The highway of the enchanted
Somewhere along the Midwest, just off the interstate, lies an intriguing highway. Normally, it’s nothing more than a tourist trap. Every few miles along this peculiar road, you’ll encounter an assortment of strange contraptions. There’s a corn maze, a few metal statues of grasshoppers, a statue yard filled with fish, as if it’s peering into a lake, and even a colossal metal statue of a family. At the very end of this enigmatic route sits a small town, crowned by a castle-like hotel.
Now, I say “normally” because, as legend has it, on the weekend following Halloween, something strange transpires, and this highway transforms into a challenge. You venture down this highway, partake in its quests, and, if the tales are to be believed, you earn a treasure at the journey’s end. Whether it’s true or not, I cannot say for sure. What I do know is that the highway does become… peculiar.
Just the other day at school, I learned about this legend. And who am I to resist the allure of adventure? I hurried over to my friend Leo’s house, where I met up with Kiya, Nathan (Kiya’s twin), and Leo.
I recounted the story I had just learned in class, and I could see their excitement as we sat in a haze of smoke.
“So, who’s up for it?” I asked enthusiastically, nearly bouncing in my seat.
“I’m down. What do we need?” Leo replied, his tone composed.
“We’ll need food, jackets, drinks, and, of course, lighters,” I grinned when I mentioned lighters. They all understood the significance.
“How long do you think we’ll realistically be out there?” Leo inquired after a brief pause.
“I’d wager at least one night,” I replied, knowing it was a weekend-long affair.
“Well then, one of us should carry a tent,” Leo mused.
“Do any of us own a tent?” Kiya questioned.
“I think my parents own one!” I chimed in helpfully. My parents were quite well-off, mainly thanks to oil money. What I was getting at was that I knew my parents owned a rather large tent - perfect for our adventure.
“Okay, so you’ll get the tent, and we’ll all head home, pack up, and meet tonight at 8 to go shopping at the convenience store,” Leo decided.
We all quickly agreed and went our separate ways. I returned home, where a small pack of dogs belonging to my family greeted me. After feeding them, I rushed downstairs to my room. Being 18, I didn’t need my parents’ permission to go places. I packed two changes of clothes into a bag. Then, I set off to locate the tent.
With the youngest dog, Shadow, by my side, I ventured into my father’s shed, which was just a shipping container. I entered the dark, spider-infested room and found the tent. I loaded everything into my car and headed back to Leo’s house, our unofficial meetup spot since Leo’s parents were rarely home. I walked inside without knocking, dropped my bag, and greeted Leo’s orange cat before proceeding deeper into the house.
“Leo!” I called out, flopping onto his bed.
“Be out in a minute!”
Leo emerged from the bathroom with a bag that he tossed onto the ground.
“Looks like you beat Kiya and Nathan,” Leo noted as he sat down.
“You know those two, Kiya loves to pick a fight,” I replied.
Leo and I spent our time playing Minecraft while we awaited the arrival of the other two. A haze of smoke filled the room.
After another thirty minutes, we heard Kiya and Nathan arriving. I set my controller down and waved at the two.
“Took you long enough!” Leo said with a laugh.
Kiya shook her head. “Shut up.”
“Now that you two are done fighting, let’s make a list!” I clapped my hands and pulled out a notebook.
We all talked for about thirty minutes, coming up with a list of things, mainly stuff to make sandwiches and a bunch of munchies. In retrospect, we probably should’ve planned better, but hindsight is 20/20, and it’s far too late for us to change our fate now.
We all loaded into my bright yellow 2022 Outback Subaru, with my parents trying to buy their way to forgiveness for the shitty childhood I had.
After a quick 10-minute drive across town, we arrived at a local convenience store. Inside, we spent time arguing over what to buy, and in the end, we spent almost 200 dollars on things we thought we needed.
After that, we explored the town. It was 10 pm, and we aimed to leave at 11:00. In theory, if we got there by midnight, it would be the start of the highway opening.
We were 15 minutes from the first attraction when Leo noticed something through the haze.
“Oh my god! Look at all those birds!” Leo called out in awe.
“Crows,” Nathan said, peering out the window intently.
“What are crows doing out here?” I asked, pulling the car over.
“I don’t know,” Leo said.
“Well, I’m going out there!” I said, unbuckling my belt.
“Hah! That’s a you thing,” Leo replied from the passenger seat.
I rolled my eyes and pushed the door open. Smoke poured out.
“Oh man,” Nathan muttered quietly in the back.
I ignored them both and got out, walking to the murder of crows. Something lay in one of their beaks. I bent down and held my hand out.
“Give it here,” I said in a soft voice.
To my surprise, the bird listened. It waddled up to me and dropped the small object in my hand.
Upon further inspection, the object turned out to be an eye! Now, it wasn’t an actual eye. It was a tiny eye with blood-red irises. It was creepy, but also super cool. So, I decided to keep it.
I slipped back into the car, watching the birds take flight from the safety of my vehicle. Pulling back onto the road, I resumed driving.
“What did you grab?” Leo asked from the passenger seat.
“It was an eye,” I replied, pulling out the prosthetic eye to show them.
“Not a real eye, right?” Kia inquired.
“No, just a prosthetic one,” I assured them, putting it away and focusing on the road.
“And you kept it?” Nathan asked.
I nodded and turned up the music, signaling the end of the conversation.
After a few more minutes, we arrived at a dirt parking lot just outside a massive corn maze. I turned in my seat.
“Here we are, right at midnight,” I said, looking around at my friends.
“Everyone got flashlights?” Nathan asked.
“Yes.”
“Yep.”
“Yuh.”
I pulled out my pipe, and we smoked for a bit, chatting and discussing our game plan. All we had was to stick together and be cautious.
I was passing the pipe when the sound of sirens pierced the music. My ears perked up, and I dropped the pipe.
“Everyone in the maze, now!”
We all scrambled out of the car, smoke billowing out. I grabbed my bag from the back and rushed into the maze, with my friends close behind.
… To be continued. part 2