Lost in the Labyrinth

“…Dasha remembered that girl well—the one at the entrance to the Budapest labyrinth. The day was gloomy; the old street with low houses they had turned onto looked faded, as if on a darkened painting. Tourists stayed making selfies on the busy square by St. Matthias’ Cathedral, but here—just a couple of steps away from the bustle—it was surprisingly empty. That’s when Dasha noticed a fragile girl under a colorful umbrella, standing frozen on the cobblestones. As if an artist had drawn her onto the gray background, deciding to bring the cityscape to life and not sparing the colors. Red curls, a red flared cloak, a yellow scarf, and an umbrella with panels of all the colors of the rainbow held in an outstretched hand. The girl looked like a magical fairy that had flown in on an umbrella from some fairytale land. Why did she have an umbrella, Dasha wondered—there wasn’t any rain. And then she saw a man taking the girl’s picture with a large camera….”