21-THERE IS NO LABYRINTHUS!

THERE IS NO LABYRINTHUS! "Sorry, Cousinkins!" Trap shouted from the top of the obelisk. "There is no labyrinthus... inthus... inthus..." Trap's voice bounced all over the square. "It's an echo..." I said. "Maybe that's why it's called Singing Stone Plaza!" The echo kept repeating: "...inthus ...inthus ...inthus!" It bounced off the bench, the bushes, the stones. "...inthus ...inthus ...inthus!" The echo grew louder and louder. It really did sound like the square was singing! "...inthus ...inthus ...inthus!" The echo was so LOUD, it made the ground shake under our paws!

"Is it AN EARTHQUAKE?" Thea asked. "This isn't an earthquake," I said. "The stone circle we are standing on is shifting. We've got to move, FAST!" Trap slid down the obelisk. I grabbed Benjamin's paw, and we all scurried away as fast as we could. We reached the edge of the plaza and jumped off just in time. The stone circle was turning upside down! The tall obelisk disappeared into the earth. As the flip side of the square settled into place, a long, gray building appeared. One word was etched in the stone over the door: LABYRINTHUS! I was so excited! I was right! Mousardo da Munchie had hidden the clues in the Mona Mousa painting to keep the location of the

Labyrinthus a secret. But we had found it! We waited until the square was completely still. Then we approached the Labyrinthus. We pushed open the stone door and found ourselves facing a tangle of dark corridors. They seemed to go on forever. The walls were lined with bookcases full of books. I SHIVERED. No rodent had set paw in these halls for hundreds of years! Benjamin grabbed my paw. "Keep close, Uncle," he said. "I'm afraid I'll lose my way." "Let's tie a piece of string to the front door," Thea said. "We can use it to find our way back to the entrance." "Excellent idea!" Trap agreed. He grabbed a thread that was hanging from my green cashmere scarf. "Let's go!" he yelled. Then he ran down one of the halls, holding the thread.

My scarf began to unravel. Soon it was one very long green thread. "That was my favorite scarf!" I sighed. Benjamin stood on his tiptoes and kissed my cheek. "Don't be sad, Uncle. I'll give you my scarf. It's not cashmere like yours, but it's green." I gave Benjamin a hug. It's easy to see why he is my favorite nephew! We entered the dark hallway, following the thread. Thea led the way, shining a flashlight. As we walked, I studied the books on the shelves. They were so old! I took book after book off the shelves, blowing the dust off their covers. I came across one huge book with a leather cover. The title was embossed in GOLD: THE HISTORY OF MOUSE ISLAND. Benjamin read the yellowed pages along

with me, delighted. We slowly moved deeper into the Labyrinthus, twisting and turning through the halls. Soon it became so dark, we couldn't see the entrance anymore. "Maybe we should head back," Thea said. "I think we need to turn right." "No, I think we should turn left," I said. We turned left. But that only got us more lost. So we turned right. That didn't help, either. We were definitely LOST. Then Benjamin tugged on my sleeve. "Don't forget about the string, Uncle," he said. Of course! I was so excited about all of the books, I had forgotten about the string. Thea, Benjamin, and I retraced our steps, winding the ball into a string as we walked. Trap was nowhere in sight.