“So you finally woke up,” Arnie said to JJ when he walked into the break room.
“Yeah, that whiskey really hit me. Can I get some water?” JJ asked.
“Certainly, there are plenty of bottles in the refrigerator,” Arnie said.
JJ grabbed a bottle and then sat down at the table across from him. “I fell asleep after the stranger said something about Aku Aku. What is that?”
“The only Aku Aku I know about was a restaurant in the Stardust that closed a little over a decade ago. It was a Polynesian-themed restaurant with a giant easter island head out front. I think they did something with the biggest head besides sending it to the landfill. I think I remember something about it being put in a city park somewhere, or maybe YesCo put it in their neon graveyard.” Arnie said.
“Oh, like the heads in front of the Trop,” JJ said.
“Hmm, that's interesting. I forgot about the heads there. I don't go down there very often.” Arnie said with a faraway look in his eyes.
“Why would he say he’s a representative of a restaurant that no longer exists?” JJ asked.
“I’m not sure he meant the restaurant. I think he meant the heads. I remember that the heads were carved in the old way. I think I remember reading something a long time ago about the carving ceremony; they would place blessings on the heads to help a protective spirit find a home in the carving. If they did the blessing and used the right stone, then the visitor could have meant that Aku Aku were the heads.” Arnie said, still staring off.
“I thought you said there was just one head at the Stardust?”
“Now that you mention two heads, maybe I was wrong, and there were two heads at the Stardust. I would bet that those heads at the Trop were from the Stardust. I will have to go investigate.” Arnie said and then went silent, lost in his thoughts.
JJ took a drink while he thought about the idea that the heads used for decoration might be a protective spirit or two.
“Did I hear him say he was looking for someone?” JJ asked, interrupting Arnie's thoughts.
“He said he was looking for the Master. He was saying the Master was a very powerful wizard.” Arnie said
“Are there other magic practitioners in town?” JJ asked.
“Yes, but I’m the most skilled of them; we meet every once in a while and get midnight t-bone steak and eggs downtown. Magic users seem to be drawn to other magic users, so if there were a stronger user than me, he would have found his way here.” Arnie said.“One thing he said I found interesting was that natural coolers did not exist, but yet here you are. I saw what you did to that lucky charm I had. So I’m not sure he knows much.”
“Why did he want to find the Master?” JJ asked.
“It was weird he said he had a request for the Master. He insisted that the Master had been here.” Arnie said.
JJ finished the water bottle and then looked around for the trash can. “Well, I have a few hours to waste. I think while you contemplate what the short guy wanted, I will try to get into the Palace,” JJ said.
“Remember what I said? Keep thinking about going in to gamble or maybe going to see the cars. But don’t think about going in to investigate the luck.” Arnie said. “And come back tomorrow. I need to start teaching you magic.”
“Ok, I will,” JJ. said, walking out of the breakroom and then out of the store.
According to the Rolex, it was early for Vegas; it was just a little past 9 p.m. “Wow, I slept for close to six hours. That was some whiskey. I couldn’t have had more than about three shots, maybe four, definitely not seven.” JJ said.
He looked around at the shopping center, almost thinking the short guy would be out there still waiting for the mysterious master. The night was pleasant for a Vegas night somewhere in the 80s. Fall was just around the corner, and nights were starting to get cooler.
“I think I’ll walk,” JJ said to himself, realizing that the walk would help him clear his head and prepare him to tackle the spell. The shopping center with the Crystal Palace was in front of Ballys, about one block south of the Imperial Palace.
JJ walked across the small parking lot out to the strip sidewalk and headed north.
“I forgot why I don’t like walking at night,” JJ said as he dodged the aggressive people trying to force the escort service cards onto him. If it wasn’t them, it was the tourist with their souvenir drinks that couldn’t keep a straight line of travel. Having not even made it to the cross street, JJ was rethinking walking.
“Excuse me, do you mind? I’m walking here,” a very drunk woman said after she bumped into JJ, spilling some of her beer on his less-than-clean t-shirt. “Look what you did; you made me spill my beer.”
“Come on, Claudia. Let's keep walking,” a male companion said, distracting her from her misplaced anger. We’ll get another beer at the next casino.”
JJ tried brushing off some of the beer that was more foam than liquid and then continued on.
