Day 1

The howl of a wolf jolts you awake. You get up from the tall, yellow grass and take a good look at your surroundings. Behind you sits a thick hedge of corn stalks and in front of you, a large rusted arc welcomes you to a small clearing with a tiny, curious crow holding a folded paper. 

This can’t be real! Think…just think! What happened? Last thing you knew, you were at you and your best friend’s Halloween bash. You were in charge of decorations…that's right. You were no artist, of course but they did the job. One of your other friends was in charge of music (appropriate music as per your best friend’s mom’s wishes)...Your best friend hosted the party…Actually, now that you think of it. You remember being overwhelmed by the blasting music and over the top strobe lights. Not to mention, it was already 3am and your eyes were heavy. Your friends noticed this and walked you home but…did we ever make it home?

You snap out of your thoughts at the sound of the crow cawing impatiently. You hesitantly step towards the crow, making it drop the paper and fly away into the dark void of a sky. You open the paper to see a sepia toned map. In each corner of the map, each of your friends' names are at different entrances with you at the bottom. Using the small amount of moonlight from above, you squint your eyes to read the fine print in the middle of the map. 

”The clock is ticking.”

Huh? What does that mean? You turn over the paper to see more written. 

“I have chosen you and your friends for this year’s Halloween to complete my labyrinth. Meet in the middle before the 7 day mark or I will come get you.”

A shock goes down your spine as the sound of a bell rings 7 times. The maze has now begun and there’s nothing you can do but go forward into the darkness with nothing but the sound of the dying grass beneath your feet.

Day 2

A Midnight Snack

As you set up camp for the night, you notice a wooden chest covered with moss in the corner. Intrigued, you flip the lid open to reveal an array of ingredients: pepper, ham, chocolate, half a loaf of bread, a dusty bag of almonds, and a red bell pepper. What a weird set of things to be laying in this maze. Nonetheless, you must make use of whatever food you can get. Choose which ingredients to take with you for later, and describe a midnight snack you’ll make—you’re starving!

Activity

In the middle of your journey, you find a hidden campfire with ingredients for a snack. In your TL, create a unique "midnight snack" that will give you energy for your journey. So, you

Create a spooky, energizing snack using a mix of traditional ingredients from your TL's native country(s) and your imagination. Describe the ingredients (and maybe how to make it).

Easy: List 3-4 ingredients and name your snack e.g. egg, cheese, bread. The name is Eggy Bread!

Medium: Write simple steps on how to prepare your snack. Include at least one cooking verb (e.g., "mix," "boil").

Hard: Write a full recipe using adjectives to describe each step’s outcome. Be detailed about the process, taste, and texture of your spooky snack! ( e.g. "Whip the eggs until they thicken. Cut the cheese into the shape of a pumpkin. Fry the bread until it’s crispy.”)

Day 3

Monster Encounter

Wandering through the seemingly endless passageways of the maze takes a toll on the mind. Constantly turning, wondering if the entire time you’ve been going in a giant circle. But you see something that you haven’t before—a staircase! Maybe this is the end! Have you made it? Your pace quickens as you make your way to the stairs. You swiftly descend them, and find yourself in a large, low-ceiling, beige room with nothing except a singular torch keeping the room lit. You hear mumbling. Squinting your eyes, a silver silhouette of a creature  reveals itself in the darkness. But not your typical monster. It’s about four feet tall, and looks like a skeleton, except something seems off. The bones are in the shape of a mouse. A giant mouse. The creature begins to speak. Communicate with the giant mouse in your target language and let him know where you’re trying to go and if he can help you.

Activity

You stumble upon a strange creature in the labyrinth! It’s unlike anything you’ve seen before and you need to record your findings in your TL to warn others! :pepelove: 

"Describe the monster you encountered in the maze. How does it look, sound, and move? Make sure to warn others about its abilities!"

Easy: Use basic vocabulary and adjectives to describe your monster (e.g., "The monster is big and scary. It has red eyes.").

Medium: Write a short paragraph describing its appearance and actions. Use at least three different adjectives and one action verb.

Hard: Create a short story (4-5 sentences) about an encounter with the monster, describing how you escaped or what you observed. Use various descriptive words, emotions, and some onomatopoeia (e.g., "It roared like thunder!").

Day 4

Riddle Me This

As you make your way through the twists and turns of the labyrinth, you come to a crossroads where the wisest of creatures, the Sphinx, guards the way. " You must solve my riddles to continue," she calls to you. "There are three; one easy, one difficult, and one the most challenging of all. What you answer correctly will decide which path you may take."

Activity

You hear a whisper in the maze—it's a voice offering you a way forward if you can solve their riddles. In this challenge, you will solve a word puzzle related to Halloween or maze themes.

"Solve the three riddles to move forward in the maze."

The riddles:

1. "I have no skin, but I’m full of bones. I rattle and shake, and sometimes I moan. In the graveyard, you’ll see me at night; what am I?" (skeleton)

2. "I glow in the night but do not burn. My carved face greets those who come near. Silently, I reside near your home; what am I?"

