn’t see him but he felt his overwhelming presence. Even though his heart was pounding, he did not move away. Instead, he became suddenly aware of how strange this moment was. Somewhere closed to him stood a monster, only heard of in stories. A creature that sent warriors running in fear. A creature that can kill him in an instant. And yet this was the safest Milos had ever felt speaking about himself.

Finally, the Minotaur spoke. “You didn’t run.”

“No” Milos responded solemnly.

“You should…You still have a chance to survive.” The Minotaur answered.

“Survive?” Milos laughed bitterly. “And then what? Go back to the people who sent me here?To being invisible?” No….I don’t think either of us survives this world alone.”

Milos stopped as thoughts began to turn behind his tired eyes. Then, an idea began forming slowly and maybe even dangerously.”

“What are you saying? And why did you get so quiet?”

“Oh…sorry…I am thinking.”

“That usually leads to terrible decisions.” The Minotaur responded matter of factly.

“We can escape…together.” Milos finally said.

A hollow laugh escaped the Minotaur.

“There is no way out.”

“I marked the walls along the way.”

“It would not work. I have spent years trying to escape. There is simply no way out.”

“You don’t know that…listen I have never felt there is any meaning to my life. I never had a purpose. What if this is it? What if it was to find you, listen to you and help you escape? What if we can finally live our lives like everyone else.”

The Minotaur felt like he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know what to think or how to act really. But of the first time in all these years beneath the earth he allowed himself to imagine a future.

“And if we escape? Where does a Minotaur go?”

“Anywhere! I have heard of far away lands beyond the sea. You would not just be a Minotaur. You would be whatever you want to be.”

Then, together, they began walking toward a new beginning or an end.