“I need to start thinking about gambling if I’m going to get into the place. Hmm, what's my game?” JJ said to himself, trying to get in the right frame of mind. “I think blackjack. Of all the games I’ve watched, I think that’s my favorite. Slots of Fun has some interesting ones like Red Dog and others. I think I even saw War. Ok, my game is blackjack. I know they will have that. Ok, I want lots of blackjacks, and I want the dealer to bust every time. Yeah, right, not unless I find that lucky spot. Oh, I can’t think about that. I just have to think like a regular gambler.”
JJ stopped at the corner of Flamingo and hit the cross button.
“I’m going to win lots of money! I’m going to win lots of money!” JJ started repeating his new mantra to himself.
“What? What are you saying?” A slightly inebriated guy asked.
“Oh, nothing; I’m just psyching myself up to get a big win,” JJ responded.
“Everyone’s a winner, Everyone a winner. Clink, clink, clink,” The homeless guy from the bus was crossing the strip. “You’re a winner, You’re a winner,” He was pointing at random people while he said that.
“Oh, great, that’s all I need,” JJ said.
“Look, it's mister nothing,” The man said when he saw JJ.
“Oh, I see you got lucky at the Horseshoe,” the man said, pointing to JJ’s watch.
“What, I’ve never been to the Horseshoe,” JJ said.
“Oh, yes, you did. You were playing poker there, and you couldn’t lose when I saw you earlier today,” the man said.
“You saw me downtown?” JJ asked.
“Good luck at the Palace,” the homeless man said as he turned and headed south down the strip.
“Wait, come back here,” JJ said to the man’s back. JJ lost sight of him as a large group of women came out of Bally’s carrying large blowup phalluses. “Of course, a bachelorette party. Well, I’m sure I’ll see him again, maybe on a bus where he won’t run away so I can ask him some questions. Like, what’s his name.“
JJ turned around, and the light changed. “I’m going to win big,” he started repeating to himself. He continued repeating it across the street. “Oh, wow, that's nice,” JJ said as the air conditioning from the Barbary Coast hit him. “Oh shoot, I’ve got to keep repeating my mantra. Or I’ll never get in. I’m going to win big.” He went back to repeating the statement. It was a lot easier to walk now. Seeing him rambling to himself, everyone kept their distance, thinking he might be a little off.
“Ok, breathe,” JJ said to himself when he got to the entrance of the palace. “I’m going to go in and gamble. I’m going to win big. I’m going to win big.” JJ took a breath and then stepped up to the door and tried to step over the threshold. He again got a little dizzy as he got to the door, but he kept repeating, “I’m going to win lots of money.” He stepped into the … imperial palace.
“Yes!!! I made it!!” JJ said to himself as he pumped his fist. “Ok, now it's time to find the source of the luck.”
JJ was standing just in the doorway. In front of him were the table games, with slot machines around the edges.
“Don’t block the door,” a woman said as she pushed by JJ to leave.
“Oh, sorry,” JJ responded. He then walked in a little so he could look around without getting in the way. In addition to all the normal games, there were a few Pai Gow tables.
The casino was a large open area with a ceiling about 15 feet up. The walls had a facade that looked like a rice paper wall with dark stained wood that framed rectangles of different sizes.
In the center of the table games was a small raised stage with an entertainer singing pop classics from the 1970s. On the left, against the far wall, was a closed-off area surrounded by semi-opaque sheets of plastic. A large gold Buddha could be seen through the plastic. Next to the Buddha was what looked like a large tool chest and a stack of material, probably carpet squares.
“Well, that was easy. The woman in slots of fun said something about Buddha.” JJ said.
He went to the closed area and started looking for a break in the plastic. It wasn’t just dropped over the area; it was actually some kind of temporary wall. There was a break in the plastic on the side with a security guard standing in front of it.
“Hmm, It's just plastic. I should be able to just cut through it.” JJ walked up to the side wall opposite and reached into his pocket. “I could cut through it if I had a knife or something sharp.”
“Sir, this is a closed area. Please go back to the casino,” the security guard said after he had walked around to where JJ was loitering.
“Oh, sorry, I just saw the Buddha and thought I would look at it,” JJ said.
“Have a lucky day,” the guard said as JJ walked away.
