Lost Albert

Albert was the barman and sole owner of West Traum’s pub called Sweet Ales. He was a bit taller than the average male, but his weight was significantly lower than the average male. Why is this relevant? He was the lanky man that Dolly saw being chased earlier. More importantly for him at the moment though, he was lost.

“Stupid drunk!” he yelled. A sudden outburst and a swift kick promptly summoned an angry resident.

“Take it somewhere else!”

Albert, not wanting to cause any more quarrels, continued straight, despite not knowing the way. His head was down, repeatedly recalling the memory about the conflict that resulted in him being lost.

He had wanted to close the shop early that day because of the festival. His friend? Pal? Acquaintance? Acquaintance. By coincidence, his acquaintance also decided to end early. For different reasons, however. With that man’s funny reasoning, he decided to drink before the festival so he wouldn't do anything too crazy during the festival.

“Yo, Albert!” Of course, that same acquaintance would look for Albert’s place for a drink.

Albert, who was outside and about to close up, quickly locked the door.

“Hey Leo,” he said through clenched teeth. He wasn’t overly fond of that man. It was to the point where he didn’t want to say his name.

“Heeeeyyy,” the acquaintance was right beside him. “You’re closing up right? Have a drink with me!”

This kind of attitude was why Albert didn’t like him. Too carefree. Too assertive. His attitude was unbefitting of his job as one of the captains of the city’s guards.

“I’ll be fi—” Too late. Albert’s reply was cut off as he was dragged off to the nearest tavern.

Thus, Albert ended up with a lightweight drinking buddy while the sun was still out.

“Albert. Albeeerrrt!” His face was sinking into the table.

This guy is drinking juice right? Why is he so out of it? Mid-life crisis?

“Albert! Listen up!” In a change of pace, he now had one foot on the table. “I’ll have you know that I start getting drowsy after I get sugar into my system. So before that happens, I’ll ask you right now.”

Oh no. Here it comes. That dreaded phrase.

“Join me!” Leo declared.

“No thanks. I will now excuse myself.” Albert pushed his chair back and stood up.

“Ah, waaaait” Now Leo climbed over the table and latched himself onto Albert.

“Have some decency!” Albert stuck his palm against Leo’s head in an effort to detach himself. He began to try and walk away, dragging Leo with him. People began to gather to watch the show, as they were accustomed to this occurrence. Some were betting on the outcomes.

Albert broke free and made a run for it.

“UWaaaaah!” Leo, suddenly bursting with energy, chased after Albert.

“WHAT HAPPENED TO DROWSY?!” Albert exclaimed.

“WITH THE POWER OF DETERMINATION AND HARD WORK, YOU CAN OVERCOME ANYTHING!!” Leo was on a roll.

Please direct that hard will towards your job. Albert pleaded in his mind.

The pair raced down the street while avoiding people and being yelled at.

“Albert, this way!” a voice called out from an alleyway up ahead.

Huh? Okay. He headed towards the voice and slipped by the corner, continuing down the path. Leo, on the other hand, lost sight of him and stopped at the corner.

It seems like Albert would need to find another exit. He continued running for a while until he reached a forked path. He chose the left and stopped to rest.

Albert knew a fair share of the city like the back of his hand, but it had been years since he last visited this place. Confident in his memory, he walked towards what he remembered to be the exit.

That troublesome encounter could have easily been an hour ago, and the festival should have started around this time. Albert was still wandering in the city’s alleys. Within the labyrinth of alleyways in Traum is an even more complex set of alleyways, and that was where Albert found himself. At least somewhere in there. In those few hours, he may have made a wrong turn or two. Considering how he was currently lost, he probably did make at least one wrong turn.

However, if he had made the wrong turn, it was quite odd for him. He was certain he didn’t make the wrong turn, but rather the streets were different from how he remembered it. Wasn’t that street he was on before supposed to lead left then right instead of right then right? That led to his current location and question. If he had used the correct street, shouldn’t there be an opening to go left at this intersection? He took a few moments loitering around to plan his next move.

Turning back and retracing the steps seemed to be the best option for Albert. It had been a while since the previous clash with his acquaintance. Albert assumed that the crazy Leo had sobered up and made his way back to wherever he was supposed to be, so a return was possible to be free from any inconveniences.

