Chad Gadya

Simeon Says

Alexandros grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop and look at them. "Lay your hands off me!"

Amelia turned around, blinking in confusion and then managed another smile. "How about we go see the castle now?" she asked. "The architecture of the most recent castle was inspired by the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, though recent renovations have been made to keep it up-to-date."

She was right. We walked up the stairs and through an arched door into a massive room. It was the size of my mother's house and the floor was tiled and polished. It was made of granite and so smooth, that I was sure I could skate on it if I was wearing just my socks. I had half a mind to do so, but I reminded myself that we were on a quest. Marble columns reached towards the sky and the ceiling was a beautiful dome made of marble. A fresco had been painted on it, depicting a war between angels and demons. Then, there was the fountain.

It was twenty feet tall and made of solid gold. Instead of water, a yellow liquid was flowing from the fountain. Even through the tint, I could see coins littering the bottom of the fountain. Marzipan wrinkled her nose. "I hope it's not pee."

Amelia looked at her. "Of course it's not. Only fresh juice flows from the Fountain of Flattery. The flavor changes daily. Today, it's a pineapple and papaya blend."

Kuni lifted his eyebrows. My mother looked around. Alexandros clenched and unclenched their fists. We were in the castle, but now what? How were we supposed to find Rabbi Amado? It wasn't like we could just ask Amelia where prisoners were kept — especially not with the two demons accompanying her.

Amelia began speaking about the fountain's history. After awhile, the iridescent demon grew impatient and left. "I don't need to deal with an overly enthusiastic history nerd," she sniffed.

Amelia looked sad, so I asked her when the columns were built and then tuned out as she started talking about how the marble was quarried. We must have spent half an hour in the room before we moved onto the next. To my surprise, Simeon was still with us and he kept shooting glances at my mother. She was pointedly avoiding him, and I wondered what was going on between them. Surely Simeon shouldn't be so interested in my mother? After all, they were strangers.

The next room was the throne room, though it was empty now. A plush, dark purple carpet covered the floor and the walls were scattered with tapestries. A large throne was flanked by two smaller ones. The largest throne was made of gold and encrusted with rubies and garnets. The other two thrones were shaped from silver and encrusted with quartz crystals. On each of the thrones, there were embroidered cushions. I had never seen such opulence in my life. "Is this how millionaires live?" I asked.

"No," Amelia said. "Our queen is no mere millionaire or billionaire — her net worth is in the trillions."

"How so?" I asked. "How is there such beauty in the midst of a — ummm — snowy place?"

Amelia smiled. "When humans die, they spend time in Gehenna. The most wicked spend 12 months here and our queen has them working in quarries or working as her personal slaves."

Wow. She used dead humans for free labor. I bet Jeff Bezos would be jealous of her. As we exited the throne room, I wondered how I could hope to overcome her alone. Then, I caught Marzipan's eye and warmth spread throughout my chest; I was not alone at all.

      Kuni leaned over  and I could feel his warm breath against my ear. "This place is huge! How are we going to find Rabbi Amado?"

     I narrowed my eyes as I thought and then whispered back, "I have an idea."

    I straightened up and made towards Amelia, but I felt someone tap me on my shoulder. I turned around to see Simeon looking at me. "I need to ask you something important, human."