Hardly had Éloïse, Théo, and Marceau left the street festival behind when they decided to take the metro back to the hotel. The city lights were still sparkling, and the memories of the wild boat ride made them smile.
“Okay, no chaos this time, right?” Éloïse said, winking at the two as they descended into the subway hall.
“Sure, no worries. I’ve got this,” Théo replied confidently, pulling out his phone to check the route.
But as soon as they arrived at the metro station, the lights suddenly went out. A faint humming announced a power outage, and the usually brightly lit corridors sank into deep darkness. Only occasional emergency lights flickered.
“Oh no, not again!” groaned Marceau, feeling his way along the wall.
“Stay calm, guys. This happens here quite often,” Théo tried to reassure them, though his voice sounded a bit uncertain himself.
“Great, now we’re stuck in the metro. And I have no signal,” Éloïse muttered, holding up her phone—no reception.
They felt their way to the next staircase, but it was closed due to the darkness. The escalators were still, and in the distance, they heard the echo of voices and the clatter of footsteps.
“Maybe there’s someone who can help us,” Marceau suggested and cautiously started walking toward a small group of people who had also gathered in the dim light.
There they met a colorful bunch who apparently took the chaos with surprising calm: an elderly lady with a huge hat, a street artist with glowing makeup, and a few teenagers wildly tapping on their phones—or trying to, since they had no signal either.
“Well, you’re victims of the Paris metro chaos too,” grinned the lady with the hat, introducing herself as Madame Colette. “I’ve been waiting for the next train for ten minutes—or whatever still runs here.”
“This somehow feels like an adventure,” said the street artist, winking at Marceau. “I call this the metro labyrinth. Whoever gets through it wins freedom!”
Éloïse laughed, but then the mood suddenly turned serious. “What do we do now?” she asked.
“We have to get out of here before we sit in the dark any longer,” Théo said, trying to reconstruct the metro map from memory. “But without light, that’s not so easy.”
Madame Colette pulled a small flashlight from her handbag and handed it to Éloïse. “Here, this might help you.”
With the weak light, they felt their way through the corridors, which suddenly seemed much narrower and more winding. Steps echoed everywhere, and shadows danced on the walls. Marceau made jokes to lighten the mood, but even he seemed a bit nervous.
Suddenly they heard a quiet giggle from a dark side passage. “What was that?” Éloïse whispered, shining the light in that direction.
Two teenagers with fluorescent wristbands stepped out of the shadows. “Hey, don’t be afraid! We’re the metro ninjas,” one of them called out laughing. “We know every tunnel here and are happy to help.”
“Metro ninjas?” Théo repeated incredulously. “Okay, why not? Please help us get out of this labyrinth.”
Together with the “ninjas,” they fought their way through narrow stairs, abandoned platforms, and dusty maintenance corridors. There were small surprises along the way: a forgotten street musician playing on in the dark, a strange ticket machine that suddenly started glowing—and everywhere the feeling that they were not alone.
Just as they thought they had almost reached the exit, the group stopped in front of a locked gate. Behind it was a faint but distinct sound—as if someone or something was waiting for them.
“This is the last way out,” whispered the metro ninja leader. “But... there’s someone else in the tunnel.”
Éloïse felt her heart beat faster. “Who or what?”
Before anyone could answer, the lights suddenly came on—and they faced a figure smiling broadly at them. But who it was remained a mystery for the moment.