(A jack-o’-lantern)

3. "I haunt the night but leave no trace. I scare some people without a face. Through walls I glide, through doors I creep; what am I?" (ghost)

Day 5

Diary Entry

The chills of the night are starting to get to you. Not to mention your feet are starting to drag and your head is heavy. You think of your friends in the maze and wonder how they're keeping up. Did they go through the same twists and turns? Are they as far as you? You really hope they're okay. 

You reach into your pockets to keep your hands warm and all of a sudden, you feel something that wasn't there, a small journal that has a pen attached. After everything that's happened, you decide to write a journal entry for the night detailing every crazy thing that's happened and what you hope for tomorrow. Once you're out, you will want to tell everything you've seen on your way to your friends!

Activity

You’re writing a diary entry in your TL before sleeping in the maze. Share your thoughts on the day’s journey and your hopes or fears for the next day. Include "Dear Diary, [your writing]. From [your name]".

Easy: One sentence in your writing part

Medium: Two sentences instead

Hard: Three sentences instead

Day 6

Maze Shift

As you’ve been walking through the maze you’ve realized that nothing has really changed. Sure, something changed when you woke up in the literal middle of nowhere, but the maze itself has not changed in any way. Just tall, green walls that let in little bits of light when the sun is setting—a helpful thing to know for keeping track of time. You run your right hand along the wall to keep your focus, and so that you remember to keep right. After you make another right turn, you see before you a long straightaway—maybe 1,000 yards—that stretches so far you can barely make out the next fork. As you clear the corner and plant your left foot on the ground, you feel it sink about two inches lower than the ground. Startled, you look quickly down at your foot—it’s a pressure plate! You back up, afraid of what you might’ve just done. A horrifying sight befalls your eyes as you stare down the long passage. The walls begin to shift. Walls blend with others, rotate, shrink and grow; some completely disintegrate into the ground. As these walls dance back and forth, you realize you can use it to your advantage, for you can see beyond where you are. Maybe you can get a sneak peek of the right route! You whip out a notepad quickly and decide to scribble down what you can of what the ballad of the walls reveals.

Task

As you venture through the labyrinth mentioned, the surroundings change.  Participants might write a descriptive word/sentence/paragraph in their TL about their surroundings e.g. the tall grass walls, the dimly lit paths, and their feelings of fear or confusion.

Easy: Make a list of adjectives to describe your surroundings .

Medium: Write two sentences to describe your surroundings.

Hard: Write a paragraph (3 sentences) with adjectives to describe your surroundings and how it made you feel.

Endings

ENDING 1 (GOOD)

As you get up, you realize two things: one, your back is aching, and two, today is the last day. The last day before she comes for you. You should probably get moving ASAP. You get up, stretch out your back, and begin walking again through the seemingly endless maze. Right turn. Straight. Right turn. Straight. Swinging around the next corner, the only thought that pushes you on is that you may be close. You constantly are thinking how long can this maze really be? I’ve already done so much…surely I’m getting close? But it was just another grassy wall. You turn around and start trudging backwards. Wait. Was that wall…torn? You whip your head around, only to see something that you’ve been yearning for for a long time—an opening—perhaps the end. Walking with purpose now, you climb through the bushy hole, and see an open stone plaza with light trickling in through the canopy. Was this a trap? Did I make it? Your friends are not here, but there seems to be no way of progressing forwards. You sit down, utterly exhausted and depleted of energy. Your blinking slows and and your eyelids become heavy as you lie down to take a well-deserved rest. Whoever she might be will either come for you tonight, or you have won. Either way it was nice to finally get a peaceful rest. -- “Yo, throw me that water bottle.” “I gotcha.” Voices? “I wonder when they’re gonna wake up, I mean it’s been ages.” “Eh, let ‘em rest up.” Your eyes shoot open. Your friends! Your friends are here. You leap up, and immediately embrace the closest friend. “People, real people!” You sit down again, and the waterworks begin to go off. You cannot believe it. You’re not dead. You made it. You look up and meet your comrades’ gazes, and can’t help but laugh. You made it.

ENDING 2 (BAD)

As your eyes open, you see a cloak. Not a cloak with legs, just…a floating cloak. You steady yourself, hands pressed into the ground, and timidly scan upwards. The tattered ends of a black cloak, the silver chain draped around about the shoulders, and a ghastly face—pale white with glowing, purple eyes. “You have failed to save your friends, you have failed to save yourself.” You begin crawling backwards. The figure does not follow; only the face seems amused—if such an emotion can be discerned from a face as emotionless as this one. “They will suffer the same fate as you; their judgment clouded by fear and lethargy.” You get up now, running at full speed. “Maybe you should’ve practice more. но теперь до свидания.” Your heart and legs create a rhythm, and your breathing is heavier than it has ever been before. Exhale, pound pound, exhale, pound pound, exhale, pound pound. You draw a sharp inhale and. “Try again next time.” A crazed laugh is the last thing that echoes through your cranium before it is crushed like a tin can.