She had been driving for five hours straight, without a single break. But she was tired now. Maybe she should call it a night and look for a hotel. After half an hour, she came across a big lighted sign which read

Hotel Night Magic

Open 24 hours

After a few turns, she came to a square in a small town. She saw the hotel. The lights were on. She breathed a sigh of relief. As she was about to enter the glass door of the hotel, someone grabbed her hand. Lily jumped with fright. It was an old beggar.

“Don’t go inside. It’s a crazy place.”

Lily took a close look at the shabbily dressed woman. She was reeking of cheap alcohol.

“Leave me alone.” Lily tried to free her hand of the beggar’s clutch.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The next moment she disappeared in the darkness of the nearby alley.

Shaking her head, Lily stepped inside into the brightly lit reception area of the hotel. There was no one at the front desk. She pressed the bell. After what seemed like an eternity, a man in his early fifties appeared.

“Hello Mam. I am Ranjan. How can I help you?”

“I want a room for one night.”

“Sure mam.” Lily paid in cash.

“Is your luggage in the car mam.”

“No. It was a day trip that got extended.” She lied.

“This is your room key, mam. 333, third floor, third room on the right. We don’t have an elevator. The staircase is to your left.”

The bed was comfortable but sleep still eluded her. She couldn’t get the image of her drunk husband running after her with the copper statue ready to hit her out of her mind. Luckily, she escaped. Slowly the exhaustion took over and Lily drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

A couple of hours later, Lily woke up to very loud music. It was as if huge drums were beating mercilessly.

What is this madness in the middle of the night! She got up to dial the reception but saw there was no intercom. Putting on the clothes, she went down. But, the concierge wasn’t there. She went to his quarter and knocked at the door. But, no one answered. She opened the door. The room was empty.

She went to the first floor and banged on the bedroom doors. She went to the second floor and knocked on the doors. She got no reply. She opened the rooms one by one. Each one of them was unlived in.

She was the only person in this hotel.

The realisation dawned on her. She was scared. She ran down the stairs and out of the hotel. She knocked on the houses beside the square. There was no one.

Hysterical she sat in her car and started driving. She turned right, but a few minutes later, she realised she had come upon the same square before the hotel. She must have taken the wrong turn. This time she took a left. But again she came to the hotel.

What was happening? Was there a way out of this damn place?

Someone knocked at the window. She woke up with a startled cry. The beggar from the previous night was peering through the window.

This woman will be the cause of my death. She thought.

The bright morning sun blinded her. The square was bustling with activity. Magpies were chirping. Children were going to school. People were headed towards work.

Getting out of the car, she asked the woman, “What did you tell me last night?”

The woman looked confused. “Me? I have never met you before. Are you drunk?”

Fat calling me drunk. Lily cursed silently.

She looked at the hotel. She had to find out. The concierge was standing at the front desk.

“Hello Mam. I am Ranjan. How can I help you?” He didn’t recognize her.

“I am a guest here. My room is 333.”

“That’s impossible, mam. We have only two floors. There is no room 333.” The concierge smiled.

“Are you pulling my leg? Yesterday night I slept in that room. I can show you.”

They went up the stairs and came to the third floor. But he was right, there was no third floor. Only a big terrace. Lily was speechless.

Was she hallucinating? Did she dream it all?

Lily raced down the stairs as fast as her legs could take her. Starting her car, she zoomed off the cursed square. Within minutes she reached the national highway. She vowed to never drive in the night again.

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I am participating in the Write Tribe Festival of Words – June 2018