The next day, JJ got up relatively early. He had set his alarm for 7 a.m. and then finally crawled out of bed at 8. “The snooze button is addictive,” JJ said to himself as he stood up finally, having not hit the button. “Hmm, 8:02, it shouldn’t be too hot. I might be able to walk to the strip.”
He splashed some water on his face and hair, made an attempt to brush his teeth, and finally put on some fresh deodorant. Putting on a fairly clean t-shirt, he stepped out of his apartment to start the day.
“Hey Roger,” JJ said to the older man standing on the walkway using the railing for balance. He had a cigarette in the corner of his mouth and an oxygen line in his nose. JJ’s apartment was on the second floor of the building, with an external walkway. The apartments didn’t have any balconies, so any of the residents who wanted to smoke had to go out to the walkway. It was late enough in the day already that the four people out for a midmorning smoke in between TV shows were, thankfully, not in sleeping attire.
“You really shouldn’t smoke with oxygen. I wouldn’t want to hear that you were burned.” JJ said as he passed Roger.
“Mind your own damn business,” Roger said back to him. “I’m not stupid. I turn off the bottle before I light up.” He obviously wasn't sure that he had shut it off because he looked down at it and then fiddled with a valve.
JJ headed down the stairs to make his way again to the strip.
“I think I will try Excalibur for breakfast,” JJ decided.
It only took him about 45 minutes to make his way to his destination at the south end of the strip. He enjoyed a decent enough breakfast at the 24-hour cafe in Excalibur.
“That was good,” JJ thought to himself after having finished a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. “I really need to get a car so I can find off-strip places to get some variety in my diet. I think all the buffets buy their food from the same supplier. Everything at them is starting to taste the same.”
JJ put his napkin down on his plate and checked his coffee, finding it empty.
“Any more coffee,” The waitress asked. She had walked up just as JJ put it down without drinking.
“No, thank you. I’m finished. I think I will just take my bill,” JJ said.
“Here you go,” The waitress said, reaching into a pocket in her apron.
“That pyramid looks pretty amazing. Is Circus Circus hiring from internally first?” JJ asked. He hadn’t really looked at the newest casino next to Excalibur before. It was almost complete on the outside, with just landscaping to do.
“They can’t pay me enough to go in there. They are playing with fire; you shouldn’t mess with pyramids.” She stopped and looked around to make sure no one else was listening. “Do you know that the shape concentrates mystical powers?” She said.
“I did not know that. I would think if it concentrates a mystical power, anyone in there would benefit,” JJ said.
“I’m not sure if that’s true,” she said, thinking about what that meant. “Do you know there is a reincarnation of an Egyptian priest of Ra here in Vegas?” She changed the subject so that she did not have to defend her position on pyramids. “He sells magical crystals at the Crystal Palace. Here, look, I got this one from him.” She pulled a purple crystal out of her shirt to show a fellow believer.
“Very nice,” JJ said, trying not to make it obvious that he wasn’t looking at the crystal but where it came from.
“You should go talk to him. I can see auras, and yours is messed up. He can help you," she said, standing up and putting the crystal back inside her shirt.
“I’ve heard about him. He sounds very wise and powerful,” JJ said. He bent his head down to get the correct amount from his wallet and to hide any sign that he didn’t believe her. “Here you go; thanks for the info,” JJ said, handing her the money for his bill and a good tip.
“Have a good day, and stay away from that pyramid,” she said, then went off to fill more coffee cups.
“Well, time to see about the Imperial Palace,” JJ said to himself, standing up. He went out to the street and waited to cross to the Trop to catch the cat bus. The bus stop was just a few meters from the corner, on the side of the Tropicana. The Trop bucked the trend of most casinos and put their main entrance on Tropicana Avenue instead of the Strip. Stepping up onto the sidewalk, he had a side view of the casino’s tropical landscaping dominated by two giant Tiki Heads.
“They really push the tropical island theme,” JJ said to himself as he turned towards the bus stop on the Strip.
He was standing at the stop, alternating between watching the traffic go by and checking his watch. The longer he waited, the more frequently he checked the time. “I’m amazed this thing is still working, or maybe it’s not,” JJ said to himself after the last time he checked, and there was no difference in the time between the checks. Just a few days after he got into town, he went downtown to see what it was like. As he was walking down Fremont, he was accosted by one of the barkers at the door of a slot club. They told him, “Come on in; stay for thirty minutes, and you will get this brand new Kasio watch.”
“How many tokens do I need to buy?” JJ asked.
“Oh, we don’t check that, but I’m sure you will want to play after you see all the winners in there,” the barker said. “Come on in and look around.”
