Advent Letters: Year Seven, Letter Three

Jer’s shaking hands hugged the lens to his chest. He couldn’t believe he’d overlooked something so simple. You weren’t supposed to see by the lens. You were supposed to see through it. 

So he held the lens up to his eye like a monocle. All at once, he could see everything. The entire world was awash in warm light. He could see every crevice in the rock walls. Every stalactite hanging from the rock ceiling. Every pebble lining the rock floor.

Jer staggered to his feet. But when he started to move forward, he realized he still had problems. For one thing, he had to hold the lens up to his eye like a giant monocle. He fumbled with his one free arm to sling his bow and arrows around his shoulder, and frowned. His right arm was already getting sore from holding the lens up to his eye. And because he could only hold it up to one eye, he didn’t even have depth perception. His thoughts started spinning—about how he could never get out like this, how he was just as bad off as before, and on and on.

But just as he considered throwing himself back on the ground, he stopped. He wasn’t going to do this again. Things were different now. Jer knew for a fact that Santa had given him this lens for a reason. Which meant there must be a right way to use it.

Jer took a deep breath. He turned the lens over in his hands. For the first time since opening the package, he really looked at it. A thought floated into his head that the lens was almost the shape and size of those visors on Indy car helmets.

Jer’s hands shot up to his helmet. How had he not realized it before? The visor slot in his helmet was the same size as the glass lens. If he just—

It clicked. Literally. Jer raised the lens to his helmet visor, and it clicked into place like a key in a lock. Like they were designed for each other. 

Grinning, Jer looked around the cave properly—both hands free, with full depth of vision. He was ready to rescue his brothers.

And just in time, because a scream echoed down the tunnels. Jer would recognize that scream anywhere. The same one he used tattling on him to Mom. Brian must be in trouble. 

Worse still, another sound followed Bri’s yell. That rumbling, roaring growl could only be the Minotaur. And it was louder than the first time he heard it.

Jer had to find Bri. He picked up his foot and….

The realization smacked him like a blitzing linebacker. Sure, Jer could see now. But he was still lost in a labyrinth with a Minotaur, two lost brothers, and no map. How could he possibly—

No, he wasn’t going there. Santa had given him this lens, and Santa knew what he was doing. So with no other plan, he did the only thing he could.

He took one step forward. 

After the step, Jer paused. The step felt right somehow. So he took another. And another. As he kept taking steps, he realized the colors through the lens turned gradually brighter. He walked until he came to a fork in the tunnels. Jer stopped to listen to Bri. The yelling was closer, but he couldn’t tell which tunnel it came from. 

So Jer took a step down one of the tunnels. And as he did, he noticed something different—the colors grew dimmer. His entire vision seemed slightly more gray. So Jer turned around and went back to the fork. Starting down the other path, the colors came back brighter than ever. Jer raised his hands in the air.

And he kept going. 

The more Jer looked through the lens, the more confident he became in each step. And the quicker he could correct any mis-step. Jer was close enough to clearly hear everything Bri shouted.

He turned a final corner—and almost got his head knocked off. 

Brian was at the far end of the tunnel, and in a full-blown panic. He screamed his head off as his giant hammer swung in wild circles. Stalactites and stalagmites crumbled to dust all around him. Bri was lucky he hadn’t caused a cave-in.

“Cut it out—I’m right here!” Jer yelled. 

The war hammer stopped. 

“Jer?” The small voice barely reached across the tunnel. “I…I knew you’d come.”

“Sure you did. Now set that war hammer down before you put your eye out.”

Bri returned his hammer to its normal size. As Jer strode forward, he wondered why Bri was looking in all directions. Then he remembered—his brother was still trapped in the darkness. 

Bri’s face didn’t show recognition until Jer was a couple feet away. “Oh there you are!” Bri said. “How did you get all the way here with that dim light?”

Jer quickly explained what he’d learned. As Brian listened, Jer could see his eyes widen in the pitch black. 

“That’s amazing!” Bri said. “Can I try it?”

As an older brother, Jer’s first impulse was tell him no chance. But then he wondered if he should. On one hand, Santa had given the gift to Jer in particular. But on the other hand, would Santa really want Jer to keep the gift to himself? Jer didn’t know, so he stalled for time. 

“We’ll see. Maybe in a minute. But first we need to find Matt. Here, put your arm on my shoulder.”

To Jer’s relief, Brian nodded and reached out his hand. But just as Jer was about to step forward, Bri said a typical Bri thing.

“Are you sure the lens will lead us to Matt?”

“Of course it will,” Jer said. But honestly, the thought hadn’t occurred to him.

Bri continued. “Santa gave you that lens to lead you through the labyrinth. So it’s guiding you out. But Matt stopped trying to get out. Heck, he’s probably in the complete opposite direction now.”

As much as Jer hated to admit it, Bri had a point. Could the lens lead him to Matt, or was Matt too far lost? For a moment, Jer toyed with the idea of purposefully walking in the wrong direction to find Matt. 

But once again, his spinning stopped short. His mind went back to Santa. 

“We’ll keep going one step at a time,” Jer announced. “It’ll take us to Matt.”

Though his brow furrowed, Bri didn’t argue. Soon, Jer was leading Bri toward the light and color, one step at a time. Jer kept his ears alert for Matt. Nothing. Jer scanned the tunnels hoping he’d find something familiar—some sign they were headed back to Matt. Still nothing. 

The knot in Jer’s stomach grew tighter with every step. But Jer didn’t focus on the knot. He focused on Santa. It was Santa’s magic in the lens, and he knew how it should work. So Jer kept walking. 

Their tunnel kept widening toward a larger opening. As they approached it, a loud wail echoed off the walls. Almost like the Minotaur, but higher pitched and—

Matt. 

There he was, still in the spot where Jer left him. Matt was curled into the fetal position, sword abandoned on the ground and shield over his head like a security blanket.

As Jer walked closer, Matt’s wails took shape into words.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry,” Matt cried. 

Part of Jer wanted to stay there and collect enough “I told you so’s” to last a lifetime. But instead, he called Matt’s name and ran up to him.

“It’s okay, weirdo. We’re here—both of us.”

Matt looked up, face smeared with dirt and tears. “Jer? Bri? You’re both—”

“Here to get you out of this mess? Yep.” Jer helped Matt to his feet as he told him about the lens. 

“That’s amazing,” Matt said. “I can’t believe we didn’t realize it sooner.” Matt put his hand on Jer’s other shoulder and waited for Jer to lead the way. 

“I was wondering the same thing,” Jer said. “I think we all had it in our heads that the lens was a magic flashlight or something. Kept us all from thinking straight.”

Matt nodded at the ground. “Speaking of which…About what I said earlier. I regretted it the instant you left. But then it was too late and I realized I was trapped and it was…” Matt shuddered. “I just wanted to say that I’m really—“

“I know,” Jer said. “It’s okay.”

The brothers walked in calm silence. Jer’s lens grew more colorful with every step. Jer was just about to comment that this labyrinth might not be so bad when they came to a door at the end of a long passage. 

The door was wooden, and in the same style as the one at the labyrinth’s entrance. But it was twice the size. And it was covered in claw marks. Giant runes ran along the top. Jer described them to Matt so he could translate. 

Matt’s face grew pale in the darkness.

“It says, ‘Lair of the Minotaur’” he whispered.