The Gateway to Hell

The Gateway to Hell Michael Romano 2 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

The Gateway to Hell Copyright © 2023 by Michael Romano All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages. ISBN: 9798398039900 STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 3

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I dedicate this story To those Who never give up, The Dreamers we all need so much to be’ \"Dream on, and Imagine it...then it can become so. Michael Romano, your Imagineer 6 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

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The Gateway to Hell Before there was the \"Church\" as we know it, there were thousands of years, and more, of others, who built, worshiping one god or another, at that same spot, atop the hill where the Grand Vatican stands. Worshipped Deities, Demons, and any combination of the same. There... were left the remnants of those religions in statues, seals, underground passages & storage, and most of all, secrets. This is the story of one of those, “In Fact!” STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 9

If you are faint of heart, or cannot accept what may be, stop reading now...as it may steal your immortal soul….. ***** Close your eyes, and let your mind see. Down through the clouds, speeding earthward, you can picture St Peters Square coming into view. The great tiled roofs everywhere, with an immense courtyard. Huge columns surround ancient buildings still in pristine condition. 10 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

Now to set foot on the ground with all the other humans going about their daily chores. As this is where my story starts. STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 11

Chapter One Many, Fear the One! That day, unlike any other in the Vatican's history, had a dozen lackeys of His Eminence, Cardinal Marino, clamoring reluctantly down the long great halls to this, his office. Stopping outside the great door of their superior, they hesitated, before knocking, hands shaking. Once done, the fearful \"Knock\" barely audible went out, instantly, the booming voice of the Cardinal rang out... 12 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

\"Enter!\" Open, swung the doors, seemingly by themselves, as the gaggle of bishop accountants stumbled in, rolling over each other. Dressed in 14th century power mad pomp, which he was fully festooned (Fabric of velvet draped over him) “Why do you bother me with this \"Most important meeting, in your minds, on such, this busy a day?!\" This was all said by a tall berobed all in red, senior Cardinal, caped in satin and with a cane knobbed by a red ruby large as a STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 13

hen’s egg, looking almost Zorro- esque. A veritable \"Five Star General\" of the Church. One Bishop was squeezed, unwantingly, to the front of the packed group and stood there as if ready to drop, hyperventilating in fear. \"If someone doesn't immediately tell me what is going on, Heads will fly off!\" Out, the bookkeeper squeaked with the most unheard of news. \"The Church, well I mean to say, we, \"Oh God....\" 14 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

\"What is it you fool?\" \"Spit it out, He commanded! Holding up a long tape of calculations said in the most shocked way, \"We, well the Church, is in, well, deep in, for the first time...\" At that point the Cardinals eyes were glowing coals. “WHAT … IN THE FIRST TIME, WHAT,” Cardinal Marino spittled out! \"For the first time in, in, well \"Forever…\" “We are in the \"Red!!\" Cardinal Marino sat down, putting his face in his hands, shaking his head, mumbling to himself a bit too loudly, \"I felt this was coming.\" STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 15

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\"Your Eminence, what are we to do,\" came from somewhere in the tightly clustered Bishops, huddling in fear. \"Now,\" is where I came in. A sort of low level, very low level priest, given jobs of \"Get me this and bring me that,\" plus my new position, which I really enjoyed as compiler of the antiquities in the, \"Way Below.” Down so many levels, no one had probably been down there in centuries... Well…maybe several millennia plus! STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 17

Way off to the side of the huge room, cleaning and fixing the tall curtains, I got a bit excited, what with all the tension in the room. Well, never having been someone who could keep his mouth closed, I mumbled to myself, altogether too loudly, \"We could have a \"Garage Sale.\" Everyone stopped in mid speech and turned towards me like a pack of dogs, eyeing juicy bones… \"Mine!\" Screaming to me in unison, like a choir of hangmen, I backed up into the curtains, partially covering myself. 18 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

\"Blasphemer, heathen\" came from several of them, as I fully expected to quickly see a rope fly out from one of them to string me up. In that same instant, His Grace, the Cardinal stood with hands up and out, shouting… \"SILENCE!\" Every Bishop froze, clamming shut in an instant, cowering, all huddled in a tight bunch. Like a herd of frightened wildebeests. \"Everyone LEAVE me....... BUT YOU!\"” STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 19

He pointed to me with his gnarly gold, ruby ring encrusted finger. Then crooked it towards the large seat behind his desk. Ordering me without such as a single word to take “His” seat. Quietly praying to heaven, \"Well Lord, it has been an experience being here, only hope “You” have mercy on me more than the Cardinal will.\" Then… with a \"Whump,\" he sat me down. End Chapter One Be There Soon Lord! 20 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