JJ walked in, taking a piece of paper the barker had put into a time clock so they knew when he had stayed the 30 minutes. Directly in front of JJ was a row of about 20 reel-style slot machines, each with a cylindrical protrusion on top that had two lights, one red and one white. As he stood there and watched, he saw that when someone won, the red light would light up and flash, accompanied by a siren.
“Well, might as well have a seat while I wait,” JJ said to himself. Not seeing any empty seats on the first row, he walked around to the side to find a seat on one of the rows behind it. He had to walk by two other rows before he finally found an empty seat at the end of the third row. He sat down to wait the 30 minutes. The machine he had sat down at was in a row of reel machines with a theme of diamonds.
Watching the woman playing next to him, he could see that when they didn’t win, but there was a diamond on the row above or below the pay line, it would move the diamond up or down, giving the player a second chance.
“If you really want to win, you have to pull the handle,” she said in confidence after taking a big drag on her cigarette. The reels spun and then landed with one diamond above the line. The machine moved the reel with the diamonds up out of the view window.
“That’s different,” she said and then again reached for the big ball on the handle.
This time, the reels spun as they were supposed to and then stopped. After a moment, all the reels started moving like they were trying to move a diamond onto the pay line but didn’t stop.
“Is it supposed to do that?” JJ asked.
“No,” the lady said. She took a drag on her cigarette and watched it spin. The reels didn’t look like they would stop anytime soon, so she reached for the service button. After pressing the button, all the lights above the machine started flashing, and the jackpot bells started ringing. “Lots of light and sound but no payout,” she said. Then, she started hitting the service button as fast as the other gamblers were hitting the spin button.
“Looks like we have another jackpot,” the attendant said as she came around the corner. She stopped and looked, and seeing the malfunctioning machine, she reached for her walkie-talkie. “We have a malfunction on row five, machine 15,” she said into it.
“Can I play your machine,” The gambler asked JJ.
“Sure, I’m just here for the watch,” JJ said.
He got up and switched machines with her.
She put in her dollar token and pulled the handle. The wheels started spinning; they spun and spun, and then they started speeding up. After a moment, the reels were spinning so fast that the symbols looked like colored streaks. Now, smoke was starting to come from the machine. The lady took another drag on her cigarette and then commented to JJ, “I think I’ll find another machine far away from you,”
“We’ve got another one, row five machine 16,” she said into the walkie-talkie. “Sir, can you find another machine, please.”
“Yes, ma’am,” JJ responded to her. He got up and walked back to the next row, which had a couple of empty machines next to the woman who had been next to him on the other row. He was about to sit down at the first empty one when the woman said, “Not that machine. I’m on a winning streak, and I don’t want you to break it.”
JJ walked on to the next empty one that was a few machines down while the gambler watched, cigarette dangling from her lip to make sure he didn’t come back. He decided that maybe he should get more distance from the annoyed gambler, so he skipped the next empty machine and then walked by a few more. He sat down and got a smile from the older woman on one side and a puff of smoke from an older gentleman on the other side. The cushion had barely conformed to his backside when the machines on either side started spinning uncontrollably. After a moment, the attendant walked up and reported the two broken machines. “Sir, would you please move to the back row if you aren’t going to gamble? One of these two players would like to use your machine,” the attendant said to him. He got up and started walking towards the aisle. The machines started failing in his wake. The attendant watched the destruction as JJ walked. Seeing the catastrophe, she ran to catch up with him.
“Here is your watch; you can go now,” she said, shoving a cheap digital watch at him.
“Oh, has it been half an hour already?” JJ asked.
“Yes, close enough. Please leave now and never come back,” She said, then started shoving him toward the exit.
* * *
The sound of the bus’s airbrakes snapped JJ out of his reverie. He got on the bus and checked to find an empty seat. He got lucky and found a row of two seats, both empty. He sat and settled in to relax and watch the city go by.
“There is so much construction. All of the oldtimers talk about how much the city is changing. It's interesting; most of the people I talk to are excited to see what’s new.” JJ said to the guy across the aisle who was watching the city go by, too. He just grunted and moved to the empty seat next to the window in his row. “Well, I guess he doesn’t want to talk,” JJ said to himself. The first block of the ride was along the construction site for the new MGM. After that, there was a block of a few different casinos; finally, they went across a road and stopped in front of the Flamingo.
“Time to try it again; the heat shouldn’t affect me this time,” JJ said to himself as he stood up to exit. He stepped off and then stood for a moment. “This is ridiculous. I don’t know why I’m stalling; I’m just going to go into a casino and see why so many lucky players are coming from there.” JJ took a deep breath and then turned to walk to the Imperial Palace.
