Lo flinched, face glistening and flushed.Then her lips quivered.
“Lo?”
With a sob Lo collapsed into her arms.Instinctively Mayté held her tight.Lo may have been the taller one, but at that moment she felt so frail.“What happened?”Mayté asked.
Lo looked up.Tears streaked her face, and her lips wouldn’t stop trembling, but there was a fury and terror behind her red, puffy eyes.She looked away, shaking her head.
Mayté’s own heart quivered.Lo wasn’t one to cry.Not out here, in front of everyone.She always knew how to put on a sweet smile, saving her tears for the privacy of her pillow.Something was wrong.Very wrong, but she wouldn’t force Lo to talk about it.Not now.All she could do was hug her best friend tighter.“Hey, it’s okay now.Look, we’re almost there, and once we get in, we’re going to win.”
Lo tearfully nodded.The two held each other as they waited in line.Soon, Lo’s sobs quieted.As the evening breeze grew nippier, the crowd’s swirling voices became louder.
“Look at all these fools in line, don’t they know the house always wins?”
“They measure how much everyone’s worth.That’s how they’re picking people.They only want the most valuable ones.”
“Has anyone gotten chosen yet?Looks like everyone ahead went in, then got turned away.”
Mayté winced, and she swore that Lo shivered.If she was turned away and had to return home—
No, she didn’t even want to entertain that thought.
The line continued moving, and soon the gambling salon came into full view.Up close, it was much grander than Mayté could ever have imagined.In the dark, it glowed like a moonlit diadem.Unearthly vines and flowers slithered and sprouted around a golden calavera, the same as the one on the poster.The wordsFortune’s Kisswere etched in glimmering amber letters underneath the skull.No painting could ever do a wonder like this justice, but she sure would have loved the challenge oftrying.Only darkness could be seen inside the rounded entryway, and there wasn’t a window in sight.
“Did you remember your most prized possession?”Mayté asked, digging through her satchel and pulling out a small painted piece of wood.“Good thing I never got rid of this.”A painting of La Sirena from Lotería, Abuelita’s favorite card.She always said she wished she lived in the sea, so beautiful and carefree.
Lo made a face.“You painted that?”
“I know, I know.”Mayté snatched the painting back and studied it.“This was one of my first paintings, back before I knew what I was doing.”And it showed.The proportions were way off with a giant head and a skinny tail that looked more like a snake.La Sirena’s bare breasts were even worse, like deformed papayas.The outlines were much too wobbly, and the colors splotched unevenly without proper lighting or shading.Back then, she had thought of it as a masterpiece.Ha!“But Abuelita loved it and that’s all that mattered.That’s when I knew I wanted to paint for the rest of my life.”If that didn’t make it count as a prized possession, she didn’t know what would.
“Here’s mine.”Lo pulled out the comb and put it in her hair.“It was my mother’s.She used to wear it every day.”Her eyes wouldn’t meet Mayté’s.
Was that why she was late?Had she had trouble getting the comb?
Mayté rubbed her arm and noticed something sticky and dark red on her palm and forearm.Paint?No.An icy chill stabbed her gut.Blood.But from where?She patted herself, and then it dawned on her.“Lo?”
“Next group, come forward!”A suited attendant called out as matching ushers herded their group inside.There had to bearound fifty of them.Maybe more.Maybe less, Mayté couldn’t focus on counting.Lo grabbed her hand.This was it.
Mayté expected to be greeted by sparkling chandeliers and statues made of pure gold, but inside was an endless abyss.So dark she could barely see her own hands in front of her, let alone the blood.She swore the sound of her own gulp echoed through the space.But the dark only lasted for a moment.Hundreds of tiny candles suddenly lit the large, circular lobby, casting an eerie glow over everyone as they gazed around in wonder.A smoky blue haze wafted around, and orange marigold petals flitted underfoot, guided by an invisible wind.Several doors stood ahead, ornate with glowing carvings of fierce alebrijes, supernatural guide animals adorned with colorful patterns.As if these were the gates to the underworld.A foxlike creature with a spiked mane captured Mayté’s attention.Its narrow eyes made of sapphires glimmered in the dark, staring straight into her soul.
The group fell silent when the doors outside slammed shut.Several people jolted in panic, but all Mayté felt was electric excitement.Lo squeezed her hand tighter.
“Welcome, prospective players,” a man’s voice boomed.He stood at the center of the room, tall and spindly.He wore a black suit and matching top hat, along with a glowing white calavera mask.Surrounded by darkness, he looked like a floating skull.“You find yourselves in El Beso de la Fortuna.Fortune’s Kiss.”He bowed in a grand dramatic gesture.“But do any of you have what it takes to gamble?”
“Yes,” Mayté whispered.She swore she felt Lo’s speeding pulse through her clammy fingers.Or maybe it was her own heart, racing with anticipation.
“Let us find out, shall we?”
This was it.Mayté wet her lips and flexed her fingers.
“First …” The skulled announcer stepped back as the entire entryway changed before everyone’s eyes.The candles’ warm glow brightened, revealing a large banquet room with a long table in the center.The seats and silverware were all copper and amber.Golden fountains spurted wine.Shiny platters held delicacies like fresh seafood, carne asada, and tiny pastries that looked like they had been sprinkled with crushed moondust.“Allow me to introduce myself, my friends.I am your faithful host and guide.You may call me Misterioso.Not Señor Misterioso, just Misterioso, if you please.Now, then, make yourself at home.”He beckoned for everyone to sit.
No one could deny such a request.Mayté and Lo took the nearest seats.Mayté grabbed a piece of shrimp.Despite her nerves, her mouth watered, but before she could take a bite, movement caught her eyes.Butterflies.Hundreds of orange butterflies flitted above, landing on the matching marigolds, which seemingly sprouted from the ceiling.
The crowd oohed and aahed.Even Lo seemed to perk up as she took it all in.Mayté looked around, trying to remember every last detail.How this would be a dream to paint!The warm glow in the dark clashing with the subtle cool haze wafting around.A fever dream with qualities of both her worst nightmare and most coveted fantasies.Her fingers twitched.What she would give for a canvas and paintbrush right now.Or even charcoal to draw on a napkin.
“This is but a mere taste of what the house offers its contestants,” Misterioso said.
Dreams could come true here, Mayté thought.
