Free Ticket to Nowhere Chapter 10

A Stark Mystery

Looking down as I trudged along followed by a bunch of ex-Monkees, a munchkin and lion, I realized that under the shifting sands covering the road, I could see golden bricks here and there. The hell had happened to this place?

Or, I reconsidered, taking a glance at the horizon which never seemed to get any nearer, had I stumbled into a vest-pocket dimension, some utterly weird parallel existence in which singing was a form of magic? What if the crew marching after me were like a — a secret weapon here?

Jesus. I took off my hat and wiped my brow. What were they putting in gin these days?

Like a mirage from a time long past, the Corn-u-copia Hotel appeared in the gathering dusk, complete with gold-plated turrets and twinkling fairy lights — a more welcomed sight I can’t recall. Saliva filled my mouth in anticipation of an all-you-can-eat buffet and the fillings in my teeth caroled with the thought of icy, imported brews. I could use a shower too, I realized as a backdraft brought the unlovely reek of the dead corn and sour sweat to my nose.

We reached the facade and I looked up. And up. And up.

“Mr. Stark?” The doorman, dressed in purple livery, smiled in a creepy kind of way. “And…entourage?”