“Eh?” Albert faced a wall.

Reversing through the path he supposedly had used, Albert found himself with a big surprise within a few hundred meters. He had arrived at a dead end.

Panic took over Albert, as he briskly headed back. “Just a mistake, I made a wrong turn somewhere,” Albert repeatedly told himself, as he moved forward to find the intersection where he had made the wrong turn. What he found was that the route from the dead end to his original location… contained no intersections.

Albert sat down on the ground to think. He had supposedly used the same route twice, but there were two different end results. Looking around, it certainly should be the same intersection, but something felt off. Albert’s gaze shifted around to try to find the difference. Then he realized that the windows on the buildings had disappeared.

His eyes widened. Could it have been that he wandered into the city’s labyrinth? There have been many myths circulating about the city’s secluded areas. People would find themselves trapped within the alleys on their way home. Most were able to quickly find their way out, but they noticed the layout of the city was significantly different from how they remembered it. There were even cases where the victim was only able to find the main street when they were almost to the point of dying of starvation. Although at extremely rare occasions, doors would also appear and disappear in places people wouldn’t expect a door to exist. These stories could have been an exaggeration. The people could be bad with directions.That excuse wouldn't work. Albert was in a similar situation, and he was confident that he knew this portion of the city’s layout fairly well. What if he was simply bad with directions? However, if these stories were true, then he would have to starve himself to find a way out. The best choice for Albert in that case would be to find the way out or a door in hopes that it led to the way out.

Albert struggled between his denial towards the myths of the city and the possibility that he had simply taken the wrong turn some time back. In the end, the superstitious side of him made the choice.

The next plan Albert devised was to choose a wall and follow it. It would do him no good to stay at the same place, and it could be useful for him to be able to keep track of his relative position. Hopefully the wall he chose led to the outside or to help.

On a coin’s flip, Albert chose the right wall. To mark his original location, he scratched an “X” using a pebble over the road at the intersection. Taking a deep breath, he began to travel in a clockwise rotation. The buildings continued to have no windows, and there was little to no sign of life. No small animals, no birds overhead, and certainly no people. Only weeds wedged in the cracks, minding their own business. It was silent except for Albert’s footsteps, which echoed off the walls in an eerie manner. However, if Albert had strained to listen, there was the ever so soft sound of grinding stones and creaking buildings.

Around ten minutes in, Albert began to raise his hopes. The night had fallen, and he could glimpse a faint glow over the buildings he was heading towards. He continued following the right wall, only to discover an “X” waiting for him at the end of the walk. He had walked in a full circle back to where he started. To add to the confusion, he had entered the intersection from the street that was supposed to be a dead end.

And the other wall? Albert had high doubts on the other wall to be the solution, but there is a possibility that it would also be worth a try. He had no other plans to fall onto either. Desperation clawed at his insides.

Bracing himself for a long walk that may possibly lead to the same location, Albert followed the left wall.

This time, the walk was much different. Unlike the right wall, which had turns that seemed to be set randomly, with occasional intersections, the left wall went round and round in one continuous street. No intersections, very few right turns. One counterclockwise circle. The corners weren’t square either. Always at awkward angles, disorienting Albert as for which way was north.

Corner after corner he travelled, in an endless spiral. The road had become narrower, and the buildings appeared to be taller. The corners as well, seem to be tighter. Perhaps, this route was also a dead end?

Albert paused, halting the sounds of his steps as well. That was when he heard it. The grinding of stones and creaking of the buildings. This time it was more audible than when he was following the right wall. Creepy. He cautiously put his head to the wall to see if it was moving, but the rumbling had stopped.

It would be a waste to stop here. If the buildings did move, they would probably move to trap him. Albert continued onwards.

A few minutes later, Albert was beginning to reach his limit physically and mentally. The running from before he entered the alleyways and the building frustration from the maze were draining him. His legs were starting to ache. Albert didn’t think it was possible to have a trauma of left turns, but each corner he passed told him that he was going to be one of the first to obtain one.