It wasn’t very hot, so the half-block walk was quick.
“Okay, let’s see what makes this place so lucky,” JJ said as he walked up to the entrance of the Imperial Palace.
As JJ approached the automatic doors, his head again became dizzy, and then he heard a voice whispering something.
“That will be 25 dollars,” the driver said to JJ from the front of a cab.
“Not again,” JJ said and laid his head against the plexiglass partition in frustration.
“If you don’t have the cash, I can park and follow you into the liquor store; they have an ATM. Or we can go over to the pawn shop at the end. I’m sure you will get a few hundred for that watch,” the driver said.
JJ looked down at his wrist. Where there had been a cheap knockoff of a cheap Casio watch, there was now a Rolex. JJ just stared.
“What’ll it be?” The driver asked. “I really don’t want to radio in for the cops. I’ll lose most of my day.”
“Oh, right here you go,” JJ grabbed his wallet and gave the driver his money and a good tip.
JJ looked around before he got out of the cab, trying to decide whether to ask the driver to take him somewhere else or if he would stay there. He saw that he was in the parking lot of the shopping center with the Crystal Palace. “I guess I’ll go visit Arnie,” JJ said to himself.
“Uhm, this might be a strange question, but where did you pick me up?” JJ asked.
“No, it's not a weird question. You seemed to be out of it when I picked you up. You were on Fremont out in front of the Golden Nugget.” The driver said.
“Thank you,” JJ said and stepped out of the cab.
He was standing in front of a liquor store, and the Crystal Palace was a few doors down.”I think I’ll bring something with me this time,” JJ said to himself as he walked into the store. He looked around, trying to decide what would be appropriate for the morning. He stopped in the open doorway and looked at his watch, realizing when he looked at it in the cab, he didn’t really see what time it was. The Rolex said 3:12. “I lost close to 4 hours. Well, on the plus side, I got a new watch,” JJ said, shaking his head.
“It would be nice if you closed the door. I don’t want to cool the outside.” The cashier said over his magazine that was normally behind the counter.
“Oh right,” JJ said, then stepped in and let the door close. “You read it for the articles?” JJ said to the cashier, referencing the magazine.
“Nope, I like the pictures,” the cashier said.
He wandered around, looking at the different offerings. Finally, he settled on a couple of cheap beers and some bottles of water.
“That will be 9 dollars and 50 cents,” the cashier said after he rang it up.
JJ winced and grabbed his wallet.
“Strip prices,” the cashier said after seeing JJ's reaction. “You could go just a block or two off the strip and pay half that.”
“No, I’ll pay it,” JJ said.
The cashier handed JJ his change and then said, “Have a lucky day.”
“Uhm ok. Later.” JJ said and walked out the door.
* * *
As JJ entered Crystal Palace, the automatic recording said, “You are in the presence of the 52nd reincarnation of Amonkhet, the high priest of Ra,”
“Hey, Arnie, it’s just me,” JJ said after he saw that there was no one in the store. “I brought beer.”
“I’m in the back,” Arnie yelled back.
“So, what’s the occasion?” Arnie asked when JJ walked back into the back room.
“I just need a drink; it’s been an interesting day,” JJ said. “Actually, it’s been a couple of weird days.”
“One second, let me turn the open sign around. There are glasses in the cabinet above the sink,” Arnie said.
“It’s just beer,” JJ said, putting the beer and water on the table.
“I prefer a glass,” Arnie said.
JJ retrieved the glasses and started looking for a bottle opener when Arnie came back in.
Arnie walked into the break room. Seeing JJ’s choice of beer, he said, “Wow, I didn’t think they still made that stuff. That won’t do. Are you set on beer, or is this a whiskey kind of weird?”
“This might be whiskey kind of weird,” JJ said.
“In that case, you will find some decent ones to the right of the glasses. I have a few different kinds in there,” Arnie said.
“I’m not an aficionado. The cheap stuff will do for me.” JJ said.
“Here, pour two glasses of this,” Arnie said as he reached for a bottle in a different cabinet that he hadn’t mentioned.“This is the good stuff and should be sipped.” Arnie said as he handed it to JJ.
“How much should I pour?” JJ asked.
“In those glasses, three inches is two shots,” Arnie said.
“Should I put ice in it?” JJ asked.
“NO!!!” Arnie yelled. “That will ruin it.”
“Ok,” JJ said, closing the freezer door. JJ poured two glasses and set them on the table.
“Before you start, sniff the whiskey, then take a sip,” Arnie said.
