Watermelon
It was dark. I could not see anything. I felt around me. I was in some kind of hallway. The walls were smooth to the touch. I walked and found that the hallway turned left. So I went left too.
Was I dreaming? The hallway went on and on. Every now and then, there was a turn or an intersection. I had to choose a path to follow. Since I had already come from one direction, I chose randomly and went on.
I bumped clumsily into a wall. What!? I felt ahead of me. My last choice had led me to a dead end. I was not pleased. Despondently, I turned around. I made my way back to the last intersection and chose a new hallway.
This was a nightmare. It seemed like the hallways never ended. I continued onwards. There was nothing else to do anyway. If I sat unmoving, I would still be stuck in the hallway and in the dark. Maybe there was an exit out of this nightmare. I hoped I was not simply traversing the same distances over and over. There had to be an end to this madness.
As I continued my walk, I came to a slow realization. This hallway was different somehow. I smelled something. Food. Something sweet. A fruit. Watermelon! I could not remember having eaten lunch. Or breakfast. I was hungry. Suddenly, that sweet watermelon scent that wafted through the air seemed like the best thing in the world. I remembered the last time I had eaten watermelon. It had been a hot summer day. My mother had given some pieces to me and my sister. Together, we ate the juicy flesh at its core and savored every swallow.
My mouth watered. I let my nose guide my steps forward. I did not know how long I had been walking. Now that I had something to focus on, the time that passed seemed shorter. The smell grew stronger. Its potency gave me the desire and confidence to continue.
Eventually, I reached the source of the smell. I reached out and touched something wet and slushy. I jumped in shock, but it was probably just as much for joy. The wet and slushy thing was something other than the walls or nothing. My tactile senses recognized the unique texture of the combination of the fleshy center and the rind. It was indeed watermelon. It had already been cut open, which was how I was able to smell its wonderful scent. I felt relieved and satisfied with that revelation. I would have been angry if the source had turned out to be some sort of artificial watermelon smell. After smelling watermelon for so long, I wanted to eat it so badly.
With trepidation, I reached out and took a piece to eat. I sank my teeth into the fruit and tasted bliss. Watermelon juice dripped out of my mouth and onto the floor. I did not care. As I ate the wonderfully tasty watermelon, I could not help but fantasize about summer days. If I was still dreaming, at least now I could call it a good dream.
The researcher checked his watch and recorded the time. "Seven so far have completed the maze on first attempt using no visual cues," the researcher said to his colleague as he jotted down some more notes. "Also, nice job on the watermelon. The rats seem to like that better than peanut butter."
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