House of a Thousand Rooms

Chapter 32

Little Cora's face drew tight with confusion. Worry creased her forehead. "Who are you? And why do your eyes look so odd?"

"I am the same Miss Cora you met not long ago. Sometimes I look like this," Cora explained as she gestured to her unearthly guise. In the next moment, she morphed back to her other self that Little Cora had first met with the darker hair and darker eyes. "Other times, though, I look like this."

"Are you a magician?" Little Cora breathed in amazement. "There was a magician at my last birthday party, and he pulled a white rabbit out of a black hat. It was a very neat trick. He was not able to change faces like you, though!"

Cerberus snorted. "A magician? Ha! Do not belittle my little gatekeeper. She has more power packed within a strand of her hair than all the rabbit-pulling tricksters in the mortal realm combined!"

Little Cora's lower lip began to tremble. "Why would you say that? I happen to like magicians very much! You are not a nice man at all!"

"Well, I am not particularly fond of you, either, you bothersome creature!"

The child began to whimper and wail.

Cora tutted sternly at Cerberus' shameless grin. "Apologize to her, Cerberus! She is only a child."

He pouted. "Must I, Cora dear?"

She glared. "I insist that you do, Cerberus dear."

He sighed. "Very well."

Cerberus cast a look of annoyance at Little Cora. He sighed again most dramatically. "I am sorry I made you cry, you weepy thing. Now, please, pipe down. You are very noisy."

Little Cora began to bawl even louder.

Cora groaned, "Cerberus!"

"What?" he asked with a fanged smile. "I did exactly as you requested."

Cora shook her head in exasperation. "Nevermind, Cerberus. Please let me do the talking from now on."

He leered at her and blew a cheeky kiss in her direction. "Anything for you, my little gatekeeper!"

Cora resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Stand aside, and I will show you how children ought to be treated!"

She was grateful when Cerberus actually obliged and kept his mouth shut for the new few minutes.

She crouched beside Little Cora and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. Gently, she expressed, "Do not let his words upset you so, sweetheart. You stand correct in that he is not a nice man, and you should not let villains like that bring you down."

Cerberus snarled in protest. "If you think I am a villain, then I pray you shall never cross paths with my brothers! They are worse than the four crown princes of hell combined! Not even the succubi will lay with them!"

Cora capped her palms over Little Cora's ears and glowered at Cerberus warningly. "Mind your tongue, Cerberus! Again, must I remind you that she is a child? Your words are unfit for her innocent ears."

After Cora removed her hands from Little Cora, the girl sniffled and hiccupped. "I do not like him at all, Miss Cora! Can you please make him go away?"

Cerberus scoffed. Cora pretended not to hear him. "He is not so bad once you get to know him, but I shall take it upon myself to keep him in line and out of your hair."

"You promise, Miss Cora?"

"I do! I promise Cerberus will not bother you again," Cora tossed him a pointed look and declared, "or else I shall never speak another word to him!"

His shoulders drooped.

To Little Cora, she said, "And, to answer your question from earlier—I am no magician. Merely... a guide. A helper of sorts. As I said before, sweetheart, your mother brought me here. There is something she wanted me to show you..."

"A helper, you say?" Little Cora looked skeptical. "How do you know mama?"

Cora debated how much of the truth she should reveal to the girl at this point. She decided to play it safe.

"We are intimately acquainted. I suppose we are... friends... in a way. She tells me many of her secrets."

The girl frowned. "But why would mama send you instead of coming to show me herself? Mama and I do everything together!"

"I promise I will address this question of yours," Cora replied softly, "after you answer a few questions for me."

Little Cora wrinkled her nose, but she didn't argue, "What is it that you wish to ask me, Miss Cora?"

Cora braced herself for the heaviness of the conversation to come. Death was a touchy subject to discuss with anyone, let alone a child. Her mind raced back to all the old, dead philosophers from her lessons with the witches. The Greeks who waxed on and on so profoundly and poetically about the afterlife—of Hades and the Underworld and the River Styx.

She thought about their theology lessons as well—of the Bible, the Quran, and all the other sacred texts with interpretations of what existed beyond the threshold of mortal life...

For all the knowledge buried inside her, she didn't know how best to unearth it to help an undead girl navigate death. Cora decided, then, to simply begin by nudging the child along—and let her make sense of it on her own terms. After all, she concluded, gatekeepers were meant to serve as guides. The actual journey, however, belonged entirely to the mortal.

In mild tones, Cora inquired, "Do you know what happens to living things when they get very, very old?"

Little Cora's brow puckered up slightly. "Like plants and animals?"

"Yes."

"Well... plants eventually wither and die, of course. And mama said that her dog, Charlie, went to heaven when he turned eighteen-years-old," Little Cora stated matter-of-factly.

Cerberus observed the two of them intently. He appeared deeply invested in their exchange.

Cora smiled. "You are correct, sweetheart, and so is your mother. I am curious to know your opinion, though. How do you think the plants felt when they began to wither?"

Little Cora giggled. "What a silly question!"

"Why do you think it is silly?" Cora asked seriously.

"Because... plants do not have thoughts or feelings like people do!"

Cora prompted, "Are you certain that they do not?"

This seemed to catch Little Cora somewhat off guard. "Well... maybe plants might feel a bit parched. Especially when they turn brittle and brown."

"What about your mother's dog? Do you think Charlie felt anything when he went to heaven?"

"Charlie? Oh, I suppose... he was probably... happy? Mama said heaven is a good place."

"Would you be happy to go to heaven?"

This gave Little Cora something to think about. She chewed on her bottom lip anxiously. "I... think so."

"You seem unsure."

Little Cora winced. "Perhaps... I am a little frightened. Even though heaven is supposed to be a good place, I do not want to go anywhere without mama or papa."

"I cannot fault you, sweetheart," Cora murmured. "The unknown tends to be a bit frightening."

"Why are you asking me so many strange questions, Miss Cora?"

"In time, you will understand," Cora assured the girl as she proffered her hand. "Come! I wish to take you somewhere. To help you better understand the unknown, so that it might become a little less frightening in the long run..."

After only a moment's hesitation, Little Cora grasped Cora's hand. Cora began to lead her towards the fountain in the middle of the maze.

Cerberus smiled as he scampered after them. He muttered curiously under his breath, "What in hell's flames do you have planned now, my little gatekeeper?"