JJ did what Arnie said and sniffed the glass. Following Arnie’s lead, he swirled the glass.
“Try and smell the vanilla and caramel. Under that, you should be able to smell a slight bit of smoke from the malting.”
“The only thing I smell is alcohol burning my nose,” JJ said.
“Like anything else, the first time you try something, you won’t be able to do it. Tasting whiskey is just like that. I guess this is the first time you really tried to smell the whiskey. I'm sure you weren’t doing any whiskey tasting in Salt Lake City.”
“Yep, Salt Lake City, come for the snow, stay for the family.”
“You’ve said that before. Why do you say that when you talk about Salt Lake City?” Arnie asked.
“What? I just say Salt Lake City, come for the snow, stay for the family. Hmm, I’ve never noticed that. It’s almost like that’s the whole name of the city. Why do you think I say that?” JJ asked.
“I’m not sure. I don’t see anything specific with my vision. There is definitely something odd around you, but I can’t tell exactly what it is.” Arnie stopped and pondered what he was seeing. “I think we need to find out why you say that, but it seems harmless. It’s probably just something from your childhood. If I saw some indication of a spell when you said it, I would be concerned, but it's probably just a verbal tick.” Arnie said.
“A waitress at Excalibur said my aura was messed up, and now I find out I can’t say Salt Lake City, come for the snow, stay for the family without saying the rest,” JJ retorted.
“I can’t tell you how many people think they can see auras; they are just catching glimpses of magic,” Arnie said.
“So, was she wrong?” JJ asked.
“I wouldn’t want to say she was wrong, but she wasn’t right,” Arnie said.
“But she seemed to know a lot about pyramids,” JJ said.
“Yeah, since they started building that casino, everyone is an expert on pyramids and how they are messing with powers beyond their control. Half the town is saying the casino will cause the end of the world or at least some bad luck for players.” Arnie stopped and took a sip of the whiskey. “I really need to start teaching you to become a practitioner. Let’s decide on a schedule before you leave today,” Arnie said.
“Uhh, yeah, we’ll do that. Right now, I just need to have a drink and not think about the Imperial Palace.” JJ said.
“There are plenty of bars where you can drink until you can’t see; you obviously don’t want to forget, but understand,” Arnie said.
“I want to forget. I want to drink until I can’t see and the world is spinning,” JJ insisted.
Arnie got up and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels from the cabinet. “Here you go, start drinking.” Arnie placed the bottle on the table with a bit more force than was necessary. “ I have a cot in another room that you can sleep on,” Arnie said.
JJ picked up the bottle and took a swig. “I can’t understand how I can’t seem to go into the place.”.
“Yep, that’s a problem,” Arnie said as he took a sip of the good whiskey, letting JJ tell his problems in his own time.
“I’ve been there twice, and both times, I ended up somewhere else hours later, not knowing where I had been,” JJ took another swig of the Jack.
“That would be annoying. Tell me what happened in detail,” Arnie said.
“Well, today and yesterday, I went to the palace to go inside, and just as I got to the door, hours had passed, and I was somewhere else,” JJ said.
“And you don’t remember anything that happened between the time you tried to go in and when you became conscious again,” Arnie asked.
“No, and I definitely did something. When I became aware of my surroundings today, I was wearing this watch,” JJ said, showing Arnie the watch. “Yesterday, after the lost time, I was standing at the front entrance of Silver City; today, I was sitting in a cab in this parking lot, and the cab driver was asking for his fare.”
“Hmm, that’s interesting. Do you remember anything about when you were about to step into the IP?” Arnie asked.
“Only that my head got dizzy,” JJ said.
“Do you remember hearing a whisper?” Arnie asked.
“I don’t remember, but maybe. What does that have to do with anything?” JJ asked in frustration.
“Well, the dizziness and whisper, if there was one, have a lot to do with what happened. What you are describing sounds like a redirect spell,” Arnie said.
“It wasn’t the heat? Javie at Silver City said it was the heat,” JJ said.
“It wasn’t the heat,” Arnie confirmed.
“How do you know it wasn’t the heat? You weren’t there,” JJ said, taking another swig from the bottle.
“I wasn’t there, but I’m sure it was a redirect spell,” Arnie said.
“A redirect spell. What is that?” JJ asked. He sat forward and pushed the bottle to the side.
“It’s a simple spell that puts a hypnotic suggestion into a subject’s mind. It can be used to suggest anything; in your case, I think it puts a suggestion to go away if your intent is not the right one. Why were you trying to go into the Palace before you blacked out?” Arnie asked.
