A Maze Without Walls

         I don't like solitaire. I wouldn't say I dislike it, but there's at least a dozen other things I'd rather be doing. But in that hierarchy, paying attention in class was near the bottom. So, after cross referencing with my available options, I ended up playing solitaire.
         This was my third game since class had started. It was looking to be my third loss too. That didn't really bother me. It terms of decision making, solitaire is akin to wandering through a maze. With only a handful options and not enough information, you're stuck following heuristics in order to move forward and fend off the lingering doubt that there is no escape. However, unlike a maze, solitaire could have no way out. The low stakes tension was what I typically enjoyed about it. Today was not a typical day.
         Final contest submissions were due Friday and I was still not done. I had managed to force some semblance of progress for a couple of days, but today I was starting to lose hope. My candle was burning out and I didn't feel any closer this maze's exit. Maybe that's why I chose solitaire, though I couldn't tell you if was to rekindle it or snuff it out completely. While half-heartedly pondering this, my phone lit up with a notification from an unknown number.
         Try moving the Jack.
         It wasn't a bad idea.
         Who is this?
         The next message was a crying emoji followed by:
         A classmate.
         Fighting the urge to look around, I followed the unsolicited move and won in surprisingly short order.
         Thanks.
         No problem!
         I contemplated letting that be the end of it, but something, desperation maybe, spurred me to continue.
         Want to get lunch?
         Maybe they could help me out of more than one maze.