JJ walked into the center of the table games and looked around. “I need something that would cause all the security guards to respond.” JJ looked but didn’t see anything that looked promising. There was a bar on the opposite side of the closed area. “Well, might as well have a coffee while I watch for an opportunity.”
JJ sat down at the bar at the last seat next to the service bar. The seat next to him was empty. A mixture of women and men occupied the rest of the ten seats, each concentrating on the game In front of them. Looking down at the screen, JJ saw that it was a video poker machine.
“Drinks are free for players,” the bartender told JJ. “Just give a ten for a roll of quarters.”
“I just want a coffee,” JJ responded.
“An Irish coffee?” The bartender asked.
“No, just black coffee,” JJ said.
“Give me a ten so I don’t have to ring up a coffee.” The bartender said.
“Ok,” JJ said, pulling a ten out of his wallet and handing it to the bartender.
“Here you go,” the bartender said as he handed JJ a roll of quarters. “That was black, right? You sure you don’t want a little whiskey or Kahlua.”
“Just the black coffee,” JJ said.
JJ opened the roll of quarters and put one into the video poker machine in front of him.
“So, how do I play this?” JJ asked as the bartender handed him a coffee in a paper cup.
“It's just 5-card draw poker. You have to have a pair of jacks or better.” The bartender said.
“Uhm, I don’t know how to play poker,” JJ said.
“Hit the help button, and it will show you what wins,” the bartender said.
JJ hit the help button and read the instructions.
A dark-haired, young, pretty cocktail waitress in a green Asian-inspired uniform walked up to the service bar. The top of her uniform was low cut, and the bottom of the dress barely covered her bottom. “Four rum and Cokes and a couple of Heinekens, " she yelled down to the bartender.
“Got it,” the bartender responded.
JJ continued to study the instructions for how to play while taking quick looks over at the waitress.
“What’s the hold button?” JJ asked when the bartender came back over with the Heinekens.
“Oh honey, haven’t you ever played that before?” The cocktail waitress said to him.
“No, I’ve never played it,” JJ said.
“Here, let me show you. He’s not very fast, so I have a few moments.” She said the last thing, sotto voce.
She reached over his shoulder, rubbing her chest against his back, and then showed him the intricacies of playing video poker.
The sudden contact caused JJ’s vision to become blurry, and there was a rushing sound in his ears. An intoxicating perfume added to JJ’s sudden inability to concentrate.
“Wow, what perfume are you wearing? It’s so pretty?” JJ asked.
“Thank you, you’re sweet. It’s White Diamonds.” Seeing that maybe he was more affected by her attention than she wanted, she stood up. “There, that's how you play.”
“John, do you have those drinks ready?” She asked.
“Yep, just got the last one here.” The bartender said.
She loaded her tray with the drinks and beers and then went back to the casino floor while JJ watched.
“Close your mouth. You’re starting to drool.” The bartender said. “She does that to everyone. She gets lots of tips because of the personal attention she pays to customers.”
“Do you think she would go out with me?” JJ asked, completely ignoring the bartender.
“No, her boyfriend looks like Fabio. She was just being nice to you because that's what she does.” The bartender said as he quickly wiped up the work surface of the bar.
JJ looked back at the video poker game, which still showed one-quarter credit. Feeling dejected, he hit the deal button. The cards showed the back design for a moment, and then an ace of diamonds, king of diamonds, queen of diamonds, jack of diamonds, and ten of diamonds were revealed.
“Is this a good hand?” JJ asked. “Should I hold any of them?”
“One second, I’ll look,” The bartender said as he walked over to help him.
JJ’s hand was hovering over the deal button in anticipation of the bartender telling him to deal five new cards.
“Wow!! That's a royal flush; hold them all.” The bartender excitedly said.
“Is that good? Is this the hold button?” JJ hit the deal button, thinking it was the hold button.
“NOOOOOOO! That was the deal button.” The bartender yelled.
The cards showed the back pattern for a moment, and then five aces, all diamonds, were revealed. After a half second, the word error was printed across the cards.
“Well, that’s a new one,” the bartender said, reaching over the game and hitting the service button for JJ. “It's broken. Someone will come over in a few moments to refund your quarter.”
JJ sat back and looked at the mirror behind the bar. The casino reflected in the mirror looked nice but was showing its age. A middle-aged man sat down at the seat next to him with a bucket of quarters.
