Garinor decided to take the path on the left side. He felt that the man’s advice was too vague, and even if it was true, he wasn’t sure it would help in the end. The woman’s path, however, offered an intriguing variance. If she was lying and hers was not the only correct path, then it still might be a correct path. And if she was telling the truth, then he would be on his way in earnest.
Garinor stepped toward the door and walked into the darkened area beyond. He couldn’t see anything at all; at least, not until he closed the door.
Once he let the door close behind him, the room exploded to life. He saw around him a wide sandy landscape and a bright blue sky overhead. He wondered where in the world he could be, for surely this was not simply a room in the field. He couldn’t contemplate the area for long, for a large snaking mass slithered through the sand. It was easily ten times longer than Garinor was tall and it moved faster than any horse he had ever seen. Worst of all, it was heading right for him.
It was hard to run on the shifty sand. The harder he pushed the worse it was, but he needed to move quickly. The giant snake worked its way smoothly through the sand and it was all Garinor could do to avoid its giant maw. His one hope was that it didn’t seem like it could easily twist itself backwards, and so Garinor let the monster come closer to him and he dodged beside the head then jumped onto its writhing back. He clutched the warm scales as the snake moved frantically about, trying to free itself of its load. Eventually the beast became frustrated and buried his head into the sand and the rest of it disappeared behind it, leaving Garinor on his own again.
Breathing hard, Garinor scanned the area for signs of its reappearance, but he saw a man instead sitting atop a dune. He hurried over to the man and sought his advice.
The man sat on the sand with his legs and arms folded. He barely acknowledged Garinor until he was inches away. “You chose incorrectly to come in this direction; however, you may seek a reprieve. If you take the path to my left, then you will work your way back on track. If you take the path behind me, then you will become further lost.”
Garinor saw two deep ruts in the sand he hadn’t noticed before. Each rut led to a nondescript doorway and then to the next path in the labyrinth. He gazed into the man’s eyes, trying to discern if he was telling the truth or not, but such a thing was not easy for the fourteen-year-old to do. He could only go based on his instinct. If the man was telling the truth, then he should take the path to the right, but if he was lying then the path behind him was the way to go.
Garinor should believe the man and take the path to his right.
Garinor should not trust the advice and therefore take the path in the back.