“Ahhhhh, I just want to go back to my room and sleep!” he complained out loud. His patience was definitely beginning to wear out.

This corner, and that corner. Recently, all the corners have been very similar. From the cracks on the wall down to the angle of the corner. Albert began to wonder. Were these in fact the same corners? He scrambled to find another pebble to scratch out an “x.”

Marking a corner, he pressed on to see if he had, in fact, been trapped in a circle.

One lap later, Albert met again with the infamous “x.” Tired and frustrated, he sat down by the wall. How long had he been trapped in this circle? Maybe it would be alright for him to rest a bit. Maybe the maze was just a dream, and that he’d wake up to find himself in a familiar alley.

Suddenly, the grinding of stones could be heard again. Albert lifted his head. Before him, were a set of stairs leading underground.

Those stairs were definitely not there before. A trap or the way out of the maze? Albert was unsure, but he knew that the stairs were the only exit from the roundabout he was in.

“Fine!” he shouted, “I’ll take your bait.”

He knew he was probably yelling at nothing, but it felt good to let it out. Feeling slightly refreshed from the small outburst, he walked down the stairs.

The stairs didn’t lead too far underground, and the pathway gave off the feeling that it was freshly dug. There was no lighting, and there were only the occasional wood supports to prevent cave-ins. Seeing how the steps sloshed as he stepped, it was probably damp soil. Albert felt around in the dark to find his way.

“Wahhg,” his yelp bounced off the walls. Sticking his hand on the wall was a bad idea. It felt slimy and clung onto his hand. No use fussing over it now though. Since it was already dirty, Albert decided to stick to finding the way by following yet another wall.

Albert spent a few moments walking in the cave in silence and darkness. His feet squelching along was the only sound. Every once in a while, he would wonder if there was another exit to this place. What if it was another circle? His doubts caused him to curse himself for the poor judgement, but it was too late to turn back.

Light! There was light at the end of the path. Albert took his hand off the wall, wiped the assumed mud onto his pants, and walked towards the light.

As he reached the steps to the surface, he started to hear sounds of people talking. This may be the way out. Albert did not want to raise his hopes, but the last hour of frustration led him to hold onto any chance that was offered to him.

Albert’s head popped up. It was a space enclosed by the surrounding buildings. Another dead end. This time however, felt different. It looked normal. The paths from the labyrinth were all plain. In front of him, slightly to the side, was a pair of barrels. Albert took that as a sign that he was no longer in the maze.

He may have been out of the maze, but where he ended up was still a dead end. If it was not the way out of the alleys, then it must have been the way to one of the doors. The assumed sign that he was free refreshed Albert’s mind. There must be a door here somewhere.

He walked around, leaving a trail of mud, to see if there were any exits. None. Albert didn’t want to give up. He traced the walls around him, and to his surprise, discovered a gray-green door that was in front of the stairway all along. The door had no handle. Albert traced his finger across the faintly inscribed words on the door. Earl’s Happy Trinket Shop.

Had he heard of this name before? No…? The name was not the only topic that Albert was considering. The main question for him was “Should I open the door?”

Albert spent quite a while staring at the entrance and thinking. Think, think, think. He must be rational about this. If it was a shop, then it would be acceptable to enter if the shop was open.

Betting on the off chance that a random shop was open late, especially on a festival day, Albert stepped back to see if there were any indications of the shop being open.

Suddenly he heard a click. The missing door handle popped out and with it, a sign that stated open. As if the door knew that his shoes were caked in mud, a welcome mat slipped out from below.

Clearly. Magic. Albert was stunned. This is what the city’s labyrinth had been hiding. A magic shop. Magic certainly was not unheard of, but it was very rare. Yet here, right before his eyes, was a shop that likely specialized with magic. Moreover, it seemed that the shop was inviting him to come in.

Albert gulped. He slowly stepped towards the door. Reaching the welcome mat, he shuffled his feet and scuffed off the remaining mud on his shoes onto the welcome mat.

He readied himself. His hand reached for the handle, unknowing what would happen next. He turned the handle and opened the door carefully.

“E-excuse me,” he announced to whoever may be present in the shop.

“Welcome.” answered an older woman’s smooth, rich voice.