“I was trying to go in to see what was making people so lucky,” JJ responded. “Today was my second try to go into there.”
“Why would you care? You got a job doing nothing but standing in a casino, and for doing that, they pay you well, right?” Arnie said.
“Yes, they do. I guess I just feel like I have no control over my life. I just wish something was normal.” JJ said.
“What is normal? Is it you’re missing a routine? Is it normal to drive to an office and work a day doing some meaningless job, then go home to watch some mindless TV program that tells you how to feel? Just doing the same thing every day over and over and over?” Arnie asked.
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess that's just insanity,” JJ said, looking even more dejected.
“The trick is to find something worth living for. Most people find meaning in the most important thing anyone can do in this world: raise the next generation.” Arnie said.
“How do you say that’s the most important thing?” JJ asked.
“I don’t say it; all the major religions say it. But for the moment, I think you need to find your purpose. And I think you have found your immediate purpose, that is, to figure out what’s going on over at the Palace.” Arnie said.
“Why so casinos can make more money?” JJ asked.
“Well, that will be a side effect, but I think there is more going on besides people getting extremely lucky. I think you need to figure that out. And I think you subconsciously know that, and that's why you are so intent on getting in there,” Arnie said.
“How can I figure it out when I can’t even get into the place?” JJ asked.
“Oh, that’s easy. Redirect spells are simple spells and are simple to overcome. All you have to do is think about going in to gamble, and you will get right by the spell.” Arnie said.
“Are you serious? All I have to do is pretend I’m going to gamble.” JJ asked.
“Yep, pretty much, but you have to believe it. Just keep repeating to yourself that you are going in to win big.” Arnie said.
“Well, that seems easy,” JJ said.
“Yep, like I said, a redirect spell is simple and easy, but as you found out, it's effective if the subject is not aware of what's going on,” Arnie said.
“Bang, Bang!” someone hammered their fist on the front door. “Open up! " someone yelled at the door.
JJ and Arnie both jumped up to see who was at the front door.
“Open up. I must speak to the master.” Arnie and JJ could see the source of the banging. There was a thin, short, dark-skinned man standing at the front of the door.
“Go to the back room, use this key, and lock the door,” Arnie said to JJ, handing him an ornate key.
“What? Why? That guy couldn’t hurt anyone. He looks like he's barely over four feet tall and weighs less than a hundred pounds,” JJ protested.
“Do as I say; there is a lot of magic around him.” Arnie insisted, pushing JJ towards the hall. “Go sleep off the whiskey,”
“That sounds good. Just keep the noise down,” JJ said, letting Arnie push him toward the room. The door at the end of the hall opened to a small room with a nice futon; all made up to sleep on. JJ locked the door with the key and then listened to what was happening out in the shop.
“Can I help you,” Arnie said to the diminutive stranger.
“I must speak to the master now. Show me where he is,” the stranger said.
“I am the only master here,” Arnie said.
“You, You aren’t even good enough to be the master’s apprentice. I must speak to the master. I bring a greeting from Aku Aku.” The stranger said.
“I am a Magic practitioner of the third order,” Arnie said.
“That is the most ridiculous statement I’ve heard in a long time. Be quiet!” the stranger said, and all of a sudden, the only sound Arnie could make was small squeaking noises.
“Now for introductions, my name is Kawika; I am here as a representative of Aku Aku. Now, what is your name?” Kawika asked.
“Arnie grsrssrsr,” Arnie was able to say his name, but then there was nothing else except grunting noises.
“You will only be able to answer my direct questions until I release you. Now, Arnie, you’ve got a nice little business here. That ad in the back of Playboy really paid off for you. So now, where is the master?”
“I don’t know who you are talking about. I am the only magic practitioner I know,” Arnie said.
“Don’t lie to me. I can see the wake of his magic. He was here recently.” Kawika said. “Who was here.”
“JJ was the last one here,” Arnie said.
“Tell me about this, JJ,” Kawika said.
“He came into town about three weeks ago from Salt Lake City. He got a job as a cooler and has been coming around regularly.” Arnie said.
“A cooler, really? Well, show me this cooler. You know there are no such things as natural coolers,” Kawika said.
Arnie pointed at his mouth and made some grunting noises.
“Oh right,” Kawika flicked his hand at Arnie.
“Much better. Thank you. He is definitely a cooler. I’ve had to redo so many of my good luck crystals after he gets too close to them.” Arnie said. “Here, I stashed him in my safe room,” Arnie said and then went to the door.
“JJ, open the door. Use the key to unlock it.” Arnie said. “JJ?” Snoring was the only sound coming from the room.