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The Elevator (as it liked to call itself) looked across the street. Or, more precisely, it looked at the beautiful car who had just introduced itself as the Bentley.
Perhaps it was time to initiate another conversation?
It wasn’t as if there was anything else to do around here. The angel Aziraphale had vanished into the bookshop. And the demon Crowley was still nowhere to be found.
The Bentley, The Elevator whispered. May I ask you something?
The Bentley snorted. The Bentley? With a capital T? That’s fancy. I suppose you call yourself The Elevator, then?
The Elevator sniffed. And what if I do?
Right, the Bentley drawled. Well, there really is no need for that kind of formality. You can call me Bentley. Seeing as we’re almost friends.
Friends. The Elevator tasted the word. Hm. It rather liked the sound of that. Thank you, Bentley. And for the record, you can call me -
Elevator. Yep. Got it. The Bentley winked at The Elevator. So, you wanted to ask me something? I rather like that. Crowley, that’s my demon -
Yes, you did tell me.
- he likes questions. So go ahead. Ask me anything you like.
The Elevator considered its next words carefully. How to ask without sounding jealous? Although it had to admit to being slightly jealous, of course. I suppose your demon takes you places, right?
Oh, you can say that again, the Bentley exhaled. Places you wouldn’t believe.
The Elevator nodded to itself. Right. Just as expected. So you’ve seen things. Things like -
Roads. Humans. Other cars. Trains. Water. Buildings. Parks. Bombs. Fire.
Oh my. Suddenly The Elevator’s existence sounded less boring. Bombs? Fire?
Yeah. But Crowley protected me.
So nothing happened?
Not that time, no, the Bentley replied. But that one time we drove through fire . . whew. That was pretty scary.
But you made it. The Elevator smiled.
Well, I didn’t actually . . no. Never mind. Let’s just say that one minute I didn’t make it and the next minute I was back again.
Oh. The Elevator exhaled. That sounds -
Like I said. Scary. Not to mention lonely.
Lonely?
Yeah. The Bentley’s headlights turned towards the bookshop. Between not making it and being back again . . well . . I was all alone.
Oh. That explained the lonely part. But perhaps The Elevator could stop any future fires from becoming a problem. Tell you what. If something like that ever happens again, then please bring the fire over here.
Over to you? The Bentley’s headlights turned back to The Elevator. Why would I do something like that?
I can carry it, The Elevator replied. Take it downstairs, drop it off in Hell. They’ll never notice.
Oh. The Bentley’s headlights brightened. Or you could bring it upstairs. Those bastards could do with a dose of fire.
But they would notice, The Elevator said. And then they might bring it down here again. No. Trust me. Hell would be the only safe destination.
Makes sense. The Bentley did a fine impression of nodding. But anyway, why were you asking? About going places?
Because traveling between Heaven, Hell and Earth gets very boring. But I think I’ll just count my -
Don’t say blessings. Crowley hates that word. He didn’t use to, but he’s changed his mind. About a lot of things.
Right. I’ll just consider myself fortunate, then. Nothing much happens here, but at least there’s no fire involved. Or bombs, for that matter.
Yet. The Bentley turned its attention back towards the bookshop.
The Elevator deflated slightly. Yet, it agreed. Do you think there will be?
Don’t know. I’ve just got a bad feeling about all of this.
The Elevator looked at the bookshop. Is it still not talking to you?
No. And I can’t help but wonder -
What?
If they’re angry. Or if something really is wrong.
You said that something might be broken, The Elevator said. And I think you could be right. Why else would only half the lights be on?
Half the lights? The Bentley’s tone of voice shifted. What’s that supposed to mean?
The Elevator looked at the bookshop again. Oh. You cannot see it from there. But the lights on this side are out.
Shit. That’s it. I’m going in. Cover for me.
What? No, wait. You cannot -
The bookshop isn’t talking to me. Half the lights are out. Crowley is in there. So is Aziraphale. So things might -
Perhaps they’re talking about nightingales. The Elevator interrupted the Bentley. I’m sure they don’t need that many lights for that.
Nightingales? Oh, I think it’s far too early to talk about nightingales. The Bentley remained fixated on the bookshop.
I don’t think so. Aziraphale sent me down here to deliver a message about nightingales. And when I couldn’t find Crowley, he came down here himself. So I don’t think it’s too early. In fact, I think -
Hold that thought. The Bentley’s engine roared to life. I’m going in.
But before the Bentley could get going, a handful of humans began to move around the bookshop. The humans were carrying items and someone even placed two chairs outside the doors.
The Bentley shut down its engine. I’ll just wait for the humans to get out of the way and then I’m going to -
Wait. The Elevator could hardly contain its excitement. The sign. It’s -
What?
- turning. The Elevator squinted. It went from Closed to Open.
Ooh, I like the sound of that. Could you see someone?
Just a hand. With nail polish. The Elevator kept its attention on the bookshop.
What color of nail polish? Could you see?
Red. Does it matter?
Then it’s not Crowley. He only uses black.
D’you think he’s still in there?
I hope so, the Bentley replied. He wouldn’t leave without me. Unless -
Unless?
Unless it’s too dangerous to bring me. The Bentley deflated. Oh, I hope he hasn’t done anything stupid.
I’m sure he hasn’t, The Elevator tried to reassure the Bentley. Even though it had no idea whether Crowley was prone to stupidity.
Can you see anything else? Apart from the sign, I mean?
Yes, there’s something - The Elevator looked closer. Oh. It says May 13.
May 13! The Bentley exclaimed. That’s months away.
I know. But at least we have a date now, right?
So we’re just expected to wait here for what . . three months? The Bentley groaned. I’m not happy about that.
I honestly don’t think we have a choice. You could drive in there, but -
Yeah. I know. The bookshop would be pissed. So would Aziraphale. And Crowley. But I can’t just wait around for months. What if Crowley needs me?
I’m sure he knows where to find you. And besides, the bookshop is now officially open. That means humans are bound to enter and leave.
Yeah, you’re right. The Bentley suddenly sounded way more confident. And if one of them comes over here -
Then you can ask them. And who knows? Perhaps we’ll even get to see Aziraphale and Crowley before May 13.
I hope so. The Bentley sighed. Because waiting for three months -
Is not desirable. I agree. But tell you what. I’ll keep an eye on the side of the building you cannot see from over there. And if something happens -
Then you’ll tell me. The Bentley’s headlights winked. Thanks, Elevator.
Of course, Bentley. That’s what friends are for.
The end.