A Snippet




"Do you know where the idea of a labyrinth first came from?"

I Shake my head.

"It was the ancient Mesopotamians. They pulled out animal intestines - sometimes human intestines, I expect - and used the shapes to predict the future. They admired the complex shapes of intestines. So the prototype for intestines in, in a word, guts. Which means that the principle for the labyrinth is inside you. And that correlates to the labyrinth outside."

"Another metaphor," I say.

"That's right. A reciprocal metaphor. Things outside you are projections of what's inside you, and what's inside you is a projection of what's outside. So when you step into a labyrinth outside you, at the same time you're stepping into the labyrinth inside. Most definitely a risky business."

"Like Hansel and Gretel."

"Right, just like them. The forest has set a trap, and no matter what you do, no matter how careful you are, some sharp-eyed birds are going to eat up all your breadcrumbs."