Chapter 3 #2
Delilah chucked Nefertiti under the chin. ‘I wish these tests came with instructions. How much money am I expected to win? The entire cave? That could take me weeks of gambling! I guess getting into Heaven can’t be easy.’
Damien winced. ‘The tests shouldn’t take weeks, otherwise our guests would have to wait even longer between time slots.’ That was as close as he dared get to giving her a clue.
In his experience, Delilah was smart, but she had a huge blind spot when it came to gambling.
It was her passion, so she could not accept it as wrong.
Also, she still thought the tests would meet her own standard of morality, whereas Damien had been around long enough to figure out that the hotel had an old-fashioned moral code.
He felt certain that whoever had designed this hotel had viewed gambling as a sin.
Nefertiti asked, ‘What stands on the side of the road, with eight sides and a bold red colour, telling you to pause your journey?’
‘Is it a stop sign?’ Delilah blinked. ‘That feels too obvious . . .’
‘Nah, you got it right.’ Damien bit his lip. Nefertiti had been in this hotel even longer than him. He felt confident that she knew exactly how to be subtle enough to give a clue without being considered a cheater.
Delilah crouched before the cat. ‘Give me a harder riddle next time.’
Nefertiti dug her claws through Delilah’s tights, making her yelp. ‘What was that for?’
‘She might think you’re not listening to her,’ Damien said.
‘Sorry, I’ll answer more riddles if you want.’ Delilah reached out a hand to pet her, but Nefertiti vanished, clearly in a huff.
‘I’ll be back tomorrow with a treat to appease Her Majesty,’ Delilah said.
As promised, Delilah continued to visit every day over the next month, before her third slot. She told Damien stories about the living world and jokes. Often, she brought him coffee.
By the third attempt, Delilah had become familiar with this hotel. They complained together about the creaking sounds of the lift.
‘The water fountain outside my room is broken too,’ Delilah grumbled.
‘That’s been down for a decade.’ Damien nodded. ‘Have you ever tried to submit a requisition for necessary supplies to Down Below? Let’s just say I can tell that Hell got all the lawyers.’
Her eyes widened, an expression between curiosity and nervousness. ‘Have you ever seen Hell?’
He swallowed. ‘I’ve taken people there, but I couldn’t see it or perhaps couldn’t remember.
My mind couldn’t comprehend that horrible place.
If you’re looking for definitive answers on the nature of the afterlife or the one true religion, I can’t help you.
This place is about judgement, but whose judgement?
Who created it? I don’t know. I believe Purgatory takes on the form of a hotel because that is what our human minds can comprehend.
Perhaps Heaven is upward and Hell is downward because that is what we expect, not because such places have any actual geographic location.
The true nature of this place is beyond me. ’
‘That’s deep.’
‘So are the cracks in the water fountain’s foundations,’ Damien grumbled.
Delilah laughed.
In hopes of hearing that laugh, he looked forward to every time his lift doors opened. He’d even grown tolerant of the chime.
By the fourth attempt, she’d clearly become frustrated.
‘I tried arranging all the treasures in neat patterns before I played poker. I thought I was helping. Apparently that wasn’t the test. I can’t believe I’ve already used up over half my attempts.
’ Her cheeks paled. ‘If I was facing these kinds of odds in poker with such a high risk, then I’d cash in my chips and leave. ’
‘If it’s too hard to pass, you could apply for a job here,’ Damien suggested.
‘I refuse to lose.’ Delilah clenched a fist. ‘I won’t give up. I’ll prove that I’m not a bad person.’
Damien had expected this answer. It would go against her nature to take the easy route.
Here was a woman determined to win an entire cave of treasure.
The difficulty of the goal would never deter her, even if it should.
Delilah was like a bundle of joy and energy, bringing life to the world of the dead.
Damien couldn’t understand why she hadn’t been sent straight to Heaven.
He wanted her to win, yet he didn’t want her to leave.
Although Damien admired bold people who marched to the beat of their own drum, he didn’t think someone like that would admire him back.
Delilah was several centimetres taller than him too.
He’d measured the difference with his fingers when her back had been turned, then subtracted for her heels.
Maybe he could ask Heather to requisition platform shoes for him?
‘Your current strategy doesn’t seem to be working, and that worries me.’ Damien silently pleaded with her to think about trying a new strategy instead. ‘There’s no shame in giving up on the sixth try. So have many of our employees.’
‘It’s too soon to be talking about the sixth try. I aim to pass next time. I’ve been practising poker in my room.’ Delilah slid a deck of cards down her sleeve. ‘Heather gave me this.’ She fanned out the deck before him. ‘Pick a card, any card.’
Playing along, he drew the jack of hearts but kept the back of the card facing towards her.
‘Put it back in the deck.’
He slipped the card in the middle.
She shuffled the cards in the air, her long, lithe fingers flying so fast they seemed to blur. Then she reached up to his open mouth and pulled out the jack of hearts. She placed it in his hand. ‘Is this your card?’
Realising he’d been gaping, he closed his mouth. ‘Impressive. Did you learn that playing poker?’
She shuffled the cards. ‘Nah, magic club in college. I never use sleight of hand in poker, not even against the floating hands. It would disgrace the game I love if I cheated. I doubt I could get away with it in Purgatory, either.’
‘Definitely not,’ Damien said firmly. ‘I’ve seen people try to cheat before. It never ends with them sent to Heaven.’
‘When I saw how all the cards here have the same back, it made me think doing magic tricks would be easier, and reminded me of my old hobby.’ She opened her bag to reveal three decks, all decorated with the Purgatory Hotel.
‘Is the trick to always carry spare cards?’
‘A magician never reveals her tricks.’ She closed her purse. ‘Do you know how to play poker? I could use an opponent to help me practise for my next test.’
‘I don’t.’ As her face fell, he added, ‘But I’d be happy to learn, if you’re willing to teach me. Let me check my schedule with Heather, then I’ll let you know when I have a period with no guests travelling to tests.’
She grinned. ‘I’ll come here tomorrow. If you’re busy, I can still keep you company. I need to come up with a plan before testing again.’
The jack of hearts gazing up at him from his hand seemed to have a lovelorn expression. You and me both, Damien thought.
During one of Delilah and Damien’s many card games in the lift, the light lit up showing he’d been called to maintenance. Immediately, Damien dropped his cards. ‘Godfrey might actually want to fix something! I have to take this. It’s urgent.’
‘No problem, I was already beating you too badly for you to recover.’ With a wink, Delilah gathered up the cards. The deck vanished.
He couldn’t complain because it was true. ‘I should be allowed to use a calculator because your brain is as good as one.’
‘Is Godfrey someone very important? Did he design this building? Does his name stand for “agent of God”?’
‘Nope, that’s just his name.’ Damien snorted. ‘Godfrey is a ghost like us and head of the maintenance crew, but he seems to believe his job is to smoke all day.’