THE McKITTRICK IN MY MIND
I am alone. November 1st and it’s 6:15pm at the corner of 11th Avenue and West 27th Street. All is silent. The darkness feels thick and the moonlight reflects upon a slight mist floating in the air. The pavement remains wet even though the storm passed a few days ago. The excess storm water has formed several pools in the asphalt’s deeper pockets. No cars are rushing past to splash the water onto the damp, cold sidewalk.
A gentle breeze pushes gently into the back of my leather jacket moving me Eastward down the block. The Cuban restaurant remains closed and there is no sign of Felix outside the entrance to Gallow Green. I think about Edward and Miranda. How he loves and cares for her! During my last visit, her creaks and moans seemed particularly fatigued and I wondered if perhaps her machinery needed some additional attention before the Carnival des Corbeaux. I hope she weathered the storm. And what of Derrick, Adela, Alice, and Annabella? Did they find appropriate shelter? I wonder if the garden survived its battle with Mother Nature.
The brass plaque proclaiming the proper entrance to “The McKittrick Hotel” with its Scottish Thistle comes into view although it is barely visible in the night. I stand before the great black doors with the 7-pointed star carved deeply into the wood. The doors are locked. I knock. No answer. Neither Alberto or Erik have appeared on 27th Street either. I knock again. Three times. Nothing. Keeping my gaze towards the doors, I take three large steps backwards. I close my eyes and inhale deeply through my nose picturing a ball of white light forming inside my head to clear away any cobwebs of distracting thoughts. I exhale and repeat twice more. As described in the “Covenant of Hecate’s Opening Rite”, I press both hands to my heart. I sense my heart beat three times. Then, I put my index and middle finger of my right hand to my lips. Three more beats pass and I move the same digits to my brow. Beat. Beat. Beat. I make fists of both hands and raise my arms up into a “V” shape towards the giant Heptagram and say the Orphic Oath:
“Emmi gas vios kai ouranou asteroentos
(“I am a child of earth and starry heaven”)
Lastly, I open my hands. My left palm faces upwards and I complete the gesture by moving my right arm, facing downwards, into the open palm.
I hear a slight mechanical movement behind the doors. They open silently. A rush of scent fills my nostrils. Cedar. Cinnamon. Roses. I take a deep breath and enter. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I sense a rush of air behind me as the doors shut. A rectangle of light appears to my right about twenty feet in the distance. I head towards it.
A woman with golden blonde hair, holding a martini with a slice of cucumber in her right hand, has her back to me.
“Celeste, is that you?”
The woman turns around and she brings the cocktail glass to her lips. Her beautiful dark red lips then form a smile and her bright eyes shine. She speaks in a very deliberate and specific manner.
“Hello. Why Jake. It’s so good...to see you.”
“I’m happy to see you too. What are you doing at coat check?”
“We’re a bit...understaffed...tonight.”
“I hope everything is okay.”
“Couldn’t be better.” She pauses and sips from her glass. “May I…take...your...jacket?”
“Um…sure”. I remove my leather coat and hand it to Celeste.
“Here’s your ticket. Make sure you...keep it for later.”
“Thanks.” I reach for my wallet.
“That...won’t be necessary. Well…for tonight, at least.”
“That’s very kind of you. I appreciate it.”
“I’ll see you in Manderley." She suddenly slaps the countertop. "James...will give you your room key this evening.”
“Thank you very much Celeste.”
“Thank you Jake.”
I turn and now see James up ahead behind the counter looking very tidy and sharp in his maroon jacket.
“Good Evening, Mr. Marks. I’m very glad to see you again. You are looking lovely.”
“James…after all this time...you know you can call me Jake.”
“House rules, Mr. Marks. Mr. McKittrick would be most unforgiving if I was to break with certain…traditions.”
“I totally understand but…” as I look around no longer even seeing the light of the coat check, “it is just the two of us.”
“The Hotel knows, sir.”
“Yes, but…”
“The Hotel knows.” There is a rather lengthy pause between us. “Here is your room key, Mr. Marks.” He checks his log. “I see this is your 27th visit?”
“Yes…but I’m not sure if this counts or not”
“Mr. McKittrick likes for every visit to be accounted for.”
“I see.” I take the room key. It is an Ace card.
“Enjoy your stay, Mr. Marks”
“Thank you, James”
“Thank you, sir.”
As I walk to my right away from James, his light extinguishes immediately and a deep red light appears up ahead. There seems to be no attendant on duty so I head up the stairs. I see a dim candle flickering on the ground and head towards it. Suddenly, I hear a fanfare. Trumpets blaring. Timpani's pounding then even more trumpets. I start to move forward from votive to votive guiding myself through the labyrinth with my hands running along the soft black walls. Turning left. Then, right. Then right again. Was that a right turn? Starting to feel a little disoriented now. The music pulses and as it crescendos I am forced forward. Unable to turn back. No sense of direction or even from whence I came. There are only tiny flames ahead. Only darkness behind.
I see the glow of another red light and as I take a few more steps forward, the blackness melts away and opens up into a lovely room with a loveseat and a few other pieces of antique furniture. The music changes to something lighter and sweeter. A light appears through the slit between a set of luxurious drapes. They open magically and suddenly standing before me, wrapped in each others arms are the always stunning Maximillian and Violet. Both are holding rather large glasses of champagne.
Violet comes rushing up to me. “Darling Jake. Welcome back. It is so lovely to see you again.” She kisses my right cheek and then my left.
“You look beautiful as ever”
“Why thank you, darling. I do try to maintain appearances as best I can you know.”