Chapter Two Garage Sale Hmmm? As I sat there, with the Cardinal standing, no, looming over my head like a hanging sword…his voice changed from “Melting your Soul” to, “What is this you said… about a Garage sale, my son?” I was so excited, I jumped up, nearly hitting him in the chin with my head. “I have been on a reconnaissance mission to delve into the lowest, which seem to get lower each time I go down and catalogue the artifacts!” STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 21

“There are “SO” many objects that we could sell them for hundreds of years!!” His eyes opened wide, then back to the deadly slits, saying to me, “How in the name of, excuse me, could the Church pull off a “Garage Sale?!” “No one need know, with all the codes and off shore plus foreign banks…you know about that don’t you?” The look I got in return for “that” snippet got me to take several steps back. “What do you estimate the income generated me be,” he asked pinching his chin between 22 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

his two fingers, looking off into space? “Your eminence, with only what I’ve seen in the past six months, Hundreds of millions just as a starting point!!” Pushing me aside, he stumbled into his chair, putting his hands flat and widely down on the desk, staring straight out as if deep in a trance. Snapping out of it, turned to me asking, “Who could do this and how would “No One” find out?! STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 23

I already, whimsically, pondered it myself a time before, so I had a plan right ready. “Go online from a secure server, great pictures, with super prices to be paid through bank transfer to a private bank of our choice with only a number and “No” name!” Cardinal Marino jumped up, scaring the proverbial “Hell” clean out of me saying, “And you must report to no one but myself, do you understand?!!!” Shaking my head, standing there for a moment to let all of this soak in, he shouts, 24 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

“NOW My Boy!!” Off I shot to my cubicle, in order to obtain my notebook, camera, and a great egg salad, liverwurst and onion sandwich for lunch…oh not to forget several Pepsis in my cooler bag. All packed up and ready for an amazing mission, down the stone stairs I climbed. And down the levels I went …and down three or six more, when finally, I had arrived at a room several centuries or so, before the church was even a glimmer in anyone’s eye. Well, it has surely been an interesting morning so far. I, on STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 25

the other hand am going to have an early lunch. Surely do love Egg Salad, Liverwurst and sliced onions sandwiches. Pulling out my meal, before opening it, smelled something pretty “rank.” Looking at my sandwich figured it was just an overactive eggs and onions then chomped away while inspecting artifacts for our first sale. The picture snapping went on, even though the lamp light down here stank severely, all shot 26 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

looked great with my Dad’s camera gift I received becoming a priest. Betcha he’d never have thought I may be the one who keeps us afloat. Have forty items and ready to climb the stair mountain, after I down my recharge Pepsi, kept for the climb out. Back at the desk in my room, I began to design as flashy a web page as I could. Those years of computer science and graphics were finally working to my advantage. Naming the page… STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 27

FOR SALE, TO THAT SINGULAR SPECIAL COLLECTOR… UNKNOWN & UNHEARD OF TREASURES FROM OVER THREE PLUS THOUSAND YEARS ANTIQUITIES, NOW TO AMAZE AND IMPRESS. ALL... FOR YOUR HIGHEST BID! Then came the pictures with as much a description as I could even dig up, or make up. Mostly, as they were older than the Church, in some years by three centuries to 28 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

Lord knows how many thousands, or so I could only leave the description up to the buyer. Everything was on a bid status as I had no idea of what to ask. In the first hour, the hits started, and not too slowly either, until multiple bids were nearly clogging the program! Objects of such strange appearance, were jumping up and up, till I had to go and find another Pepsi! At six in the morning, I closed the bidding with a giant stop sign with the words… STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 29

NUMBER ONE AUCTION HAS COME TO A CLOSE…. NUMBER TWO WILL START TOMORROW AT SIX P.M. UNTIL MIDNIGHT And I signed it, “The Vault Keeper.” Sounded cool to me. Hope Cardinal Marino doesn’t get all bent over it. Well, before first bells, I had better tally up the night’s sales. I did it. Then “Again, I did it. Four more times later, I had to lay back on my bed. \"62,946,000 EURO!\" 30 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

This was the ending tally of the “One night’s sales.” I ran in Church. Completely against my teachings from a kid up, but the Cardinal would forgive me. I knocked loudly and immediately barged in. His Eminence was surrounded by the same little squids as before. He looked at me and I half smiled then nodded. “EVERYONE OUT” bellowed out of him… “But not you,” as he pointed his long STORIESBYMIKEROMANO.COM 31

grizzled finger at me again and then to his chair. “Well?!!” I showed him the bank’s verification of the deposit. Looking and pointing to the long tally to explain. All I heard was a… “FLUMP!” (His butt hitting the chair) End Chapter Two Not Just a “Gopher” any more am I?! 32 THE GATEWAY TO HELL

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