at how alien everything else seemed in comparison.
A fortune cookie sat in the center of the table, looking as out of place against the opulent backdrop as I did. I knew it was meant for me. I wasted no time cracking the cookie open and pulling out the thin slip of paper within.
I didn’t know whether to expect a string of lucky numbers, words of wisdom from Confucius, or my horoscope. As it turned out, it was none of those.
“The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, the whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.”
I knew it was a verse of scripture but I didn’t readily understand how it figured into the prison-like workings of the maze. Hesitantly, I lifted the lid on one of the serving platters and was a little confused to see a Polaroid of me watching something on television. I saw enough nude flesh on the TV screen to know what kind of program I was watching. I didn’t remember the specific day the picture had been taken nor did I recognize anything in the foreground to denote what made this photograph special. Had Angel Face taken this picture as well? How long had this surveillance of my life been going on?
Still confused, I moved onto the next platter and lifted that lid. There was another Polaroid, this time featuring me and James Ketchum, a client of mine. I didn’t have to know the circumstances of that meeting to know what was on my mind. It was apparent by the deviant shine in my eyes that I was dreaming of a big commission. I was greedy, and the picture was proof enough. The man in the photograph scarcely even looked like me, and I wasn’t at all happy with the way I was being portrayed. I remembered over-inflating the sales quote I gave James and padding his portfolio with products that he didn’t really need. He had trusted me, and I had known it, had taken advantage of it.
The next platter had a third Polaroid. This picture was taken today at Adam’s Ribs. It was a photo of me staring up at Karen as she was touching my arm. There was no mistaking the intent in my eyes.
With trembling hands, I lifted the lid to the last serving tray and was surprised to find a blank Polaroid. It was the way a picture looked as it went through the developing process, only this was a permanent condition.
I wondered what kind of picture had been taken here. What had I been doing that was so horrible that even the film itself rejected it? I ran my fingers over the picture and for a split second saw the brief flash of an image: my family in happy unity. All of us were smiling and content. I held Peter in one hand and hugged Amy tightly to me with the other. We were a family there, a perfect model of strength and stability. That life now seemed a million miles away.
That picture didn’t exist. The reason why was explained succinctly enough in the other three pictures. I sank to my knees; it felt like someone had stabbed me between the ribs with a rusty knife. That fleeting image had shown me a glimpse of the life I had been so displeased with, the life I would have given anything to have back. Strange how priorities twist and turn.
As was the case with the previous room, I guessed there had to be some sort of mechanism or trigger that would open another door and possibly lead me out of here. Where was it located and how did I operate it? I studied everything-the symbols on the walls, the letters, the pictures, the layout of the place settings-and searched for a pattern.
I touched symbols and mysterious glyphs at random, hoping for a miracle. Machinery behind the walls chuffed and rumbled. Pistons sighed as they released steam. Gears in need of oil squeaked loudly, but no door appeared.
Frustrated, I touched another group of symbols. Immediately a series of razor-tipped darts rushed past my face, missing me by inches. I inspected the opposite wall and noticed that the darts had been fired from a recess in the rock. No doubt, I had triggered some sort of mechanism with my aimless groping. It was a mistake I couldn’t afford to make twice.
I paced back and