“These things are the only thing worth playing in a casino,” the man confided to JJ as he grabbed a few quarters and fed them to the machine. “Of course, you have to play max coins to make it a positive bet.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” JJ said.
“What’ll you have,” the bartender asked the new player.
“A rum and coke,” the player said.
“My favorite,” the bartender said.
The player hit the deal button, and then when the cards were revealed, he hit the hold button on a pair of threes.
“Do you mind if I ask why you held the pair of threes and threw away the ace?” JJ asked.
“If that pair were improved, it would pay out greater than most things I would get with the ace.” The player said.
“How did you learn to play?” JJ asked.
“I got a book from the gambler’s bookstore near downtown. They have books on everything gambling there.” The player said and then hit the deal button. “Oh well.” The hand didn’t improve.
He continued feeding quarters into the machine, slowly losing more than he was winning.
“Hey, can I get another coffee,” JJ asked the bartender when he walked by.
“Certainly. A slot tech hasn’t come over yet?” The bartender asked.
“Not yet,” JJ said.
“Here’s your coffee,” the bartender handed JJ a new styrofoam cup. “So you can take it with you when you leave.”
“It doesn’t sound like he wants you here,” the player next to him said after the bartender walked away. “Wow, three to a royal flush.” At some time, while JJ wasn’t looking, the cards on his screen changed; there was now an ace, king, queen, and jack of diamonds on JJ's screen, with the fifth showing the back design. Displayed over the cards was still the word error.
“Hmm, that's interesting. I wasn’t watching it. It was five aces of diamonds a few minutes ago.” JJ said.
“Five aces all of the same suit? That’s an impressive bug.” The player pressed the deal button to start a new hand. The machine revealed ten, nine, eight, and seven, all diamonds, with the last card still showing the back pattern. “Looks like it’s contagious.” He hit the service button and then sat back to wait along with JJ.
After a few moments, the next player hit their service button. After five minutes, all the machines had their service buttons lit as the effects of JJ’s luck draining spread out. Only a few scattered players stayed to collect their refunds, leaving the bar mostly empty.
“Well, I think I will find another machine.” The gambler next to JJ said. He got up and headed into the collection of slot machines.
JJ went back to watching the casino in the mirror, waiting for a glimpse of the cocktail waitress. He noticed that the slot machines behind him, closest to his seat, started to light up their service lights.
The players started repeatedly hitting the service button. “Can I get a refund?!" an impatient player yelled. The chorus of shouts for refunds started from the closest machines to JJ and then spread out like a wave from a pebble in a pond. As the players were ignored, their request for assistance became a demand, getting more boisterous as they waited.
After a few moments, the security guards came over to calm the players and assure them that they would get their refunds shortly.
JJ continued to sit and watch the calamity. After a few minutes, all the security guards had made their way to the slot machines, trying to keep them from storming the cashier’s cage and retrieving their refunds.
“Well, that was the distraction I needed,” JJ said to himself. “Thanks for the coffee,” he said to the bartender.
“Don’t forget your bartender,” He responded.
“Oh right,” JJ said, pulling a couple of dollars worth of quarters from his roll.
JJ stayed on the edge of the casino, out of sight of the security guards, hoping the people watching the cameras would concentrate on the mini-riot over the malfunctioning machines.
He made it over to the closed area with the Buddha. The plastic walls on the side where the security guard had been had a slit where workers could walk through. JJ stepped in and looked around. It seemed that the Buddha was going to be the focus point of a new area in the casino. There was a large stack of carpet squares with a new tropical theme. Behind the squares of carpet were new table tops lying on their sides.
JJ walked around the mountain of carpet squares and stood in front of the Buddha.
“Now, how do I know if this is the source of all the luck?” JJ said to himself. The Buddha was gold and sat on a four-foot-high raised platform made of dark wood to accentuate the gold of the statue. There were no doors or openings on the front of the platform.
JJ walked around to see if he could see anything on the Buddha or platform.
“Well, it looks like the same as the Buddhas I’ve seen in Chinese restaurants,” JJ said.
“Ohh,” JJ exclaimed as he tripped over a stray carpet square that was next to the statue. He reached out to break his fall and touched the big toe of the Buddha statue.