Harry thought. "To praise, adore, devote oneself to . . ."

"The key, then, is the second half of the response: 'to enjoy Him forever.' Not because He needs our worship, but because we need to worship."

Harry snorted. "And He made us that way."

"Then you've never experienced the pleasure of admiration? You've never put anyone on a pedestal?" The old man gave him a sidelong glance. "Appreciative love is a source of great enjoyment, whether of a painting, a poem, or a person. And the more worthy the object of our adoration is, the more profound the pleasure. Devoting oneself to a lesser light, that merely reflects the greater glory, can be either a means of coming to know the Light or a distraction from it, a kind of idolatry. Surely you are not wholly unfamiliar with the concept?"

Harry closed his eyes. She was as beautiful, cold, and remote as the moon, her namesake. She came to him as her third aspect, Hecate, merciful lady of death, offering expiation and release, a hope that now proved vain. "Mea culpa. I have worshiped a false goddess. Add that to the list of my sins." He opened his eyes. The old man was nodding at him. "You knew."

"Of course."

Anger surged through him. "How much do you know about me?"

The old man shrugged. "More than you do, I suppose."

After a second's shock, Harry acidly asked, "Am I to conclude Sartre was right?"

The old man chuckled. "There's the door," he said, pointing. The sight of the battered-looking egress, with its institutional beige paint peeling, did nothing to inspire positive reflections.

Harry got up and tried the door, then turned to glare at the old man. "It's locked," he said. By way of reply, the old man held up a ring of keys, dozens of them. Harry reached for it, but the old man pulled back, shaking his head. "Well, then, you open it," Harry demanded, folding his arms on his chest.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know which key to use."

Harry was flabbergasted. "Then give them here and I'll try them." It didn't matter how long it would take: he had eternity, didn't he?