Miracles in the Casino of Evil

By Nick Cascino

Mark Gargano dies and awakes in a casino hotel, a purgatory where he is forced to gamble in order to survive. The winners can hope to achieve a form of paradise while the losers move on to the next stage of horrors. It is a despicable place, but occasionally a surge of grace moves through the casino and Mark is guided by strange and mysterious forces. Can he avoid the temptations of liquor and prostitutes or will he be increasingly manipulated by the evil tricks of the Pitt Boss? Will he turn completely ruthless and selfish enough to claw his way out, or will he learn that he must save others in order to save himself?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Cascino
• Release date: Apr 19, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458108159

Nick Cascino

Mr. Cascino is a media theorist attempting to make the connections between Einstein's theory of relativity, Mcluhan's media evolution tetrad and the appeal of inane celebrities. He gets closer by the day.

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MIRACLES IN THE CASINO OF EVIL

by

Nick Cascino

Smashwords Edition

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Published on Smashwords by:

Nick Cascino

Miracles in the Casino of Evil

Copyright 2011 by Nick Cascino

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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CHAPTER ONE

THE AWAKENING

In a dark hotel room, a crumpled, man is sleeping, fully clothed in a wrinkled suit, his head immersed face down in the pillow. The door slowly opens and a stream of light passes over his haggard body. A well-dressed woman with a highly stylized bee-hive hairstyle enters, holding a small book in her right hand. She approaches the bed. Mister Gargano, Mister Gargano. It’s time to awake.

Slowly, the head of Mark Gargano turns to reveal a face of tremendous fatigue and astonishment. He takes in this vision of a woman as if it is the first sight he has seen in a very long time. What is this? Where am I?

The woman looks down at him disdainfully. ‘Think about where you were before you went to sleep."

Mark attempts to break through the fog that permeates his mind. He now remembers the sanitary white of a hospital, a nurse with sharp finger nails, a doctor with advanced halitosis, and a brief but mandatory visit from his son before he falls into what he visualizes as a dark cave. It’s coming back to me. I’ve been in a hospital for the longest time.

Yes, you were in a coma, and now you’re dead, she states with utter indifference. You’re in the afterworld, Mr. Gargano.

Now shaken out of his grogginess, Mark rises from the bed. He looks over his body and walks towards the mirror. He is astonished to see the face of a relatively young man, late thirties to forty-ish. If I’m dead, why do I look as if I’m thirty years younger?

You’ll need the body of a younger man to deal with what’s coming.

Where am I? Mark mutters in an unsteady voice. This seems no different than any hotel room I’ve stayed at before. Slightly upscale, perhaps a Marriot or Holiday Inn but definitely not a Radisson.

This is no Radisson. It’s a casino hotel.

Mark breaks into a crackling laugh. A casino hotel? So there’s gambling in the afterlife!!

Yes. Sinners love their games. You are no stranger to casinos.

No, despite all I lost over my lifetime, I kept going back. Atlantic City, Vegas, Connecticut. I think I lost the most in Atlantic City. What a horrible ride back on the turnpike.

The woman glances down at her book. Over your life, you lost $365,400 to be exact.

That can’t be right. Let me see that. Mark rises towards her but she backs away, pulling the book close to her chest.

It adds up. But you won’t have enough credit to lose that much here. These casino rules will be very different than what you’ve experienced in the past. She looks down at a weird piece of jewelry, a derivative of an ancient timepiece. To Mark, it resembles something between an hourglass and a smart phone. Actually, it is time that you entered the casino. Let’s begin our descent. I’ll explain the rules on the way.

Mark glances at himself in the mirror again. Can I freshen up a bit?

No need. You actually look much fresher than those that I just encountered a few minutes ago. She gestures towards the door. After you, Mr. Gargano.

They exit into a long corridor that drops off about thirty yards ahead where a low glow of light rises from below. As he moves closer, Mark detects a long spiral staircase. Why the rush to the casino? Mark asks. I thought when I entered the afterlife I’d have nothing but time.

Not here, she snaps back. This is in essence a form of the purgatory you may recall from your Catholic school days or those somewhat infrequent masses that you attended throughout your life. Now listen carefully. You have ten thousand dollars in your casino account to start with. You will be given a reasonable amount of time to convert that sum into something sizable that will basically allow you to buy your way out of here to something better.

They start descending the stairs. Heaven? asks Mark.

We don’t use that word here, Mr. Gargano. Those who win big can cash in and make it to a form of paradise. But perhaps you should be more concerned right now with what happens if you lose the ten thousand.

I imagine that wouldn’t be a good thing.

The woman’s tone turns more ominous. Once you lose the ten thousand, you’re finished. No second chances. You’ll see soon enough.

Mark is stunned by the statement, but he can’t help a bit of nervous laughter to relieve the pressure. You must be joking. I never believed in a hell. That was just a scam to make me feel guilty. I always trusted that God is merciful.

This God you speak of has abandoned you, if he even exists at all. The place you will soon be entering may appear to be a hell, but the real suffering is much worse. I don’t wish to pass judgments, but the journey here is for those who have lived less than favorable lives. Two divorces, sibling rivalry, severed ties to your only son.

Mark becomes indignant. I thought you didn’t wish to pass judgment. Sure, I wasn’t a saint. But life was hard.

Hard yes, but the statistics speak for themselves. 1,430,221 swears, $280,103 embezzled from the bank you worked for, 85,400 jaywalks, three assaults, and need I even mention masturbation.

Mark gulps and glances at the book in her hand. What have you got on that? She raises her book to him and he leans over and glances. That is absolutely, completely overstated.

As I said before, it adds up. She brings the book back to her chest. As they continue their descent, music is faintly heard rising from below. Speaking of such things, since you are still to a degree flesh and blood, you will get hungry and thirsty like you did when you were on earth. There will be charges for food and drinks. There will also be the opportunity to partake in other pleasures as well, for a fee.

Mark asks I assume like any hotel you charge it to the room.

"It’s easier than that here. The charges are automatically updated and can be reviewed