“Excuse me,” he said to the sleeping drunk. “Excuse me.”

The old man opened his rheumy eyes and stared at him without moving. Jerry took another look around, hoping that maybe there was a concierge or docent who would tell him what to do. When none appeared, he turned back to the drunk.

“I’m looking for a place called Jinx Town. Do you know anything about it?”

“Never heard of it,” said the old man.

“Oh. I was told I could find it here.”

“Do you have anything?”

“What?” said Jerry.

In a surprisingly clear voice, the old man said, “Do. You. Have. Anything?”

“Oh. Right.”

The old man rolled his eyes.

Jerry took an old-fashioned movie theater ticket from his pants pocket. It was orange, grubby, and worn, like someone had found it in the gutter after a hard rain. Charlie, the drywall boss, had given it to him, and Jerry wasn’t sure if he wanted to give it to a dirty alley drunk. He handed it over. The old man tore the ticket in half and gave one of the pieces back to Jerry. He put it back in his pocket.

Without another word, the old man rolled over and slowly pulled himself onto his feet. He went around to the far side of the Dumpster and, laying all his weight on it, pushed it a few feet, revealing a hole in the wall. It was about three feet high. The old man waved for Jerry to go inside. He peered into the dark, but couldn’t see anything.

“You going, boy? I haven’t got all night,” said the old man.

Jerry had come too far and had taken too many chances to chicken out now. His broken ribs ached as he got down on all fours and crawled inside. At the entrance, the old man cleared his throat and held out his hand. Jerry took out a five-dollar tip and handed it to him. After inspecting it for a few seconds, the old man nodded and waved Jerry inside. Once he was in the hole, the old man rolled the Dumpster back into place.

Jerry closed his eyes and opened them. There was no difference in the pitch dark. He crawled for a few feet, then felt the space open up. Holding his hands out, he took a few tentative steps forward and touched something that felt like a wall. He ran his fingertips across it and hit something solid. A doorknob. Jerry twisted it and stepped through.

He was in a towering mall full of shops and restaurants. People and things sort of like people, but not quite, strolled by with bags and drinks. Charlie hadn’t been lying or high after all. Jerry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He’d made it all the way to Jinx Town. He brushed the dirt from his hands and knees and started walking.