Deep in the heart of Texas. That’s where Rex wanted to build it. He’d gotten together with his real estate people and put a map of his state down on the table. There was a rather natural triangle created between Dallas, Houston and Austin. He pointed there and told him that he wanted someplace in the middle of that.

He’d kept the limits on it vague so that the agents would have more latitude with their findings. He knew he wanted something ten square miles or so. It would be best if there was nothing really developed next to it. Farmers would make the best neighbors for what he had planned.

Some rolling hills and maybe a creek or something were fine but nothing more dramatic than that. The site would have grass eventually but that could be put in and irrigated. The ideal site would have a half dozen natural spots to stop and unpack some food.

His agents had done well in finding places. Not that it should have been difficult. His specifications weren’t all that hard.

A quick look found five different spots. Two of them were owned by a single farmer, the other three by two or more. He invited all of the owners together for dinner and a proposal. He explained what he wanted to buy and advised them that he wanted to hold an auction. Any of the five sites would work just fine, so he’d go with whoever had the lowest price.

Needless to say, he enjoyed watching the expressions on their faces. After some consultation, the offers started coming in. There was heated arguments and each one had reasons why their land should be given better status than the others. Rex refused to hear it, only listening when they spoke in numbers. The final bid was from one of the single owners. They just had too big of an advantage, not having to clear things with anyone else.

Rex had already secured the best construction company out there. He’d met with their best supervisor and laid out plans for what he had in mind. He could tell that the guy became interested in the whole thing. That was the best that could be hoped for. People work harder when they think that they’re creating history.

The only hitch was the changing walls thing. Rex wanted it to happen mysteriously and without publicity. One week the best route would be laid out this way. The next week would be something different entirely. If they could get this figured out, it would put an already good idea into absolute greatness.

That wasn’t the only obstacle. He was putting people into a giant maze. What if they couldn’t find their way out? The problem was twofold. He’d need some way of tracking every person that went in. That was somewhat solvable. Wristbands could be supplied and tourists would be informed that they must wear them at all times.

The second part of the problem was worse. He could easily picture the scenario. It’s closing time and people are missing. They’ve been wandering all day and are now miles away from the exit and hopelessly confused. The wrist activators tell Rex where they are but finding them and getting them out would be a nightmare. Repeat every night.

The problem called for brainstorming and they had more than one session about just this one thing. Someone suggested having helipads here and there. That way they could simply fly into the closest one and carry the people out. Rex cringed at the thought of sending helicopters out every night.

Another idea was to create giant overhead walkways. If they could get to one of those, they could walk out on their own. Two problems with this and Rex didn’t know which one was worse. He didn’t want anyone to have an overhead view of the place. He also didn’t want big things like that messing up his beautiful Labyrinth.

The final solutions were workable if not overwhelmingly popular. The first was that there would four entrances to the park, not one. That would cut down on the distance from each entrance. A shuttle bus would orbit to take people from one side to the next if they exited on the wrong side.

The next thing they would do is set up small lights throughout the maze. If someone was lost they could light a path for them to help them get out. They’d try this out and tweak it if necessary. Also, a medical staff would be on hand at all times in case someone got into trouble while visiting. The lawyers insisted on that.

Rex hated all of it. He desperately wished that he could go back a hundred years and build the damn thing. It would be just one big mess and if anyone was brave enough to get tangled up in it, then they better be brave enough to find their own way out. Maybe he should sponsor a night at the park, just for lawyers and then change the walls so none of them could find a way out. It would be the best thing for the planet.

Now if they could only figure a way to move some of the walls without making them look cheap…