The Dealer

Written by Ares Leviathan

In Old Town, Sacramento, CA (or Old Sac, as referred to by the locals), across from a popular store called Evangeline's, is a peculiar pair of entrances, one on the left leads downstairs to a series of quiet office spaces and a sign saying there is an old arcade down the hall. The other is just an empty hall where there is some antique posters and a few toy shops which have their doors closed even in the middle of the day, despite still having toys inside. Most of the time, people hardly notice either one of these places, or simply choose not to enter them. There is virtually, no one in sight when you enter.

There is no sign of anyone preventing you from leaving, and yet one will get the sense that they shouldn't be there. That they're being watched, but there is no obvious source. At this point most people get unnerved by this and will go no further.

Come night, however, the story changes. Not just night. Late night. Between the hours of one and three to be exact. You must be alone. Go into the right entrance and you will be shocked to find a dark figure hiding in the shadows at the end of the corridor, by the second entrance. His face is hidden by the shadow. Approach him and ask him and simply ask him what time it is. He will tip his head up and reveal a wide smile on a dark-skinned body. You can't exactly tell if that's his actual skin pigment or if it's just the effect of the darkness. He will reply saying 'It's far too late for someone to be asking strangers what time it is, young lad/lass.'

From there, ask him which way North is. His smile will grow even wider this time and he will point to one of the toy stores, obviously NOT the direction of North. Leave him and walk to the toy store. Open the door and go inside. You will behold a vast assortment of toys off all shapes, sizes and eras. You will find toys in perfect condition from as far as the mid-19th century. Even Santa would be proud to have a store like this. If you look back at the door, you'll see a sign saying "Edward North's Gifts and Toys." You are allowed to take three of any toy in the store, but just make sure that the third one is an authentic Indian Tomahawk on display at the very back.

When you leave the store, leave everything, except the tomahawk, at the foot of the store entrance. No need to fret about them being stolen, they will be taken care of. Approach the man in the suit again and ask him this time where south is. He will grin again but this time he'll reveal his nose as well. He will ask to see if you are worthy to know, and you must show the weapon in your hands.

Still smiling, he will tip his hat and proceed to go to the stairway next door. Follow him. He will lead you down the hall, nearly black as pitch. You'll see offices with names of stores and people written on the glass. He will stop in front of a door. This door has no markings on it. Follow him into his office and he'll turn on the light, revealing his full face and his pointed ears. He will pull out a deck of cards and begin to shuffle, staring at you the whole time. He will then place THREE cards face down in an upside-down triangle formation. He will ask only one question. 'East or West?' You must solve the riddle yourself and swing the tomahawk down on the correct card.

If you choose correctly, he'll tip his hat to you again and show you to an arcade called "Frank South's Games & Arcade," You will play games from the past, present and even the future. When you've played to your heart's content, you will black out and wake up to find yourself in your own bed. The toys you've picked out will be on the foot of your bed.

Now, if you pick the WRONG card......