Maxim approaches and extends his hand to me. I take it. “Jake, you look simply gorgeous darling. How are you, dear sir?”
“I’m really well, thank you. Very glad to be here. I’ve missed you. It’s been a long time.”
Maxim grins devilishly, “Well, we are certainly very glad to have you. Should be an interesting evening.”
“Why is that?”
“Well…it’s not often we have such a limited amount of guests staying with us.”
“I see.”
Violet chimes in, “Well, it has been extraordinarily difficult you know. We’ve had nothing but gin and champagne for the last several days.” Her smile widens. “Simply dreadful. Just really the occasional olive or cucumber. Maxim...Have you seen Toledo recently?”
Maxim laughs, “I do say. There is nothing better than a liquid lunch.”
“Right you are, my darling.” She touches Maxim’s cheek and kisses him.
As I give Violet and Maxim their private moment, I see Lulu rushing about with various drinks and begin to notice several other people sitting at the small round tables. A woman wearing red with blonde hair and a top hat suddenly moves her hands towards a whip which is lying on the table. She spills her drink in the process.
Maxim frowns, “Oh dear. I better attend to her.” He walks away and calls towards the bar. “Darkness…could you help me for a moment please?”
I turn to Violet.
“I thought I was the only guest here tonight.”
“I wish that were true, darling, but these are the remaining denizens of the Carnvial des Corbeaux. We had to cancel four of the planned events, you know. Some of them have been stranded within our walls, you see. Mr. McKittrick, in one of his very rare but generous moods allowed those to stay who were just unable to depart.”
“That was very kind of him.”
“Yes, darling, it was.” Violet pointed to a bearded man sitting at a table, “Why…even Monsieur Gaufridi is still with us. He’s lost everything, you know. I’m not sure what will become of him.”
“I’m really sorry that the events had to be cancelled. I know how hard everyone worked. My friends who saw said it was a fantastic success (while it lasted). I’m very sad I wasn’t able to attend.”
“Well, you’re here now, darling. That’s the important thing.”
Monsieur Gaufridi suddenly rips off his ascot and throws it to the floor, shouting “Lulu! More Absinthe!” He puts his head in his hands and his shoulders begin to shake. I hear him whimper, “More absinthe, please.”
“Oh, dear. I’d better go see if he needs anything,” Violet says, sulking a bit, and then departs.”
From behind me, I hear, “I have something for you.” Knowing exactly who it is, I smile, and turn to see the magnificent Annabella.
“Annabella! I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been so worried about you and your garden.”
“Well, these things do happen sometimes. Unfortunately, the trains aren’t running so I haven’t been able to check on my garden. I’m positive it survived. Nature has a way of taking care of things even when she's in a fury like she was a few days ago.” She hands me a strange looking object. “Here. You need this. It’s a bone."
"A bone? What kind of bone? What's it for?"
She looks over at Maxim. "I can't explain now...Do you have your potion?" I pull the sealed glass vial out from beneath my shirt. Annabella looks at it and touches the cork.
“It still remains very powerful. You may need it tonight.”
“I always need it.”
“Yes, but tonight, perhaps, especially. Oh, and I have this!”
She hands me an irregularly shaped black stone. My eyes light up.
“Where did you find this? I lost it the last time I was here.”
Annabella says glowingly, “I know you did. How is your garlic plant?”
“It’s grown about a foot in two weeks!”
“Perhaps it’s time to replant it?”
"Yes...but what do you..."
I hear Maxim’s voice on the microphone. Aces called.
"I'd better go."
“Will you come visit me later?”
“I will.”
“Bring back what I gave you.”
“I will.”
No one in Manderley seems to move except for me. I head over towards the curtains. Maxim appears.
“James is waiting for you. No masks tonight.”
“No masks? But how will I…Am I allowed to…?”
“Just enjoy, my love. Head to the light now. All the way in please.”
Maxim smiles at me and then shuts the curtains. The elevator door opens revealing James in the shadows.
“Good Evening, Mr. Marks. Enjoying your stay thus far? You look lovely.” The elevator door slides closed. We don’t move anywhere.
“Yes…I mean…thank you, James, but…um…Maxim didn’t give me a mask…is there going to be something different about tonight? Am I allowed to speak?”
“Rules are the same, sir, and everything else will be revealed soon enough. Believe me.”
“I’m not quite sure I do.”
James looks at me with a rather psychotic grin, “I think I must have one of those faces you can’t help believing”. My stomach flips as I know just where I've heard that line before. He pauses. I’m speechless. “Any particular floor, Mr. Marks?”
“Well…”
“No train running tonight sir. Casualty of the storm.”
“I see. Ballroom then please.”
“Very good, sir”
James presses one of the lower buttons and we travel down in silence. The elevator comes to a halt and the door glides open.
“Everyone off please, Jake.” I quickly step over the elevator’s threshold. Suddenly, I turn back.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to call me…”
“Fortune favors the bold, sir.”
The "I’m not quite sure what to call it" grin returns to James’ face as the elevator door slams shut plunging me into darkness. My nerves start to settle as I begin to hear the introduction to Glenn Miller’s “Tuxedo Junction”. I smile and my heart grows warmer as I know I’m about to see old friends. I turn to my left, take the corner to my right, and run happily down the stairs into the Ballroom.
Who will be there, I wonder? Where will they take me? So many questions I don’t have time for them all. Better to leave questions behind. After all, whatever this particular journey turns out to be, I know the dream is just beginning…
To be continued…(in the actual McKittrick...soon, I hope).
