The Maze

Many centuries ago, there was a village which was very popular for a beautiful and very big maze. People from all over the world came to visit this beautiful maze. The people of that village were very proud of this. They used a lot of funds to maintain the maze. After a month or so, the village funds had decreased to such an extent that the headman of the village decided to make some money by taking fees from the people entering the maze. So, from that day on, the tourists had to pay to explore the maze. One rainy day, the keeper of the maze saw an old man entering the maze with a small boy. The keeper shouted out to the old man, "Hey, what do you think you are doing ? The maze is closed today. Can't you see the sign hung up there ?". "I am so sorry, young man. We are poor and so my grandson has never seen or gone to a fair. When he heard that there was a maze nearby, he insisted I take him here. Will you please let us enter?". "No, I cannot let you in as today the maze is closed. But if you pay a little extra, then I may change my mind", replied the keeper. The old man said, "I don't have any money for the time being but as soon as I gather some money, I will give it to you". "What? You don't have any money? Then, how can you expect me to let you enter? Go away and never come back empty-handed". Saying this, the keeper started laughing and teasing the old man. The old man lost his temper and shouted, "You don't possess a generous heart. You will soon pay the price for your deed and so will the maze". Saying thus, the old man left. After a few days, in the evening, when the keeper was returning home, he suddenly heard some weird noises coming from his house. He ran towards his house and found his wife lying unconscious at their doorstep. Both his children were crying.

He was thoroughly shocked and fainted. The next day when he woke up he found all the villagers surrounding him and preparing for his wife's funeral. A villager to had seen him wake up said, "Your wife is dead but don't worry. Everything will soon be fine. You can take the day off if you want". "No, I must go to work. I will have something else to concentrate on. But, tell me, do you know how she died?" asked the keeper. "I don't know. In fact, no one knows" replied the villager. That day, in the afternoon, the keeper decided to take a look inside the maze. He walked and walked deep inside the maze. After an hour or so of walking, he decided to return. But alas, he couldn't find the way back. He tried several times but still, he didn't find the way back. Now, he was feeling scared. He had an instinct that if he lost his way here, no one would find him ever. After several attempts, he gave up. He knew that he was lost. As the days went by, the villagers became worried about the keeper. He had not returned for several days now. The villagers decided to look for him in the maze. At night, a small group of villagers accompanied by the headman, went inside the maze, but with no luck. They too lost their way and never returned. Now the rest of the villagers were panicking. They decided to go into the maze for one, last time. But, the villagers who went inside this time, lost their way too and never returned. After this, people stopped going inside the maze, and eventually, the maze was closed. To this day, people don't dare to go inside the maze and those who go, never return........