The Wrong Way to Navigate a Halloween Field Maze

Picture it: Late October. It was a gorgeous fall Arkansas Sunday afternoon with clear blue skies and a crisp, cool breeze in the air. I was enjoying the day with one of my friends when we decide to check out the Halloween Maze in Fulton, AR. Now I grew up in the little town of Fulton, (which by the way is a town that does not even have the luxury of a red light.) so I thought it was awesome that there was a Halloween activity so near by. I called to find out the hours of operation, and then we were off on our journey.

We made the 20 minute drive from Texarkana, chatting excitedly the whole way. Being the Fulton native that I am, I was certain I would have no trouble driving to the maze. First mistake. After turning off the interstate, we had to travel down a paved road. The paved road eventually became a gravel road which then became a dirt road. I wondered if I missed a turn but fortunately comforting signs were placed every so many miles to assure me that I was indeed going the right way. We finally arrived at a beautiful grass farm. The parking area was not terrible crowded so we thought we were in luck. After milling around the petting zoo and concession area we were ready to tackle the maze.

I should have known there would be a problem when we passed a bucket of flash lights for sale. Flashlights? It was 4:00. By our calculations, we had about an hour and 30 minutes of daylight left. Plenty of time get through the maze and have a juicy hamburger afterward. Second mistake. The attendant asked if we wanted to go through the long maze or the short maze. The long maze of course! The attendant offered us a tip: When you get to the picnic table you are at the halfway point. We paid our entrance fee and gleefully entered The Maze.

At the entrance there were about three paths to follow. The first one we chose led us right back to the entrance. We giggled and chose a different path. The next path we picked led us deeper into The Maze. At each turn there were signs posted with random American facts. We stopped and read each sign foolhardily thinking that the signs could some how guide us through The Maze. It was fun for awhile, then we started coming across the same facts on the signs. We wondered if we were going in circles or if The Maze people had repeated the signs to confuse us. Before we knew it 30 minutes had passed by and we were not sure if we were making any progress. Just when we were getting discouraged we found the set of picnic tables. Glory Hallelujah! Maybe we could get through this in an hour after all.

The next 15-20 minutes passed as we made turn through turn, only to end up right back at the picnic tables. Undaunted, we chose another path. At this point the sun was starting to go down. I jokingly told my friend that maybe we should have grabbed one of those flashlights. Twenty minutes later, and back at the picnic tables, I realized that my joke about the flashlights was not so funny anymore. We began to panic a bit as the sun quickly disappeared. A jolly group of four young people met us on the path and informed us that we were walking toward another dead end. Fortunately these friendly people were insightful enough to bring a flashlight with them. We were graciously accepted as part of their pack, as they did not want to leave us alone in the dark. One of the young ladies in the group was alleged to have an uncanny sense of direction, so we faithfully followed her though the maze.

Thirty minutes later it was dark as pitch, and we were quickly loosing faith in our navigator. She led us to dead end after dead end. We were all getting tired, hungry, and cranky. This Maze that was friendly, lush, and green in the daylight became ominous, threatening, and evil as the darkness settled. Bugs attacked us. Stalks slapped us in the face. Deep craters and holes mysteriously appeared on the path. Inevitably our fearless navigator became victim to one of the holes. Even in the darkness, no one could mistake the sicken sound of a twisted ankle as the crater grabbed her foot and flung her to the ground. We huddle around her as she whimpered in pain, wondering how the heck we were going to get through a dark maze with an injured chick. With our leader down, would we ever get out of the maze? Who would be the next victim? What other hideous creatures were hiding in the maze waiting to eat us alive?

As we huddled-defeated, discouraged, scared and cold-a light bulb popped in my head. Maybe I could call the farm and see if someone could come rescue us! I remembered that the number was in my phone from when I called early to see when they were open. I said a silent prayer that I would be able to get reception in the middle of this field. Thank God for Alltel! The call went through and a gentleman said he would come out and get us. We humbly waited on the path until we heard the distant rumble of a four wheeler. We screamed and flashed the light until he was able to find us. Battle worn, we followed the gentleman out of that heinous Maze. The kind man told us not to feel bad for not getting through the Maze. I asked if anyone else ever had to be rescued from The Maze. He replied that we were probably the second or third group of people he had to come get. Considering that hundreds of people probably go through The Maze each season, this information was not extremely comforting.

The following Halloween season my brother was visiting me in Texarkana. I asked if he would like to tackle the Maze with me. He replied that he was up for the challenge. I warned him by sharing my experience from the previous year. He seemed un-wavered by my tale and appeared excited about the challenge. I watched as he packed a backpack with two jackets, bottles of water, a few snacks, and a flashlight. Hmm...I wondered why I didn't think of that last year.

When we reached the entrance of The Maze, my brother calmly looked around. He asked me for a pen and a piece of paper. I graciously provided the materials and watched as he made sketches and notes. At each turn he made more short notes as I followed faithfully. We reached the picnic tables in about seven minutes. About ten minutes later we were exiting the maze. My brother smiled with pride and stated "How about one of those hamburgers?" We had time to enjoy our burgers and take a horse buggy ride. And we were back in Texarkana before sundown. Maybe it was my brother's military experience, or perhaps pure common sense that got us through The Maze so quickly. Either way, the next time I tackle a Halloween Maze I know who I'm taking with me!