Lude to Truant, p. xv

“Two things, Hoss…. The first peculiar thing, were the cats… I saw one with its head ripped off and another with its guts strew all over the sidewalk. Mostly though, they just vanished. The second peculiar thing… right next to the body, I found these gouges in the hardwood floor, a good six or seven inches long. Very weird. But since the old man showed no sign of physical trauma the cops let it go.”

Truant’s first impression of the marks found next to Zampano’s body.

“Sure enough, just as my friend had described, on the flood, in fact, practically dead center, were the four marks, all of them longer than a hand, jagged bits of wood clawed up by something neither one of us cared to image. But that’s not what Lude wanted me to see either… Truth be told, I was still having a hard time taking my eyes off the scarred floor. I even reached out to touch the protruding splinters.”

JT’s Encounters with the Minotaur

Encounter #1 

“Something’s behind me.
Of course, I deny it.
It’s impossible to deny.
I wanna puke.”

(p. 26)

Encounter #2

“Then as if this were nothing but a grim prelude, shit really starts to happen.

There’s that awful taste again, sharp as rust, wrapping around my tongue.

Worse, I’m no longer alone.

Impossible.

Not impossible.”

(p. 70)

I am not what I used to be?

Known.

Some.

Call.

Is.

Air.

Am?

Non sum qualis eram?

(p. 71-72, See Footnote: 78)

Ten versus Five

Funny enough - most references to The Minotaur (XIII) are found within The Labyrinth (IX).

(See footnotes: 123-128, 135, 139, 144 and the square on p. 119 in Ch. IX)

(See footnotes: 295-298, 301-303 in Ch. XIII)

Red

Notes On RED:
Red symbolizes heat, fire, blood, passion, love, warmth, power, excitement and aggression. It Can elevate blood pressure and respiratory rate. It has the effect of stimulating people to make quick decisions and increase expectations.

Red is an attention grabber. Words and objects in red get people ‘s attention immediately. In decorating and design, red items should be perfect since it will attract attention. When it comes to cars, there is a positive correlation between the color red and theft rate.

Red is an emotionally intense and very extreme color. Red clothing can be uplifting and convey power and energy but may invite confrontation.

Red is extremely dominating. It should be used as an accent not as a background.

Red rooms make people anxious but rooms with a red accent can cause people to lose track of time, thus are favored by bars and casinos. Restaurants often use red as a decorating scheme because of its appetite stimulant function.

Chapter IX

The Labyrinth

Exploration #4 - Down the Spiral Staircase