Lucifer doesn’t like me to bring guests late.”
After Gavin shaved, ran a comb through his hair, and donned his tuxedo, they crossed the deck and came to the end of a hallway. Leo stepped up to the credenza, which had ornate vases on top of it and a picture of the ship hanging on the wall behind it, and grasped a hidden handle. The whole arrangement of furniture swiveled open to reveal a small room. The walls were awash in smooth, dark alligator skin and bordered with mirrored tiles and mahogany. A small crystal chandelier sparkled from the ceiling.
“This is the entrance elevator to the ballroom. After you,” Leo said.
When the door closed and the elevator started moving, he pressed a button on the panel and briefly stopped their ascent. He pressed a small panel in the wall, and an array of toiletries and a mirror moved out of the wall on a motorized tray.
“Would you like to take one last glance at yourself before you’re presented to the room?” Leo asked.
Gavin looked at himself in the mirror; grabbed a breath mint from the assortment of colognes, makeup, and hair products; pushed his slicked black hair neatly into place; and gave a thumbs-up to Leo.
Leo grabbed a small black bottle, poured some of the tonic into his hand, then rubbed it into Gavin’s hair and face. He reached in Gavin’s pocket, pulled out the bow tie, and tied it around his neck. He stepped back and looked at him, adjusted Gavin’s cummerbund, then pressed the panel that retracted the toiletries into the wall.
“You’ll go first into the room,” Leo said. “I’ll follow you and introduce you to your table and a few people, and then I’ll disappear and attend to my other duties. Please don’t seek Lucifer out and bother him about going back to land. It isn’t appropriate.”
When doors of the lift opened into the ballroom, Gavin’s eyes widened. Leo hadn’t mentioned the scale of the event. The space was so vast that he couldn’t see the other end of the ballroom. The eyes of all the guests standing nearby with cocktails in their hands turned to see who was coming next. Gavin recognized some of the faces in the crowd from Hollywood and others from the news, political leaders from around the world. A hunched man in an orange-and-red robe and square glasses was standing closest to him, talking to a celebrity that Gavin recognized. The floor was made of flat screens. Immediately in front of the elevator was an image of a descending round well, made from stacked bricks that dropped hundreds of feet into blackness. Small words with wings fluttered up from the depths. Leo stood back and waited for Gavin to advance into the room. Gavin hesitated, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Was there really a hole in the floor in front of him? The winged words came closer to the surface, where he could read them. “Do you have faith?” was the first phrase, followed by “Create your will.” When his eyes adjusted to the floor, he stepped out onto the words and into the room. The Dalai Lama and the male celebrity gave him nods of approval. Gavin nodded back.
He walked through the crowd. A waiter held a silver tray with a glass of amber liquid over six perfectly shaped ice cubes. “For you, Mr. Pennings. Johnny Blue on the rocks.”
The tablecloths were made of woven feathers, each table a different color. The centerpieces were collections of hydrangeas, petunias, and roses with illuminated wires laced through them, turning different colors that reached up into the darkness of the ceiling. Gavin stared up, but he couldn’t see where the centerpieces ended. Judging from the number of forks and spoons, the tables were set for at least five courses. Spotting his name on a card, he sat down at his place setting.
“No, no. I need to introduce you to a few people. You can’t just sit here at your table. That isn’t how these events work.” Leo had his hand on his shoulder.
Leo urged him on toward a tall man with sandy-brown
After Gavin shaved, ran a comb through his hair, and donned his tuxedo, they crossed the deck and came to the end of a hallway. Leo stepped up to the credenza, which had ornate vases on top of it and a picture of the ship hanging on the wall behind it, and grasped a hidden handle. The whole arrangement of furniture swiveled open to reveal a small room. The walls were awash in smooth, dark alligator skin and bordered with mirrored tiles and mahogany. A small crystal chandelier sparkled from the ceiling.
“This is the entrance elevator to the ballroom. After you,” Leo said.
When the door closed and the elevator started moving, he pressed a button on the panel and briefly stopped their ascent. He pressed a small panel in the wall, and an array of toiletries and a mirror moved out of the wall on a motorized tray.
“Would you like to take one last glance at yourself before you’re presented to the room?” Leo asked.
Gavin looked at himself in the mirror; grabbed a breath mint from the assortment of colognes, makeup, and hair products; pushed his slicked black hair neatly into place; and gave a thumbs-up to Leo.
Leo grabbed a small black bottle, poured some of the tonic into his hand, then rubbed it into Gavin’s hair and face. He reached in Gavin’s pocket, pulled out the bow tie, and tied it around his neck. He stepped back and looked at him, adjusted Gavin’s cummerbund, then pressed the panel that retracted the toiletries into the wall.
“You’ll go first into the room,” Leo said. “I’ll follow you and introduce you to your table and a few people, and then I’ll disappear and attend to my other duties. Please don’t seek Lucifer out and bother him about going back to land. It isn’t appropriate.”
When doors of the lift opened into the ballroom, Gavin’s eyes widened. Leo hadn’t mentioned the scale of the event. The space was so vast that he couldn’t see the other end of the ballroom. The eyes of all the guests standing nearby with cocktails in their hands turned to see who was coming next. Gavin recognized some of the faces in the crowd from Hollywood and others from the news, political leaders from around the world. A hunched man in an orange-and-red robe and square glasses was standing closest to him, talking to a celebrity that Gavin recognized. The floor was made of flat screens. Immediately in front of the elevator was an image of a descending round well, made from stacked bricks that dropped hundreds of feet into blackness. Small words with wings fluttered up from the depths. Leo stood back and waited for Gavin to advance into the room. Gavin hesitated, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Was there really a hole in the floor in front of him? The winged words came closer to the surface, where he could read them. “Do you have faith?” was the first phrase, followed by “Create your will.” When his eyes adjusted to the floor, he stepped out onto the words and into the room. The Dalai Lama and the male celebrity gave him nods of approval. Gavin nodded back.
He walked through the crowd. A waiter held a silver tray with a glass of amber liquid over six perfectly shaped ice cubes. “For you, Mr. Pennings. Johnny Blue on the rocks.”
The tablecloths were made of woven feathers, each table a different color. The centerpieces were collections of hydrangeas, petunias, and roses with illuminated wires laced through them, turning different colors that reached up into the darkness of the ceiling. Gavin stared up, but he couldn’t see where the centerpieces ended. Judging from the number of forks and spoons, the tables were set for at least five courses. Spotting his name on a card, he sat down at his place setting.
“No, no. I need to introduce you to a few people. You can’t just sit here at your table. That isn’t how these events work.” Leo had his hand on his shoulder.
Leo urged him on toward a tall man with sandy-brown
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