He rose. He twisted his back and cracked his neck. He bent down to pick up the luggage that was by the door and left the room without hesitation. I watched as he walked down the white hallway of the hotel, his shoulders slouched and a frown on his face. What happened to the eternal optimism? I asked myself.
I followed him with my eyes as he went towards the elevator. When he was gone, I got up from my position on the couch and toyed with my luggage that was lying on the floor. I went to the window and looked outside. It was a deserted countryside and there was thick fog on top of it.
I stared at the darkness for a while, lost in my own thoughts. A loud bang shook me out of my daydream. I looked at the mess. It was that little boy! I realized that I had forgotten to close the balcony door. I hurriedly went downstairs and crossed the lobby. I rushed outside and stopped for a while, just taking in the sight- the clanking of rain, the mist-covered landscape, and a glimpse of the hotel.
I stood still for a while. The door was still open. I couldn't leave it like that, he might come back. So I went inside and closed it. I inspected it fully and locked it.
I left the room and closed the door behind me. It was quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the rain. It was heavy, dense. The windows at the end of the hallway let out a beam of light. The light added to the gloom. The whole place seemed to be welcoming darkness.
I walked inside the elevator and left to the lobby. I got back to my phone and found out that it was just reaching four thirty. I looked around the place and took a book from the table and sat on the couch.
It was a nice, comfortable place. Two couches, a book table, and a lot of stools surrounded the reception area. The lobby was beautifully decorated with little things that made you feel like you were in a museum. You could walk in from the back and the reception area was in the middle.
A small bar was set up at the far end of the lobby. A level above was the dining area, where you could see a little kitchen and tables. The place was empty. The kitchen was closed too, with a big sign, 'out of order'. The dining area was empty too, save for a couple of flowers. The flowers were not that fresh, so they seemed conserved.
On the wall was a clock, the time was 3:58 pm. The time was ticking away. I took a quick glance at the queue. It didn't seem to get any shorter. I narrowed my eyes at the queue. It looked like the same people were getting in line at the same time, over and over. I turned my attention back to the book.
There were a few noises from the lobby. I looked up and found that only one man left the hotel. He wore a black jacket and a black cap and carried a backpack. He stopped for a moment before heading back again. I looked to the opposite lobby entrance and found the same man getting into line. How many times were they going to do this? I wondered.
The man repeated all over again. The clock sounded four thirty and I got up from the couch. I made my way towards the reception desk and asked for the departure time.
"You aren't going," the woman said without a minute of pause.
I looked at her and then looked at my phone. I checked my texts and found that it was only 00:03; whatever this woman said was made up. I was leaving before the exit clocked was even finished.
I asked her for the exit time. The woman didn't even look at her computer. "The counter is lacking." she said. I was unimpressed.
Anyhow, it was a horrible answer; it was unfair. I had already walked a lot of miles for this. I took a long breath and held my temper. I went back to the elevator and back to my room. I was feeling upset when I walked out.
I opened the door and walked inside. The room was warm and I was dripping wet. I changed into my pajamas and put my clothes out, so that they could dry.
I sat down on the couch. I grabbed the book I was reading.
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