One Square, Many Turns

On Saturday, Ines drew one yellow square with an open side on the pavement in her apartment courtyard. She stepped inside it. "This can be the start of a maze," she told Ravi. "Let's make a winding path that our neighbors can try."

Ravi drew two long lines from the square. Ines added corners. Soon, three neighbors joined them with more chalk. The maze spread across the courtyard. Some paths led to dead ends, but one was supposed to reach a big blue circle.

Ines made a sign with the heading "The Courtyard Maze." Under a small drawing, she wrote the caption "Start in the yellow square." Then Ravi tested their challenge. He turned left, turned right, and stopped. Two chalk lines met across his path.

"I'm blocked!" he called. He tried every turn, but no path reached the blue circle. Everyone leaned over the maze. They had added so many lines that they had closed the way to the finish.

Ines traced the path with her finger. "Here! We need a gap in this wall." She rubbed away a short chalk line with a damp cloth. Ravi tried again. This time, he could walk from the square to the circle without crossing a line.

The neighbors took turns trying the finished maze. Some made wrong turns, but each found a way through. Ines stood beside her little yellow square. That morning, it had been one small shape. Now it was the beginning of a whole courtyard challenge, built by many hands.